CEYLON BRANCH — ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY fff 



employed here, the one to read and conduct singing in the Church, 

 and to offer up the daily evening prayers at the Governor'? 

 house, and the other to perform similar duties in the hospital 

 In the Colombo district we have %b native schools with 2508 

 children, 9 of these schools belong to Negombo with 517 chil* 

 dren. We have lost by death this year 3 ministers, namely one 

 at Galle, the .other at Maiura and the third at Jaffna, after a 

 .short residence in the Colony; to fill up their vacancies Trin- 

 comalie and Batticaioa had to be deprived." The Colombo dis- 

 trict had, native christians 24,753, including 4,033 children; 

 children baptized from March 1683 to May 1684, i,45C; adults 

 both men and women who had left heathenism and embraced 

 Christianity i 40 — couples married 363. In the Jaffna district 

 exclusive of Manaar, native christians 141,456. Besides these 

 there were said to be many hundreds professing Roman Catholi- 

 cism. On native christians the following remarks occurs. 



" The reason why we designate the native christians, by the 

 name of nominal or baptized christians is because there is reason 

 to apprehend that many profess Christianity from worldly mo- 

 tives, to derive advantages from the christian Government and 

 such like other worldly views, rather than from sincere love to 

 the truth and the christian religion and for their salvation, not 

 unlike those, who, under the first christian Emperor when chris- 

 tianity began to have ascendency in the world, forsook hea- 

 thenism and embraced it. Nevertheless we believe, and, as far 

 as we can judge from appearances in the spirit of charity, are as- 

 sured by the experience of many years that among the multi- 

 tude there are many sincere hearts who in knowledge, and love 

 of the truth have embraced Christianity seeking their salvation 

 solely in the obedience and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

 But at the same time it is unquestionable that among us in this 

 Island native Christianity in the gross is in a very tender and 

 weak state; but who will despise the day of small things? Bap- 

 tism we administer with all caution and circumspecfcign, ^gajr$t 



