,54 CEYLON BRANCH — ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY, 



had obliged them to debar some from the Lord's table. The 

 Colombo consistory likewise regretted the backwardness of their 

 congregation in attending divine service, except on feast days. 

 A wordly spirit possessed many. The clergy admonished and 

 warned sometimes powerfully, at other times gently and in love, 

 but often without success. They found their work hard, and 

 sighed unto the Lord that piety might shine forth in the con- 

 duct of the inhabitants. In this year, of the 42,\29 professed na- 

 tive christians in Colombo district 988 were members; of 171,189 

 in Jaffna 18, and of 81,266 in Galle district only 6 were 

 members. 



In 1734, Roman Catholicism was getting a footing in Galle, 

 which suggested the strict execution of the Government placards 

 against popery. During the country visitation the minister des- 

 troyed seven places of heathen offering, without hinderance or- 

 molestation, which led to the inference that Government might 

 easily if they would, crush idolatry altogether. The classes of 

 Delft, Delfsland and Schieland, as also that of Walcheren in 

 their reply of 1733, regretted that of the vast number bap- 

 tized, so few were real professors, calling them { Christianos 

 sine Christo,' and desired to know the reason or cause why 

 the numbers of these two classes were so disproportionate, whe- 

 ther their profession of Christianity was by birth, or by tran- 

 sition from idolatry, and what were the most effectual means of 

 uprooting the evil, The Colombo consistory replied that as far 

 as concerned their own district they had not so much cause of 

 complaint about the prevalence of temples, priests and super-* 

 stitious practices, though it was true such practices existed in 

 secret; that they had 988 native communicants, which number 

 would be greater if the means of grace were more copiously 

 afforded, that there were but two places namely Negombo and 

 Cotta in which the Sacraments were administered quarterly in 

 Singhalese and Malabar so that several members had to travel 

 twenty or thirty miles to attend on these occasions j that thq 



