NO. 50. — 1899.] SAM AN DEVALE MURAL STONE. 85 



some portions of the figures are also damaged, seemingly from the action 

 of the weather upon the stone. The whole is, however, most spiritedly- 

 executed, and enough of the inscription remains to show that the name 

 of the Portuguese soldier was Gomez. The Sinhalese say the prostrate 

 warrior was their champion, one Kuruwita Bandara, a dreaded enemy 

 of the Portuguese, whose soldiers he had repeatedly cut off, and that 

 some fifty had fallen by his hand ere he himself was slain. The 

 sculpture was no doubt executed in Europe by royal or vice-regal 

 command, and sent hither to do honour to the soldier whose valorous 

 deed it commemorated. 



The above is the only reference to this stone that I have met 

 with in the many writers on Ceylon — Portuguese, Dutch, and 

 English — whose works I have searched for information 

 regarding it ; and yet it is undoubtedly some three centuries 

 old ; though how long it has heen in its present position, 

 and whether it was originally placed near the spot it now 

 occupies, are questions which may well arise in one's mind. 



Mr. Skeen's description contains several errors. I think 

 it more probable that the sculpture was executed in Ceylon, 

 where there would be no lack of artists in the Portuguese 

 ranks competent for the work. There are no Sinhalese 

 characters in the inscription, which is entirely in Portuguese. 

 Moreover the name of the Portuguese warrior (who is 

 hardly " armed cap-a-pie") was not Gomez, though any one 

 ignorant of Portuguese might easily conclude so from 

 deciphering the first few letters-. 



The inscription, so far as I have been able to decipher it, 

 is as follows (I expand the contractions, and separate the 

 combined letters): — 



COM • EST A* • RENDl • ESTEf * HA ■ 23J ■ ANNOS • QVE ■ 

 ANDO • NA • INDIA • E • HA ■ 15 J • QVE • SIRVO • DE • CA 

 PITAO • E • TAOQVE§ • OS • REIS ... DE ... E • ■ REI ■ 

 DE • IAFANAPATAO • EV- SIMAO- PINHAO • VENCI 



* Scil. espada. f Scil. homem, J Conjectural. § Or ao que 1 



Transcript. 



[Com esta rendi este, ha 23 (?) annos que ando na India, e ha 15 (?) 

 que sirvo de capitao ; e taoque (?) os reis...de... (?) e o rei de 

 Jafanapatao, eu Simao Pinhao o venci.] 



