CEYLON BRANCH — ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY. 2$ 



About this time a false prophet arose among the Singhalese 

 who excited some attention. I have translated the account 

 given of him in the Ecclesiastical report of 1681, not vouching 

 however for the accuracy of names, on account of the difficulty 

 I have found in deciphering the handwriting. 



" A certain person took refuge here in i 675 who had been 

 dwelling for several years in the territories of the King of 

 Randy, where he had dissuaded the inhabitants from the prac- 

 tice of devil-worship and taught the worship of God alone aa 

 being more in accordance with the doctrine of Butta or Buddu, 

 This person gathered to himself in the King's territories a great 

 number of followers, who regarded him as a remarkable per- 

 sonage; but when it was discovered that, under the pre- 

 text of religion, he was endeavouring to make disaffected to- 

 wards the Emperor Rajah Singha a great portion of his king- 

 dom, he retreated from thence to these parts. The present 

 Emperor Rajah Singha had many step-brothers, born of the 

 same mother Dona C air am a but of another father Timala Darma, 

 while Raja S'.ngha was of her second husband; both husbands 

 having been Emperors of Ceylon, Raja Singha though the young- 

 est succeeded to the throne. Of his brothers one was prince 

 of Galle, who died without issue, and the other prince of Ma- 

 telle, who had a son, some say his own and others an adopted, 

 named Comara Astara, who, it is said, after the death of his 

 father, was drowned in the river by order of Rajah Singha. But 

 12 or 13 years ago a person gave himself out to be the iden- 

 tical Comara Astara, prince of Matelle, pretending he had es- 

 caped the above mentioned death by the help of certain chiefs. 

 He is, if we are not misinformed, still at Galle in safe custody. 

 Him, the individual of whom we are giving an account, imi- 

 tated, but with superior dexterity and plausibility, possessing a 

 dignified appearance and knowing well to maintain his gravity 

 and assumed importance. A great number of inhabitants believed 

 in him while others rejected his pretensions. In the mean time, 



