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



bearing the name of the then Viceroy of India (1612-1617) 

 and former General of Ceylon (1594-1612), the infamous 

 Dom Jeronimo de Azevedo, who possibly was their sponsor 

 at their baptism. Of the three, the name of most interest 

 to us is that of "Don Jeronimo Aliquia," this last word 

 being an evident clerical error for " Aliguia." It was only 

 when recently re-reading this document that the conjunction 

 of this name with the title " moetjaer " led me to the 

 conclusion that the secretary -poet Alagiyavanna was referred 

 to ; and, by a remarkable coincidence, immediately after 

 coming to this conclusion I lighted upon a document in the 

 manuscript department of the British Museum Library 

 which confirms the conclusion. It is contained in tome 8 

 of the series of Portuguese royal dispatches to the viceroys, 

 proclamations, &c, comprising forty volumes, and numbered 

 " Additional, 20,861-20,900." It is a letter from Philip III. 

 to the Viceroy of India (the Conde de Redondo), dated 

 March 24, 1620, and runs as follows : — 



Conde VRey amigo, — Eu El Rey vos envio muito saudar como 

 aquelle que amo. Por parte de Dom Jeronimo de Aliguiamana* 

 Motiar do torn bo das terras e Aldeas da Ilha de Ceillao se me fez 

 peti9ao em que pede o titullo de Mutiar de minha fazenda e que o 

 feitor de Columbo continue com elle re^ao e matimento ordinario que 

 o geral e vedor da fazenda lhe ordenarao e que se lhe restefcuisse os 

 pedacos de Aldeas e terras que se lhe tirou Dom Nunes Alures Peir a . 

 sendo geral de Ceillao estando lhe confirmados pella memeraf e junta 

 de Aldeas que vendesse esta sua preten$ao me pareceo remetervola e 

 vos encomendo que a vejaes em despacho e me consulteis sobre ella o 

 que vos parecer pella Lista dos despachos. Escrita em Lisboa aos 

 vinte quatro de Marc,o de mil seis centos vinte. 



Translation. 



Friend, count, and viceroy, — I the King send you all greeting as 

 him whom I love. On the part of Dom J eronimo de Aliguiamana, 

 motiar of the lands and villages of the Island of Ceillao, a petition has 

 been presented to me, in which he begs for the title of mutiar of my 

 fazenda, and that the factor of Columbo continue to him the allowance 

 and ordinary sustenance that the general and the vedor da fazenda 



* Sic for " Aliguiauana." — D. W. F. 



t Sic for " camara." — D. W. F. 



