No. 36.— 1888.] 



CAPTAIN JOAO RIBEIRO. 



265 



material for a history of Louis XI. In 1701 he printed at 

 Trevoux, in 12mo., " L'Histoire de l'lsle de Ceylan du 

 Capitaine Jean Ribeyro," which he translated from the Por- 

 tuguese. He had found this work at Lisbon in the possession 

 of Dom Joao Luis d'Acunha. He did not content himself 

 with a simple translation, but augmented this history by 

 several chapters, under the name of " Additions," which he 

 derived from various manuscripts which were communicated 

 to him by the Marquis de Fontes, the Comte d'Ericeyra, and 

 many others. In 1702 he returned to Spain with the Abbe 

 d'Estrees, and there developed his rare talent for negotia- 

 tions. On his return he was nominated Secretary of the 

 Pairie, and while holding this post published several 

 memoirs on the Spanish succession. In 1720 he was 

 commissioned to draw up an inventory of the collection 

 of maps ; and he also finished his life of Louis XL, but this 

 work was not published. Towards the end of his life he 

 retired to Savigny, to the chateau of the Marquis de Vins, 

 his former pupil ; but this nobleman having been cut off 

 prematurely, the Abbe le Grand returned to Paris, where he 

 died some months later of apoplexy, on April 30, 1733, in 

 his eighty -first year. 



Le Grand's translation was utilised to some extent in the 

 form of additions to Knox's account of Ceylon, as reprinted 

 in Harris's " Voyages," 1705 (vol. II., pp. 450-84), but not, 

 so far as I know, by other writers of the last century. 



A little over a hundred years after the death of Le Grand, 

 viz., in 1836, the Royal Academy of Sciences of Lisbon issued 

 volume V. of the " CollecQao de Noticias para a Historia e 

 Geografia das Nasoes Ultramarinas, que vivem nos Dominios 

 Portuguezes ou lhes sao visinhas," the first part of which 

 volume contained " Fatalidade Historica da Ilha de Ceilao, 

 Dedicada a Magestade do Serenissimo D. Pedro II. Rei de 

 Portugal Nosso Senhor. Escrita pelo Capitao Joao Ribeiro." 

 To this is prefixed the following note : — " Extract from the 

 minutes of the proceedings of the Royal Academy of Sciences 

 at the sitting of 15 October, 1835. The Royal Academy of 



