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



Chapter XI. — Here again Ribeiro mentions the " pachas " 

 (B. " Pdchaos "), and LeG. has transferred the word with- 

 out explaining it. Lee puts a note to it as follows : — "Per- 

 haps this is a mistake of the copyist for paduwas, originally 

 palanquin-bearers from the coast," but this explanation is 

 unsatisfactory. In rendering Le Grand's (and B.'s) " Butate- 

 gama " (L.A. " Butalegama ") as Bulatgama, however, Lee is 

 no doubt correct. In speaking of the payment by the natives 

 to their chiefs of taxes, Ribeiro says that the principal article 

 in which payment was made was " areca, which is highly 

 valued throughout India." This LeG. deliberately alters 

 into "Areca, which is a leaf that is greatly valued," &c. • 

 and Lee goes still further and says : — " The tax is more 

 especially paid in betel, which is a leaf," &c. In this chapter 

 LeG. has preserved the "Guiles"'' (coolies) and "Motteto" 

 (muttettu) of Ribeiro. LeG. says that " The forests of Ceylon 

 are rich in productions which might be serviceable to 

 commerce." This can hardly be called a fair translation of 

 Ribeiro's words, which are : — " Moreover, the forests contain a 

 great quantity of cocculus (coca)." I referred above to the fact 

 that Ribeiro states that Ceylon produces two kinds of resin ; 

 these are mentioned here, and one is particularly described, 

 which he says the people of India call " chandarrus" Lee has 

 a note to this : — " I do not think this word is known in Ceylon 

 — the gum mentioned is the Doommala, a kind of copal''' 

 As I have shown above, Ribeiro specially says that it was 

 in India that the name " chandarrus " was used. The 

 word is found in Arabic and Hindustani as sindarus, sandaros, 

 sundaros, and in English as sandarach. 



Chapter XII. — In this chapter Ribeiro gives a description 

 of the chief places occupied by the Portuguese in Ceylon. 

 In describing Colombo he says that the walls were of 

 " taipa singela" which words LeG. has transferred without 

 explanation, and Lee confesses himself unable to explain. 

 A writer in the Orientalist says that they mean " Sinhalese 

 walls." " Taipa" means "mud wall," and "singela" is noth- 

 ing but " simple." That is, the walls were " simply mud." 



