No. 36.— 1888.] 



CAPTAIN JOAO R1BEIRO. 



305 



"This slight essay leaves room for a serious study on the 

 island of Ceylon, and the verification of doctrines, proper 

 names, dates, of everything contained in this His tor ia da 

 Ilha de Ceilao. I have neither the time nor the knowledge 

 to do this ; and so I shall simply continue the work I have 

 begun. 



III. 



" I proceed with the comparison of the two copies, be- 

 ginning with the first chapter of the third part. 



" The printed edition says : — ' In the first book we have 

 shown what Ceilao is, in the second the progress of that 

 war, and for the end which we have in view, all is necessary, 

 and before we proceed to show it with evidence, we have of 

 necessity to make some observations, and if in these we err, 

 many of other judgment, talent, and study fall into this 

 infirmity.' 



" In the manuscript we read : — ' I showed in the first book 

 the situation of the Island of Ceilao, what was remarkable 

 in it, how we governed it, and the right which we have to 

 hold it ; in the second I referred to the wars which we had 

 there with the natives and Hollanders, until we were, through 

 the lack of reinforcements, expelled therefrom : in this I 

 shall show the inadvertence with which care was not taken 

 for its retention, the damage caused to us by this incon- 

 sideration, which still exists. 1 



" The author continues his work of perfecting and recasting 

 the first essay. 



" The second chapter commences : — ' Let us pass to the 

 third point : for the preservation of these fortresses (we 

 speak of those of less account and utility), these had to be 

 provided, like the rest, with captains, men who had served 

 in that province.' 



" The manuscript says : — 6 The third reason was the 

 bad choice that was made of commanders for those 

 fortified places, especially those of less utility. These 

 ought to have been provided with captains, who might be 

 men created in the war of the same province ; not only 

 in order to incite the rest, that by their exertions they 

 might be worthy of those posts, but because experience 

 taught them what was necessary for their preservation and 

 defence.' 



"Thus it continues with sufficient clearness, in regular 

 periods, with subject, verb, and attribute, a matter in which 

 there is a want of sequence on the part of the correlative 

 printed edition. 



" This assertion is being fully proved ; meanwhile, I shall 



