Pet f ah of Coiumbo. 137 
spoken in Portugal. It may indeed be considered as a barbarous 
compound of- a number of Indian languages combined with se- 
veral European, among which the French is very distinguish- 
able. Though this dialect be considered as the most vulgar of 
any, yet it is a very useful and even necessary acquisition, as 
in mosf of the settlements on the coast, particularly those which 
have been in the possession of the Dutch, it is common to 
meet with both Moors and Malabars who speak it. On Cey- 
lon it is particularly useful to be understood; and indeed with- 
out it, a person finds it impossible to mantain any conversa- 
tion with the Dutch ladies, as they seldom address one in any 
other. This last circumstance a good deal surprized me, as in 
every other place I always found every thing accounted vulgar 
the particular abhorrence of the ladies. And yet the Dutch la- 
dies at Coiumbo hardly ever attempt to speak even in their own 
families and to their own connections in Dutch, although it is 
reckoned the polite language. I am apt to attribute their adhe- 
rence to the vulgar Portuguese, to their habits of frequent and 
familiar intercourse with their slaves, who all speak this dialect. 
Notwithstanding the difficulty of access to Coiumbo, and its 
total want of a secure harbour for large vessels, still the rich- 
ness of the district where it is situated, and the variety of ar- 
ticles which it affords to" commerce, render it a place of very 
considerable trade. It is much frequented on this account both 
by Europeans and the natives of the different coasts of India ; 
and the duties on imports and exports bring a revenue of 
some consequence to government. It is from tliis district that 
large quantities of cinnamon and pepper, the staple spices of 
the island, are yearly transported to Europe in vessels which 
touch here on purpose on their voyage from Madras amfi Ben- 
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