ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY. 



In a letter to the XYII Representatives, dated 1697, we 

 have the following account of translations. " Since it has 

 pleased God to bring this Island under your Government we 

 have endeavoured with all zeal to apply every possible means 

 to propagate Christianity among the natives, establishing 

 schools in all places, and composing for their instruction ques- 

 tions and answers on the fundamentals of Christianity, trans- 

 lated first into Portuguese and afterwards into Tamil, for the 

 Jaffna congregations, and subsequently into Singhalese. But 

 as none of the ministers were found with competent knowledge 

 of this language, and the work was done by certain natives 

 acquainted with the Portuguese and Singhalese languages, it 

 appeared that the version was imperfect, several passages of 

 which not conveying the meaning properly. We were how- 

 ever obliged to help ourselves with it until the year 1696, 

 when under the supervision of the Rev. Simon Cat a revised 

 version appeared, which is now by order of the Government 

 introduced into all the schools. We have faithfully communi- 

 cated this circumstance, that your Lordships may perceive 

 whence it is the inhabitants have, generally speaking, made so 

 little progress in Christianity. Indeed all the labour and pains 

 bestowed by constant visitations will produce little fruit so long 

 as the means of instruction remain defective. Because there 

 has not been one of the clergy sufficiently advanced in Sin- 

 ghalese, little instruction could, comparatively speaking, be 

 communicated. 



The Rev, J. Ruel has by the grace of God succeeded so 

 far as to preach his first Singhalese sermon on the 14th of 

 October 1696. Being better able to judge of the correctness 

 of existing versions, he has introduced several idiomatic im- 

 provements. If now we were supplied with two or three 

 young ministers, inclined to master the language,, then under 



