«EYLON BRANCH— ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY. 47 



sure observed with how much purity in many places divine 

 truths and the articles of our faith are confessed by converts from 

 heathenism ; and although there is much ignorance among the 

 generality, yet it is delightful to notice their deep silence and se- 

 rious attention during the explanation of gospel truths, which ma- 

 nifests their willingness to learn, and their reverence for God's 

 word, and which to us is an earnest of better days. We hope 

 that our admirable catechism, of Heidelberg, in the translation 

 of which Mr. Conyn is busily engaged, will, under divine bless- 

 ing, be most successfully introduced. " As a proof of their 

 attachment to heathenism, the report mentions, the great number 

 of devil's trees, which I suppose are the sacred trees of bud- 

 dhu, and recommends that they be eradicated by order of Go- 

 vernment. The clergy say they do not fail earnestly to exhort 

 and warn the people against such idolatrous practices. The 

 clergy of Galle, writing to them of Colombo, state their dis- 

 couragements, the people being hostile to Christianity and wed- 

 ded to heathenism. 



The Colombo consistory express their surprise at this gloomy 

 representation as it did not agree with the satisfaction expressed 

 in the communication of the previous year on the state of na- 

 tive congregations, the progress of schools, and the good dis- 

 cipline and religious instruction of the masters. " Could they 

 have retrogaded so suddenly ? (they inquire). We cannot un- 

 derstand it; since you are so zealous in kindling every where 

 the true light and in advancing the good cause; for which 

 reason we would regret the more if the people were gone 

 backward. But we would hope the best, and, without detract- 

 ing from the well-merited praise of yourselves and your pre* 

 decessors, we would rather believe, that possibly, from want of 

 sufficient experience of the character of the people, expressions 

 have proceeded from your pen, which set forth their declension 

 in a rather magnified form. It has long been found that they 

 are a people who have almost no knowledge of their heathenish 



