48 



CEYLON BRANCH 



The Rev. Mr. Cronenburgh, who had returned to Holland, 

 applied to the Company to allow a certain Singhalese youth 

 in Ceylon, who had given much satisfaction when under his 

 tuition, to come over to Holland to be prepared for the ministry. 

 The Company disapproved of it, thinking that if he was pro- 

 mising he could be employed on the spot, if not as proponent, 

 as catechist; stating that a similar trial had been made of one 

 from Batavia, who did not answer their expectations, but 

 proved more unserviceable. As successor to Mr. Ruel, who 

 was the greatest Singhalese scholar in Ceylon at the time, the 

 classis had engaged Mr, Riemersma, who expressed his willing- 

 ness not only to go out to Ceylon, but to take upon himself 

 exclusively the Singhalese department. 



In 1700 there were in the Colombo district 39 native 

 Churches and schools, Galle and Matura 31, Jaffna, Trincom- 

 alie and Batticaloa 38. For want of better supervision, which 

 was owing to the small number of ministers, the Singhalese 

 congregations were in a poor state; in the Colombo district 

 things were more satisfactory ; several of the inhabitants could 

 give an account of the hope that was in them, and 90 additional 

 communicants were received in that year. Several little 

 religious works were translated into Singhalese. The reports 

 and correspondence for 20 successive years contain little that 

 is remarkable. The great want of additional ministers was 

 the reigning topic, which continued till 1718, when five were 

 sent out at once, of whom two were for Jaffna and two for 

 Galle. About this time, when the seminary began to supply 

 Singhalese and Malabar young men, native proponents began 

 to be employed. At Jaffna there were two Malabar, and at 

 Galle two Singhalese proponents. 



In 1711 the Rev. Mr. Conyn submitted to the Governor 

 his new translation of Matthew, Mark and Luke. The version 



