HOYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY. 



63 



A Portuguese Roman Catholic priest, Emanuel Aquiar, 

 became Protestant, at Calcutta, and on his application was 

 ordered by the Government, with the advice of the Batavian 

 consistory, to proceed to Colombo, and be there preparatorily 

 examined, with the view of admission as a preacher. The 

 Colombo consistory accordingly admitted him proponent, in 

 1741 and recommended his being employed at Galle, to preach 

 in Portuguese* He was represented in poor circumstances, 

 and his application for appointment, written in bad latin, as 

 also the little satisfaction he appears to have subsequently 

 given, indicate him as a person of not mtt'ch ability. 



The Dutch congregation ! at Colombo had increased in a 

 few years from 300 to 786 members, but their spiritual state 

 was considered to be low, from the fact that though the num- 

 ber of members was so great, yet their attendance at Church 

 was so indifferent that the ministers had not unfrequently to 

 preach, as it were, to empty seats. 



In 1757 the same complaint was renewed in the following 

 terms; that the Europeans were on the whole not exemplary 

 in the religion they professed; that they led indeed moral 

 lives, but their object was more to seek the praise and favour 

 t)f men ; being destitute of inward piety they made luxury a 

 virtue, carnal indulgence their happiness, pride their glory. 

 That of a congregation at Colombo of 1000 members, very 

 frequently no more than 50 were present at divine service and 

 in the afternoon none at all* Much evil on the native mind 

 was apprehended from this circumstance. 



There were in 1749 but two ministers at Colombo, and 

 one at Jaffna. Galle had been destitute for three years, owing 

 to the necessary removal from thence to Colombo of Mr, 

 Fabricius. It was apprehended that the Church there would 

 fall into confusion. The natives complained that there was no 



