No. 56. — 1905.] PORTUGUESE INSCRIPTIONS. 
361 
The inscription runs : Esta sepultra he do P Gomes e de 
su (a molher) Maria de Miranda falesco A 14 de Julho de 
1648 (An) OS." 
[" This tomb is of Paulo Gomes and of his (wife) Maria de 
Miranda, died on the 14th July, 1648 "] 
This inscription has not hitherto been published. 
Plate No. 12. 
In addition to these tombstones there is in the Colombo 
Museum a stone with an inscription showing that it once 
stood (over the main doorway, probably) in the wall of the 
chapel of a Portuguese religious house : — 
" Capella dos irmaos da confraria do santiss Rosario seu 
arco novamente feito na era de 1647 sendo prezidente 
Balthezar da Veiga." 
[" Chapel of the Brethren of the Confraternity of the Most 
Holy Rosary. Its arch was rebuilt in the year 1647, 
Balthezar da Veiga being President."]^' 
These, with the sculptured and inscribed stone at Ratna- 
pura described and illustrated in the pages of this Journal ;t 
the inscription found on a rock near the foot of the 
Breakwater in 1898, which gave rise to a discussion recorded 
in the same volume of the Journal ; J the coat of arms found 
* This is Professor G-racias' translation, A translation of this inscription 
was published some years ago in the Ceylon Ohser'cer^ in which " Queen 
stand by us " was given as the meaning of the words here rendered "Its arch 
was rebuilt," and the President was stated to be " The Kev. Eleazer, 16 years 
of age"! There can be no doubt as to which of the two versions has the 
advantage in regard to lucidity. The last two letters in the last line 
resemble the figures 16, but they are not numerals at all, the supposed 6 
being the letter G-. 
Professor Gracias says : "There is a Portuguese surname Veiga which is 
used with Da before, viz., Da Veiga or De Veiga or D'Veiga ; therefore the 
illegible surname could be Daveiga badly written. In the 1 7th century 
there was in India a Portuguese, wealthy and pious, it seems, named 
Balthazar da Veiga, much affectioned to the Jesuits, who died 14th January , 
1652, and his remains lie in the Sacristy of the well-known Church of Bom 
Jesus, Old Goa, on a sarcophagus, with epitaph, granted by the Society of 
Jesus." 
t Vol. XVI., pp. 84-lU. 
% lUd., pp. 15-28. 
