260 



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



and for such I took it, until in transcribing it I began to come 

 across the most extraordinary errors in spelling. Even then 

 my first idea was that it was a contemporary copy made in 

 Badulla by some writer not very conversant with Portuguese. 

 However, jt struck me to hold the paper up to the light, when, 

 to my consternation and disgust, I read the prosaic water- 

 mark " G. Jones, 1803 " ! So the document is after all only a 

 facsimile copy (a remarkably clever one, I must say) of the 

 original, executed, probably by a Sinhalese, by Sir Alexander 

 Johnston's order doubtless. But at once several questions 

 arise, viz., where is the original letter ? and with what object 

 was this facsimile copy made ? Was it " with intent to 

 deceive?" (The British Museum authorities, at any rate, 

 appear to have been taken in. ) The matter is to me an insoluble 

 mystery. That the letter is a forgery, and not a copy, cannot 

 be believed for a single moment : internal evidence proves the 

 contrary. 



It was doubtless very good of Sir Alexander Johnston to 

 present these letters to the British Museum Library, where 

 they have been well kept ; but how came he to have possession 

 of the first letter, which was the property of the Government 

 of which he was a paid servant ? These cases involving the 

 honour of a Chief Justice and a Colonial Secretary of Ceylon 

 are not pleasant to dwell upon. 



As regards the letters themselves : the first one, it will be 

 seen, is that referred to by Valentyn, as quoted at the bottom 

 of page 212 of my paper ; and its discovery necessitates the 

 alteration of notes 272, 273, and 274 on p. 267. It follows in 

 chronological order the letter printed on p. 210 of my paper, 

 and I have, therefore, numbered it 10a. The second letter, 

 though undoubtedly authentic, is not referred to by Valen- 

 tyn or any other Dutch writer, so far as I can find. It was 

 written only a few weeks after the missive printed on pp. 244-5 

 of my paper, hence I have numbered it 24a. 



[ 10a ] 



[I] Raja Singa Raju, Most Potent Emperor of Ceilao, 

 to the Governor Jacob van Kuitenstein , like my own 

 vassal, in my fortress of Gale, 

 send much greeting. 



Being in my kingdom of Bintena 1 , there was presented 

 to me a letter from Your Honour, written on the 15th of 

 November of the year 1651 2 , to which this is the reply 3 



