Chap.XLI V. A Dejcripion of C E Y L O N. 
Youth being very apt to retain here 
what they have been told ) to catechife 
frequently the young ones in the prefence 
of their Parents, thereby to excite in 
them a laudable Emulation to follow their 
Footfteps. St, Paul himfelf leads ws the 
way, when he fays, that you mull firfl 
lay the Foundation of the Doffrine of 
Chrifl:, before you can raife the Edifice of 
the Church. 
It is aifoabfolutely requifite, that the 
ijme Catechifm that has been at firft in- 
rroducM among the Native Chriftians 
/hould be retain'd without any alteration, 
which, as it would over-charge their Me- 
mory, fo it would breed nothing but 
The Cdt-e- Confufion inftead of Profit. It was for 
chli'm once t^jj ,eafon, that when by order from the 
Tmng'thc ^f^Preme Magiftrates, the Reformation of 
Natives, t'lefe Churches was committed to my 
muii not k care^ I reduc'd the chief Points of the 
itUercf. Chriftian Doftrine into Queftions and 
Anfwers, which were afterwards intro- 
duc'd into the Churches of Jafnapatnam, 
A4anaar^ Gale, Columbo, Negumbo and 
Mature, and receiv'd by the fucceeding 
Minifters, by fpecial Command from the 
General and Council of the Indies, and 
the Governor of thefe places and were 
afterwards confirm'd by the General 
Aflembly of the Clergy of Ceylon held 
at Columho 1559- from the 24^/; of Februa- 
ry till the of Jl-Iarcb. 
They had had enough of the Mif- 
chiefs riint enfaed upon thefe Alterations, 
sntroduced by new Minifteis into the 
Ifle of Formofn, who inftead of following 
the foorfteps of Robert Junius and George 
Condins (Minifteis of the Gofpel there) 
would introduce certain Novelties. I 
found it alfo abfolutely neceflary to have 
thefe Qocif ions and Anfwers put, not on- 
ly in the Portugucfe but alfo in the Alala- 
bar Tongue, feveral Copies whereof were 
fent to our Brethren at Colmnbo, Gale and 
Negapatnam. 
It is beyond all difpute that the Lorv- 
Dtncb Tongue is not fo proper to propa- 
gate our Religion here a^. the Malabar and 
Portugucfe ; and confequently, that the 
Minifters of tiie Gofpel fent into thofe 
pai ts fhoiiid rather apply themfelves to 
thefe Lang'LiagtSjthr.ntoirapofe their own 
upon the new Converts, which always 
meets with great diffiruky, and can't be 
introducxl wirlicut vaft Trouble and 
Charges: befides, that it is much more 
reafonable one Man fhould accommodate 
himfelf to many, than thefe to one Man. 
It is furthermore requilite, that as the 
Minifters ought to pay all due Refpe^t 60 
Vol III. 
the Magiftrates, fo thefe fhould treat 
them with all imaginaalc Civility and 
Honour, to acquire thecn the more Au- 
thority among the Natives. 
The Ifle of Mamar abounds in Fifii to 
fucb a degree, that the inhabitants here 
(as well as at Negumbo) dry and fend 
them into other parts in vaft quantities. 
They have here a peculiar Fifh ( proper- 
ly a Sea-Calf) of an amphibious nature-, 
the Females have Breafts and give Suck, 
and the Flefti when well boil'd taftes not 
unlike our Sturgeon, and might eafily be 
miftaken for Veal. 
But it is time we pafs the River of 
Manaar towards Mantotte. This River 
is not very deep-, nay on that fide where 
you come to it over the Canal near the 
Caftle, it is fo fliallow, that you may wade 
through it with eafe, the Water fcarce 
coming up to your Knees, tho ic is fo 
broad that it will take up half an hour 
before you can pafs it. The Country on 
the other fide is call'd the Country of the 
IVanmaSy under the Jurifdidion of our 
Company their Churches make up to- 
gether with thofe of Manaar no lefs than 
14, and are under the Infpedtion of 
the Minifter who refides in the Ifle of 
Manaar, and duly vifits them once a 
month. This Country, tho it acknow- 
ledges the Jurifdidion of our Company, 
pays the ufual Taxes, furniflies them with 
Elephants, ^c. yet muft they be mildly 
treated, it being their general Maxims 
to difoblige neither B.aja Stnga nor the 
Company. 
In the year 1658. in the beginning of 
Anarch (after the taking of Manaar^ and 
providing it with a good Garifon) we 
raarchM into that Country towards Jaf- 
napatnam. Mantotte begins to the North 
of the Salt River near the Village of 
Peringaly, extending to the South along 
the Sea-fhore, as far as the River Jiri- 
pouture, where Mouftlipatte begins, near 
the Village of Aripou, extending further 
Southward to the Mountains of Condre- 
male, which face the Bay oppofite to 
the Ifle of Calpentyn^ and crofs the 
Country A<fantotte, ftretching to Sete- 
coulang, 6 Villages whereof belong to 
A^anaar, 6 to J af napatnam, and 5 to 
Mantotte. 
The reft of Mantotte and Moufilipatte 
exteids to the Eaft to the great Forelt 
( the Boundary of the Country on that 
fide ) Mantotte it felf has 64 Villages, 
Mouftlipatte 24, and that part of Sete^ 
coulang 6, amounting in all to 84. All 
thefe Countries are very fertile, efpgcial- 
Kkkkk iy 
Baldaui 
Manaar 
hai plentj 
of Fijh. 
A peculiar 
kind of 
tijk 
The Couti' 
try of the 
Wannias- 
/ 
