No. 36. — 1888.] CAPTAIN joao ribeiro. 



263 



CAPTAIN JOAO RIBEIRO: 

 HIS WORK ON CEYLON, AND THE FRENCH 

 TRANSLATION THEREOF BY THE 

 ABBE LE GRAND. 



By Donald Ferguson, Esq. 



{Bead July 26, 1888.) 



N the early part of the year 1701 there appeared 

 at Trevoux in France a small volume with 

 the following title : — " Histoire de l'lsle de 

 Ceylan. Ecrite par le Capitaine Jean Ribeyro, 

 & presentee au Roy de Portugal en 1685. 



Traduite du Portugais en Frangois. A Trevoux, chez 

 Estienne Ganeau, Directeur de l'lmprimerie de S. A. S* 

 Monseigneur Prince Souverain de Dombes. Avec Appro- 

 bation & Privilege. M. DCCI." Almost simultaneously the 

 same book was issued in Paris, the first part of the 

 title being identical with the above, and the latter part 

 reading thus : — " A Trevoux, & se vend, a Paris, chez Jean 

 Boudot, Libraire de l'Academie Royale des Sciences, rue 

 S. Jacques, au Soleil d'or. M. DCCI. Avec Approbation & 

 Privilege." The name of the translator is not given, the 

 epistle dedicatory being signed simply with the initials 

 J. L. G. However, in the same year 1701 there was pub- 

 lished at Amsterdam a reprint of the above book, with the 

 following title : — " Histoire .... en 1685. Traduite 

 du Portugais par Monsr. l'Abbe Le Grand. Enrichie de 

 Figures en Taille-douce. Suivant la Copie de Trevoux, A 

 Amsterdam, Chez J. L. de Lorme, Libraire. M. DCCI." 

 Regarding the Abbe le Grand, we learn the following facts 

 from the memoir of him by Pere Bougerel in Niceron's 

 " Memoires pour servir a l'histoire des hommes illustres," 

 t. 26, and the " Biographie Universelle," t. 25. 



