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JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XVI. 



elefante que nasceo no dito convento de huraa aldea que a elle deu de 

 esmola Simao Pinhao. Postoque por provizad minha de 3 de Janeiro 

 do anno de 612 esteja declarado que os elefantes do ilha de Ceilao 

 pertencem a minha fazenda, havendo respeito ao que os ditos religiozos 

 alegao, hey por bem de fazer merce por esmola ao dito convento do 

 dito elefante, e por esta mando Ihe seja entregue, que assim fazeis 

 dar a execucao. — Escripta em Lisboa a 31 de Mar$o de 1625. — Dom 

 Diogo de Silva. Diogo da Costa. 



Translation. 



Count, viceroy, friend, — I the King send you all greeting as to 

 him whom I love. I have seen what you represented to me on the 

 part of the friars of the convent of Santo Antonio* in Columbo, in 

 respect to ordering the delivery to them of the elephant that was 

 born in the said convent from a village which Simao Pinhao gave to 

 it as alms. Although by my provision of January 3, 1612, j* it was 

 declared that the elephants of the Island of Ceillao belong to my 

 revenue, having respect to what the said friars allege, I think right 

 to grant them the said elephant as alms to the said convent, and I 

 hereby command it to be delivered to them, which you shall accord- 

 ingly put into execution. — Written in Lisbon, the 31st of March, 

 1625. — Dom Diogo de Silva. Diogo da Costa. 



The other letter is of a much later date ; it occurs in 

 Addl. MS. 20,878, and is as follows :— 



Conde sobrinho amigo, — Eu El Rey vos envio muito a| saudar como 

 aquelle que muito amo. Joana de Mendonca estante nesta corte me 

 reprezentou que a Simao Pinhao seu thio se lhe fizesse merce de% 

 pellos services que fez nesse estado de duas aldeas em Ceillaa 

 chamada§ Cotapite e Panaique em tres vidas de que ella hera a 

 ultima, e como tal se julgara por sentenca de abilita^ao que podio 

 mandar tomar posse das ditas aldeas, o que se lhe impedira no anno 

 de 620 por aldea Cotapite andar ocupado ho servic^o do prigidio|j de 

 Sof ragao. Encomendo vos que fazendo ver a que importa esta aldea e 

 a justica que ha para se dar satisfa^ao della a seu dono ordeneis que 



* Ribeiro does not mention this convent among those he enumerates as 

 being in Colombo. There was a bastion of Santo Antonio between those 

 of S. Sebastiao and Madre de Deos ; and the convent may have been near 

 it, or it may have been outside the city. The young elephant referred to 

 was, of course, born in the village, and not in the convent, as the writer's 

 confused diction would seem to imply. — D.W. F. 



f The provision occurs in a royal letter to the viceroy, of the date 

 mentioned, and will be found on p. 135 of tome II. of Doc. Rem. — D. W. F. 



% Errors of the copyist's. — D. W. F . 



§ Read " chamadas." — D. W. F. 



!| For " presidio." — D. W. F. 



