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CEYLON BRANCH 



interest might be kept up, which could be done in no other 

 way than by frequent and continued inspection and visitation, 

 especially at a time when so many means were employed to 

 revive heathenism; and the classes held out little prospect of 

 procuring men of sufficient suitability for Colonial Churches, 

 especially as the political state of Holland operated unfavoura- 

 bly on the number of theological students at the universities. 



At Jaffna in 1691 fresh schemes were contemplated for 

 the better propagation of the Christian religion. H. A. Van 

 Rhede of Drakenstein Lord of Meydreght, Commissary Gene- 

 ral, when on his visit through the J affna provinces, finding by 

 observation that among the natives " many were imbued with 

 the blind superstition of popery through the emissaries of 

 Portuguese priests from the Coast of Coromandel; while 

 others had little true conception of the reformed religion not- 

 withstanding that its fundamental truths had for a series of 

 years been inculcated at the native Churches and in their own 

 tongue," projected the establishing of a seminary at Jaffna, to 

 prepare natives by means of the Dutch language, for the work 

 of teaching their countrymen. It was observed that this was 

 the practice pursued by the Roman Catholics. Native agency 

 was found the more necessary, as few Europeans were suffi- 

 ciently familiar with the language effectually to communicate 

 with the people. With the exception of Mr. De Mey, who 

 was born and had spent his childhood in India, and for that 

 reason supposed to have been gifted with facilities above his 

 brethren in the ministry, for acquiring a thorough intimacy 

 with the Tamil language, and who was made Rector of the 

 Tamil seminary at Jaffna, none had as yet been able freely to 

 preach in that language. Mr. J. D. Yoogt who had arrived 

 in 1669 could read and write well, and was busy composing a 

 Tamil Grammar. The frequent changes in the location of the 



