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JOURNAL, B.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XXI. 



exceptional circumstances of the times he had been referred 

 to the viceroy for his instructions, instead of receiving them 

 directly from the king. He was invested with the same 

 authority in military matters as his predecessors had enjoyed ; 

 as regards the revenue, he was to be guided by the existing 

 regulations, so far as they were not in conflict with those 

 issued to the vedor ; and he was directed to see that justice 

 was impartially and efficiently administered in accordance 

 with the rules laid down for the guidance of judicial officers, 

 A proposal was, however, on foot to create a council to super- 

 vise the affairs of Ceylon : when this assembled the chair was 

 to be taken by the bishop of Cochin, if present, by virtue of 

 his sacred office ; but in his absence the general was to preside 

 in preference to the vedor. 



Chapter II. 



The fiscal affairs of Ceylon had long occupied the attention 

 of the Portuguese king, and in January, 1607, Antao Vaz 

 Fereira was despatched as Vedor da Fazenda and armed with 

 special powers ; orders were also sent that he should be 

 provided with an experienced Portuguese officer from Goa 

 as secretary ; but Paulo Carvalho, who was nominated for the 

 office, had to be removed in a short time, as he could not work 

 in harmony with the vedor. His first duty was the prepara- 

 tion of a thombo of the villages with details of the revenue due 

 from each, distinguishing those which had been assigned to 

 the service of the temples. All claimants were summoned 

 to produce their muniments of title to be examined and 

 registered ; but the initial difficulty was encountered that none 

 of the official records were forthcoming. It was suspected 

 that these were being suppressed by interested parties, but 

 Don Hieronymo was able from his experience to explain that 

 as a matter of fact all such documents had been destroyed 

 or burnt in the course of the protracted war ; the work had 

 therefore to be prepared with the assistance of the best 

 evidence which could be obtained. Several villages were 

 found to be held on ancient grants without payment of rent, 

 and merely on condition of rendering some personal service ; 

 others had been recently assigned to private parties on 



