264 JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. X. 



Joachim le Grand was born at St. L6, in the diocese of 

 Coutances, in Normandy, on February 6, 1653, his parents 

 being Gilles le Grand and Marie Violet. After his first 

 studies he went to Caen to study philosophy under the 

 celebrated Pierre Cally. He had as a fellow-student Pierre 

 Francois cle la Tour, who was afterwards General of the 

 Oratory. The friendship which they then formed termi- 

 nated only with their lives. Following the example of his 

 friend, he entered the Oratory in 1671, and whilst he 

 remained there he studied belles lettres and theology. He 

 left this in 1676 and went to Paris, where he was constantly 

 with the Pere le Cointe, who was engaged on the " Ecclesias- 

 tical Annals of France." This learned man finding in the 

 Abbe le Grand an accurate memory, a fine judgment, a mar- 

 vellous sagacity for the discussion of facts, and a great love 

 of truth and of work, qualities and talents necessary for 

 success in history, did not hesitate to persuade him to give 

 his whole time to this subject. He did more : he was willing 

 himself to be his guide in a career so vast and so difficult. 

 With such help he acquired a wide acquaintance with 

 ancient titles and maps, an acquaintance which he largely 

 perfected in the Royal Library by the liberty which M. 

 Thevenot, who had charge thereof, gave him. He under- 

 took successively the tuition of the Marquis de Yins and 

 the Due d'Estrees. Meeting Dr. Burnet in Paris, he 

 engaged in a controversy with him on the subject of 

 the latter's " History of the Reformation," publishing his 

 opinions in a work issued in Paris in 1688 in three volumes, 

 12mo. The Abbe d'Estrees having, in February, 1692, been 

 appointed Ambassador to Portugal, chose the Abbe le Grand 

 as Secretary to the Embassy, and he went to Lisbon in 

 April. As the negotiations between France and Portugal 

 did not proceed very rapidly, the Abbe le Grand profited 

 by his leisure, and collected memoirs or relations concern- 

 ing the vast territories regarded by the Portuguese as 

 their conquests. He resided in Portugal until August, 1697, 

 and on his return to France he commenced to collect 



