NO. 50. — 1899.] ANTIQUARIAN DISCOVERY. 



17 



of the bones will, it is believed by the more superstitious, lay the ghost 

 for ever. There is little doubt that the coolies are just now excava- 

 ting about the grave of some Portuguese grandee of the beginning of 

 the sixteenth century, to mark whose resting place the stone was 

 placed by it, with the coat of arms carved on it. Nothing beyond 

 bones have been found at the spot, and the Portuguese coat of arms 

 with the date on it is the only but sufficiently acceptable evidence that 

 the grave belongs to one of this Island's Portuguese conquerors. 



III.— Report of the Assistant Engineer, Colombo. 



I have the honour to forward herewith three photographs of the 

 interesting discovery referred to, and to state that the shield and cross 

 are cut on the north-east side of one of a series of large boulders, 

 which were found under the site on which the old Breakwater offices 

 stood. The boulder on which the shield is cut weighs about five tons. 

 The upper portion of the shield is rather indistinct, evidently due to 

 exposure for many years to the action of the weather before the 

 boulder was covered with earth. At the foot of the boulder, in a 

 recess under it, a few human bones were found. 



IY._Mr. F. H. de Yos to Mr. G-. A. Joseph. 



Galle, November 9, 1893. 

 Sir, — Referring to your letter No. 172 of the 8th instant, I have 

 the honour to state that the arms in question are those of Portugal, and 

 may be blazoned thus : — 



De a cinq ecussons 2, 1, 2, charg. chacun de cinq bes. 



2, 1, 2, a la bord de ch.de sept tours, 3, 2, 2. Crest : 



une couronne surmontee d'une croix pattee. 



The colours not being indicated, I have not supplied them. 



A stone slab bearing the same arms, hut without the cross, was dis- 

 covered by the Archaeological Commissioner at Menikkadawara (see 

 Sessional Papers, Ceylon, 1891, Antiquarian Research, Kegalla, p. 31, 

 where a sketch of it is to be found). The " croix pattee," I think, is 

 for the Order of Christ. 



It is strange, however, that the " ecussons " should be placed 2, 1, 2 

 (saltire-wise), and not 1, 3, 1 (cross-wise), because the latter, I think, 

 would be the correct way of depicting them, unless of course it be the 

 fact (of which, however, I am unaware) that at a date early in the 

 sixteenth century these charges were borne saltire-wise in the Royal 

 arms of Portugal. 



I have looked into the original Portuguese of Cameons referred to 

 by the Archaeological Commissioner in his report (page 31), and it is 



27—99 C 



