58 CEYLON BRANCH ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY. 



These individuals collected about 50 adherents, some Church 

 members and others not; and two of the krankbezoekers took 

 an active part in their meetings. The commotion created by 

 this new doctrine, threatened, as the consistory apprehended, a 

 dangerous schism in the congregation. At a special meeting the 

 two krankbezoekers were summoned, one of them Portous by 

 name, being examined and exhorted to withdraw from those 

 dangerous persons, obstinately refused, and treated the authority 

 of the consistory with disrespect, which constrained, them to 

 apply to Government for his removal to Galle. When about 

 to proceed thither, Portous applied to the consistory for an 

 attestation of membership and good conduct, which was of course 

 refused unless he recanted and professed penitence for his other 

 acts of impropriety; when he again set them at defiance he 

 was ordered to Batavia to be further examined. The other 

 krankbezoeker Erfson promised amendment and was retained. 

 The consistory complained to Government of the Hernhutters, 

 who finding their position unpleasant applied for leave to return 

 home. In a letter from the Cape of Good Hope, where these 

 passengers had touched on their voyage to Ceylon, they were 

 recommended to the consistory's notice as Moravian Missiona- 

 ries; the consistory replied that they had received no official 

 information of their missionary designs, that these men did not 

 go into the country but remained at Colombo, and that they 

 could not be recognized as fit instruments for religious in- 

 struction, as their tenets were discountenanced by the Synod. 

 From this incident it would appear that religious toleration was 

 not much understood. A letter from the classis in the sub- 

 sequent year advised the clergy to guard against the freaks 

 of ambitious krankbezoekers. 



A Portuguese Roman Catholic priest Emanuel Aquiar, be- 

 came protestant, at Calcutta, and on his application was or- 

 dered by the Government, with the advice of the Batavian 

 consistory, to proceed to Colombo and be there preparatorily 



