8 CEYLON BRANCH 



judicial proceedings, the fines and penalties of which went to 

 that fund, so that nearly a hundred poor had to lose their 

 charitable allowances. 



A letter from the Colombo clergy to those at Malacca 

 dated May 1662, gives the following account. " The external 

 condition and good order in divine worship in the Church 

 and in other places of assembly, on Sundays and weekdays, 

 both in the Portuguese and Dutch Services, are carefully 

 maintained. The number of Church Members in the Co- 

 lombo Congregation is 79. The word of God is preached in 

 Dutch twice on the Sabbath-day ; in the forenoon prayers are 

 read by a schoolmaster, and religious instruction given by 

 means of catechism questions to the Tamils in their own lan- 

 guage; in the afternoon God's word is read in Portuguese by 

 another master, which also takes place every Thursday after- 

 noon. The Lord's Supper is administered quarterly. Every 

 evening Prayers are offered up at the Governor's residence ; 

 and every morning and evening in the Hospital. The schools 

 are visited twice or thrice a year by a minister. At Negombo 

 the Sacrament is administered quarterly. The Rev. H. Bon- 

 gaert officiates at Galle ; and the Rev. D. Baldeus at Jaffna, 

 whither also the Rev. D. Doncker has returned, after ac- 

 companying for the space of five months the great Naval 

 expedition along the Malabar Coast under the command of 

 Admiral RycklofF Van Goens. At the request of the two 

 named brethren, who say that their duties are very heavy, 

 having to attend to nearly a hundred thousand baptized 

 Christians, the Rev. D. Abreyl was sent from Manaar to their 

 assistance, and in his place was appointed, in October, 1661, 

 Mr. Caletus. The Rev. G. Yan Holcken arrived at Colombo, 

 from Batavia, in January, 1661 ; but both he and Rev. L. 

 Bongaert died at Galle. D. Fereira who officiated for a year 



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