HOYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY. 



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an adopted, named Comara Astara, who, it is said, after the 

 death of his father, was drowned in the river by order of Rajah 

 Singha. But 12 or 13 years ago a person gave himself out to 

 be the identical Comara Astara, prince of Matelle, pretending 

 he had escaped the above mentioned death by the help of cer* 

 tain chiefs. He is, if we are not misinformed, still at Galle in 

 safe custody. Him, the individual of whom we are giving an 

 account, imitated, but with superior dexterity and plausibility, 

 possessing a dignified appearance, and knowing well to main- 

 tain his gravity and assumed importance. A great number of 

 inhabitants believed inhim, while others rejectedhis pretensions. 

 In the mean time, whoever he might v be, our Government 

 shewed him many marksof honor, as if he were Comara Astara> 

 with what design or for what reasons we cannot tell. When 

 here he continued for some time to forbid devil-worship and to 

 exhort the people to serve God alone. Even as during his 

 residence in the King's territories he commanded the dagopa 

 priests and devil enchanters to bring him their revenue, so in 

 like manner his commands here to that effect were obeyed by 

 many, so that he accumulated much wealth. On his arrival 

 he feigned an inclination to the Christian religion, so that the 

 Rev J. De Vooght and Simon Cat visited him frequently, but 

 when they set forth scripture truths, he shewed little or no 

 inclination. When on the other hand he was interrogated on 

 the mysteries of heathenism, he refused making any disclosures, 

 saying that he was ignorant of them, and that the wise men 

 living in the interior should be applied to. It would be tedious 

 to narrate the discourses held with him, suffice it to mention 

 one interview. On the 29th July 1675,, the two above named 

 brethren called on him at his request, and found at his house 

 a collection of devil dancers and dagoba priests, of whom five 

 excelled in dancing, trembling, movements of the limbs, and 



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