Memoir of Hendrick Zwaardecroon, commandeur of Jaffnapatam (afterwards Governor-General of Nederlands India) 1697.
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Title: Memoir of Hendrick Zwaardecroon, commandeur of Jaffnapatam (afterwards Governor-General of Nederlands India) 1697.
Author: Hendrick Zwaardecroon
Translator: Sophia Pieters
Release date: August 25, 2012 [eBook #40579]
Most recently updated: October 23, 2024
Language: English
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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MEMOIR OF HENDRICK ZWAARDECROON, COMMANDEUR OF JAFFNAPATAM (AFTERWARDS GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF NEDERLANDS INDIA) 1697. ***
Memoirs and Instructions of Dutch Governors, Commandeurs, &c.
MEMOIR OF
HENDRICK ZWAARDECROON,
COMMANDEUR OF JAFFNAPATAM,
(afterwards Governor-General of Nederlands India),
1697.
FOR THE GUIDANCE OF
THE COUNCIL OF JAFFNAPATAM, DURING HIS
ABSENCE AT THE COAST OF MALABAR.
Translated by SOPHIA PIETERS,
Dutch Translator.
With an Introduction and Notes by the Government Archivist.
COLOMBO:
H. C. COTTLE, GOVERNMENT PRINTER, CEYLON.
1911.
INTRODUCTION.
This Memoir of Commandeur Zwaardecroon was, as stated, compiled and
left by him in 1697 for the instruction and guidance of the Political
Council of Jaffnapatam during his absence from the "Commandement"
on special duty as Commissioner to the Coast of Malabar. He did not,
however, return to his post, having been appointed Director of Surat
on the termination of his Commission. Of the many compilations of the
same kind prepared by successive Commandeurs on the standing orders of
the Supreme Government at Batavia, this of Zwaardecroon is one of the
most exhaustive and authoritative in regard to the Dutch Company's
affairs in the north of the Island. It was quoted and referred to
from time to time during almost the whole period of the Dutch rule
in Ceylon. Its value will be found to consist chiefly in the light
it throws on such matters as native industries, sources of revenue,
and the condition of the people. Many obscure terms, some local, some
obsolete, such as "officie gelden," "adigary," "alphandigo," &c, which
occur in the old records, will be found explained here for the first
time; and the topographical information is both full and accurate. In
a word, the work bears the impress not only of a man of great powers
of observation and sound judgment, but also of a strong and capable
ruler. His independent character is shown in the plain-spoken manner in
which he marks his resentment of the methods adopted at headquarters in
regard to appeals from the native subjects of the Commandement. That
a man possessed of such intelligence and independence of character
should in the course of time have risen to the highest post in the
Company's service, viz., that of Governor-General of Nederlands India,
was in the natural course of events.
The following brief personal account of him, based on information
collected from various sources, will, I am sure, be of some interest.
Hendrick, or Henricus, Zwaardecroon was born at Rotterdam on January
26, 1667. His father, Theophilus Zwaardecroon, son of an older Henricus
Zwaardecroon, was Rentmeester, or Steward, to Jonker Gysbrecht van
Mathenesse, his mother being Margaretha van Heulen. He came out
to the East in 1684 as Secretary to the High Commissioner Hendrick
Adriaan van Rhude, Lord of Mydrecht, to whom frequent reference is
made in the Memoir. Having been first attached to the adelborsten
(lit. "noble youths"), a regiment composed of gentlemen's sons, he,
shortly after his arrival in Batavia, exchanged from the Military to
the Civil Service of the Company, and passed rapidly through the grades
of boekhouder, onderkoopman, and koopman. In 1694 he was appointed
Commandeur of Jaffnapatam with the rank of opperkoopman. This
Memoir is the record of his three years' administration of the
Commandement. After four years' service at Surat, he was appointed
Secretary to the Supreme Government at Batavia, being admitted the
following year (August 4, 1704) an Extraordinary Councillor of India
(Raad extra-ordinair van Ned. Indie). In 1709 he became President
of the Board of Dike-reeves (College van Heemraden), and, in 1715,
was elevated to the rank of a Councillor in Ordinary. His modest
disposition and unambitious character will be seen from the fact that,
although twice offered the Governor-Generalship, he declined the honour
on the ground that he did not feel himself qualified to accept it. But
he was at last prevailed upon to do so, and formally received his
appointment on November 13, 1718. The appointment was confirmed by the
Chamber of XVII, in the Netherlands on September 10, 1720. He remained
at the head of the Government of India up to October 16, 1724, when he
retired at his own instance. He never returned to the Fatherland, but
lived a simple and unostentatious life in Batavia up to his death. The
following passage, which I quote from my Report on the Dutch Records,
[1] gives an account of his death and burial:--"His death occurred
at Batavia on August 12, 1728, some years after his retirement. At
his special desire the burial took place in the graveyard attached
to the Portuguese Church outside the town. His grave is still to be
seen on the left side of the entrance to the church. This church and
graveyard were intended for the humbler section of the community; and
Zwaardecroon, says an old writer (Hofhout), chose this burial place,
because he wished to lie beside the 'common people.' This is said
to have been characteristic of the man, who, as long as he lived,
took pains to maintain by ostentatious display the dignity and the
honour of the Honourable Company which he served, but at his death,
though of gentle descent himself, preferred to be buried among the
poor and lowly than among the high and mighty of the land. [2] His
funeral as described in the Dagh Register des Casteels, Batavia,
August 16, 1728, was one of great magnificence."
When Councillor of India, Zwaardecroon was commissioned by the
Government of India to compile a descriptive account of Malabar
and Coromandel, a work which he appears to have satisfactorily
accomplished. During his Governor-Generalship he undertook for the
first time, in 1723, the planting of coffee within the territories
under his rule. For his exceptional services to the Company in
introducing coffee and the silk worm industry into Java he was
much commended by the Directors of the East India Company, and was
presented by them with a silver tankard inlaid with gold, bearing a
suitable inscription on the lid. [3]
Of his marriage and descendants I have not been able to obtain
any definite information. He appears to have married in Batavia,
but the lady's name does not occur. By this marriage he had two
children: a daughter Hillegonda, who married Cornelis van Berendrecht,
"waterfiskal" of Netherlands India, and a son, Hendrick Zwaardecroon,
who is mentioned in 1703.
R. G. ANTHONISZ,
Government Archivist.
Colombo, December 20, 1910.
MEMOIR
For the Instruction of the Honourable the Political Council of
Jaffnapatam, compiled and left by Commandeur Hendrick Zwaardecroon
on his departure from that kingdom as Commissioner for the Coast
of Mallabaar, Cannara, and Wingirula.
It has pleased His Excellency Mr. Willem van Outhoorn,
Governor-General, and the Honourable the Government of India, to
appoint me Commissioner for the Coast of Mallabaar, and to require
me to compile before my departure from here a Memoir or Instructions
for the guidance of the Council, stating therein how the affairs
of the Company are to be conducted during my absence, which Memoir
is to be handed to the said Council after having been submitted to
His Excellency the Governor of Ceylon and the Council of Colombo for
revision, amplification, and alteration where necessary, as may be seen
from the letter of May 23 last, from Their Excellencies at Batavia,
sent here by the ship "De stad Leyden."
In compliance with this esteemed order I compile this Paper, although
I am aware that you are all persons who have served the Company for
a greater or smaller number of years, and that you must have had
ample opportunity to obtain a knowledge of all matters concerning
the Company.
Moreover, during the last 38 years which the Company has been in the
absolute possession of this territory, many papers have been written
with regard to Jaffnapatam which are always accessible to the members
of the Political Council at the Secretariate, so that I take it for
granted that, in addition to your daily experience, you have obtained
a sufficient knowledge of these matters from these documents; because
among these are to be found descriptions of whatever is necessary to
give the reader a clear idea of all that is required in the Company's
service, and they having been written by wise and circumspect men,
some more and others less in detail. I am, therefore, sure that
everything that is necessary will be found if carefully looked for.
I will not, for this reason, enter into detail in respect of the manner
the Company took possession of this territory, or of the advantages
that may be found here both for the inhabitants and for the Company;
nor what compulsory services are demanded from the subjects in
Jaffnapatam, and the number of castes into which they are divided
and under which they are registered; nor will I specify here the
licenses for navigation and trade which have been given to them,
nor the changes which have taken place in the course of time with
regard to these and many other matters not stated here.
Because, if I were to relate all these matters from the very beginning,
I would have to write several volumes instead of a few sheets of
paper. And this I do not intend to do, as I wish to be as brief
as possible.
Moreover, sufficient information may be found in the documents
preserved at the Secretariate, which it would be well if Your Honours
would make yourselves familiar with. We must be always prepared to take
upon ourselves higher and more difficult posts whenever called upon,
and in so preparing ourselves we avoid confusion, and the Company
would never be in want of capable servants.
I have no doubt you will all see the truth of what I say, yet, in
order the more clearly to convey the force of my suggestion, I will
specify here some of the documents which I consider it particularly
useful to obtain a general insight of.
With regard to Jaffnapatam, I know of no better documents than
the Instructions compiled by Admiral Ryclof van Goens, Mr. Anthony
Paviljoen, and the Hon. Laurens Pyl, at present Councillor of India
at Batavia, left for this Commandement respectively on September
30, 1658, December 12, 1659, July 26, 1661, December 19, 1665, and
October 7, 1679, the latter [4] having been inserted in the General
Instructions left by His Excellency Ryclof van Goens, junior, on his
departure on October 3 of the same year, to take up the Governorship
of Ceylon. The directions in these Papers must be followed so far
as change of time and circumstances will permit. I could not avoid
mentioning these before entering into further details.
It was the more necessary because so many observances, customs,
institutions, and singular methods of action are to be met with in
Jaffnapatam which are not found anywhere else or among any other
subjects of the Company, and also because they cannot be discovered
or understood without careful investigation and only in process of
time. Thus, although the most important matters have been successively
treated of in the service of the Company, yet all the necessary
information cannot be brought together here, and such a detailed
description would be beyond the purpose of ordinary instructions. I
will therefore only touch upon such matters as will be unavoidable
under the present circumstances.
The mode of government during my absence will be the first point
to be decided upon; because formerly the Dessave, as second in the
Commandement, used to be appointed to preside, as may be seen in
the yearly Memoirs of Commandeur Floris Blom, left by him when he
had to travel beyond the Commandement; with the only restriction
that the Dessave was not to pass any orders for the warehouses,
the Treasury, workshops, &c., which were left to the Administrator,
although the Dessave was more often present within the Castle. Later
on, in the year 1694, on the death of the same Commandeur Blom of
blessed memory, the government of the whole of this Commandement was
entrusted to the Political Council by order of the Hon. Thomas van
Rhee, Councillor of India and Governor of Ceylon, and the Council of
Colombo. The government was then divided, and the authority limited,
and rules were laid down, which may be seen from the letters from
Colombo bearing date July 20 and August 23, 1694; but experience
has proved that this mode of government was not successful in the
best interests of the Company; because the subordinate officers and
the subject classes often did not know to whom they had to apply;
so that they were sent "from Pontius to Pilatus," as it is sometimes
said; which often caused unnecessary waste of time and delay in the
Service. I noticed this to have been the case when I was away from
this Commandement from the last of March till about the middle of
August this year, on the occasion of my being ordered to Colombo,
and the authority distributed according to the instructions contained
in the letter from Colombo of March 22. But I noticed later on that
the letters from Colombo were addressed to Mr. Rykloff de Bitter as
Dessave and Secunde of the Commandement and the other members of the
Political Council here; which was done again on October 16, 1696,
when it was anticipated that I had already left for Mallabaar by the
frigate "De Tamboer."
In the letter from Colombo of April 18 the members of the Council
were also recommended to show the said Mr. de Bitter all the respect
due to his position as Dessave and Secunde in the Commandement;
so that it seems His Excellency the Governor and the Council wished
to re-introduce the former mode of government during the absence of
the Commandeur, seeing that the Company's affairs cannot be properly
conducted by such divided authority. This at least is my opinion,
and I intend to point out that in the absence of the Commandeur the
government here ought to be carried on according to the former lines,
and consequently the entire administration entrusted to the Dessave,
with the assistance of the members of the Political Council; and
that he must call the meetings both of the Council and of the Court
of Justice, and preside at both; and that he must further sign the
orders for the Treasury, the workshop, the arsenal, and even for
the warehouses, and in reference to any other of the effects of the
Company. This would be in compliance with the Instructions contained
in the letter from Colombo of December 5, 1696, where it is said that
no orders are to be passed here but by the person in authority. I
therefore think that, in the interests of peace and order in this
Commandement, the Dessave R. de Bitter should be in authority at such
times, especially as I have to be so far away. Besides, he lives just
in front of the town, and close by the Castle; so that he is always at
hand for those who require his assistance or instruction. But as the
Dessave lives outside the fortress, the giving of the watchword, the
closing and opening of the gate, and the supervision over the military
and their drill, could not very well be delegated to him. This must
therefore be left to the Captain as special chief of the Military;
unless the Dessave should occasionally remain within the Fort
overnight, in which case he will preform those duties. [(1)] [5]
With a view to prevent the impression being created that I had formally
given over this Commandement and entirely transferred the authority,
I will leave without making a written transfer of any of the Company's
effects. I merely entrust these to Your Honours' care and management;
but, on the other hand, it must be understood that I do not want to be
held responsible for any mistakes you might make during my absence. I
therefore, and in order to show that I do not relinquish my authority
in the Commandement, but only absent myself during the mission to
Mallabaar or until further orders from the Honourable the Government
of India are received, Your Honours are recommended to send to me
by Manaar and Tutucorin proper advices, and to communicate to me the
principal transactions that take place with regard to the Company's
service, in order that I may not be obliged on my return to ask what
had transpired or to look up these things in the books. It will be well
here to remind Your Honours of the order contained in the Resolution
passed by the Council of India on December 6, 1694, with regard to
all Administrators, viz., that they will be held responsible for all
cash or articles belonging to the Company which are found missing,
and that, if unable to justify themselves, they would have to replace
these within two months, or submit to be punished for their offence.[2]
Economy is the first matter which I have to recommend to Your Honours,
because this is not only constantly urged both from the Fatherland and
from Batavia, but also because it is beyond doubt that what is saved
in this manner will be pure profit. It must be understood, however,
that in using the word economy I mean care in the administration of the
Company's effects, and not a wrong economy. There are officers who take
this word in its narrowest sense, and, failing to have the necessary
repairs done in proper time in their endeavour to spend as little as
possible, create the necessity in the course of time of a complete
restoration, while the existing objects might have stood good for a
long time with a small timely expenditure. I must therefore recommend
Your Honours to read certain letters from the Hon. Mr. van Mydregt,
[6] bearing date July 4, 1690, and addressed to the establishment at
Jaffnapatam during his circuit on the coast of Madura.[3]
The Wanni is the largest division in this kingdom, and would also
be the most profitable to the Company if matters went on as they
ought to. It is from there that we have to obtain the elephants
which are sold here at considerable profit, as the proceeds of the
sale of elephants which are sent here for sale from Galle, Matura,
and other places in Ceylon cannot be credited to this Commandement,
as the profits are not retained here, but have been so far forwarded
to these places. With a view to secure the profits on the elephants
which are to be obtained from the Wanni, the Company has divided this
large forest and extensive territory into several Provinces, which
have been farmed out to Majoraals, known as Wannias, on the condition
that they should deliver yearly 42 1/2 alias. [7] This practice was
followed from the time that the Company first established itself here
up to the present day, but the results have proved that these Wannias
continually fail to deliver the tribute elephants, and it appears in
the Instructions of the late Mr. Paviljoen that their arrears in his
time were already 74 1/2 alias, when the Company had possessed this
territory only 7 or 8 years. In the returns for 1680 it will be seen
that these arrears had then increased to 313 alias. The whole of this
debt was remitted to them, but in 1694 again the arrears went up to
18 1/2 alias, and last year they had come up to 70 animals, namely:
Don Philip Nellamapane and Don Gaspar Konsjeynaar Ilengenarene
Mudaliyar, for the Provinces of Lanengamo, Paleamblancolam,
and Poedicoe 48 1/2 alias; Don Diogo Poevenellemapane Wannia,
for the Provinces of Karkattemoele and Meelpattoe 18 alias; Peria
Meynaar Oediaar, for the Province of Moeliawalle 3 1/2 alias;
total 70 alias.
It will therefore be necessary for Your Honours to endeavour to secure
as many elephants from these Wannias as possible, both in payment
of their arrears and of their present dues. This must be done, with
all kindness, and in compliance with the successive orders received
from His Excellency van Rhee, [8] Governor of Ceylon, and the Council
of Colombo, in order that this profitable trade may be maintained,
because there has been no lack of purchasers since the year 1689,
as the merchants from Golconda come over every year, and there is
a possibility that the Bengal Moors will also come over to purchase
elephants now that this passage has been opened. The price to be paid
to the Wannias for animals delivered above their tribute has been
stated in the letter of the Hon. Mr. van Mydregt of blessed memory,
sent here on April 3, 1690, from Tutucorin, while the Honourable the
Government of India, in their esteemed letter of December 12, 1691,
agreed to pay from 10 to 20 Rds. more for each animal, according
to their value. I fear, however, that it will take a long time
yet before it will be necessary to make such payment. The Wannia
Philip Nellamapane may be allowed to sell every year one elephant
on his own account to the Moors, in compliance with the orders
of the said Governor and Council at the meeting of May 11, 1696,
although Your Honours will find a positive refusal to the request
made by him and submitted to His Excellency van Mydregt by Commandeur
Floris Blom on October 20. The refusal was made in His Excellency's
answer of November 20. There are two other Wannias to whom the same
privilege has been granted, viz., Ambele Wannia and Chedoega Wannia,
the former holding the Province of Carnawel pattu, and the latter
that of Tinnemerrewaddoe. They obtained this permission because
their tribute is of little importance compared with that of the
other Wannias mentioned above, and because they had paid up their
arrears at the closing of the books last August. It seems, however,
that they also are not much inclined to deliver any elephants beyond
their tribute. Most likely they prefer the tithes which they draw
for ruling these Provinces to the payment they would receive from
the Company for the delivery of elephants.
I will not state here my opinion as to the manner in which people ought
to be ruled or as to their behaviour, nor in what way the Company is
to expect the largest number of elephants and the greatest profits
from the Wanni; because I would then not only have to write too many
sheets of paper in doing so, but the subject would be of little
use to enlarge upon and only tend to confuse Your Honours in your
actions. I could merely advise you to follow the old instructions
of being kind and considerate. Meanwhile, however, Your Honours
are well aware of my principal views with regard to the Wannias,
as expressed in our conjoined letter to Batavia of August 12, 1695,
which letter might serve for your guidance; while you might also
read the letters exchanged between Colombo and Jaffnapatam during
the years 1674 to 1679, as also the resolutions passed with regard
to the Wannias during the same period. From the perusal of these
documents you will perceive whether or not my opinion of these people
is unfounded. Should you require more information with regard to the
Wannias and the Majoraals, you will find it in the Journal kept by
Commandeur Laurens Pyl, at present Councillor of India, on his visit
to that large forest in 1675 during the months of August to December,
and in another Journal written by me in July, 1692, when I accompanied
the late Commandeur Floris Blom also on a visit to the Wanni.
These Wannias, by birth subjects of the Company and by descent no
more than ordinary caste Bellales, have in the course of time become
very conceited, and imagine that the title of Wannia is one invested
with awe and so important that, although they have received it from
the Company, they do not need to respect the Company or those placed
in authority here; and they seem to be in doubt whether they ought to
show their due obedience by appearing before its officers. It was on
this account that His Excellency van Mydregt gave special orders in
his reply of November 29, 1690, that one of the Wannias should always
stay at the Castle, each taking his turn for three months. Why this
order has not been carried out I do not know. Moreover, it appears
that Don Philip and his son, the young Don Gaspar, Master of the Hunt
in Ponneryn, together with his brother-in-law Don Gaspar Ilengenarene
Mudaliyar, has gone to Colombo instead of presenting himself here at
the Castle, as I had summoned them to do, as may be seen in the ola
of January 14, 1696, and in the resolutions of Council of the 16th
of the same month. I do not know how they obtained audience, but
they were received with even greater honour than they ever received
from the Governors or Commandeurs here. This was the first time they
ever went to Colombo. Still less am I able to say what transpired
between them and the Government of Colombo, because when I was there
I was not admitted to the meetings of the Political Council, and was
only an eye-witness of the outward show. I do not also know for what
reason the said Wannia Majoraals were kept here since their return,
and why they were not sent back to their forest for the capture of
elephants, unless it was because they acted as adjutants or auxiliaries
to the Opperkoopluyden [9] Jan van Keulen and Pieter Petitfilsz, as
I heard that during my absence they acted as Commissioners in this
Commandement. Perhaps these matters are better known to Your Honours
than to myself, because you were present here at the time. Yet I do not
know whether you realize that this action has made these people more
conceited than ever, and that they mention it here exultingly. This
is proved also by the fact that their arrears have greatly increased
since this trip to Colombo, and I have been privately informed that
the Master of the Hunt, Don Gaspar Nitcheachaderayen, has, on his own
authority and as if he were a sovereign, caused one of the Lascoreens
and one of the hunters of his father-in-law, the old Don Gaspar, to
be put to death; which has caused great enmity between these two and
Don Philip Nellamapane. It is also said that the old Don Gaspar is
desirous of revenging himself for this action, so that two people who
were such great friends and made such a stir here by going to Colombo
have not only become bitter enemies, but by this murder have also
given cause for consequences of a serious nature. It will therefore
be Your Honours' duty not only to hold an inquiry with regard to
this matter when an opportunity offers, but also to watch the future
conduct of these people. In the beginning of 1696 some Waddassen
[10] also entered the lands of the Wannia Don Diogo Poevenellemapane
and committed acts of hostility, whereby the brother of Cottapulle
Oediaar, cousin of the said Don Diogo, had been killed, because the
latter wrote an ola to the Administrator Biermans while I was away at
Colombo and the Dessave was commissioned to the pearl fishery. As he
complained publicly to both of us in the month of October of the same
year, saying that this happened for no other reason than because he
would not act in collusion with Don Philip Nellamapane or join with
the seditious company on their trip to Colombo, knowing that he could
find here competent rulers. Chedoegawale Mapane of Tinnemerrewaddoe
spoke to the same effect. Amblewanne, whom Your Honours wanted to
take his turn of staying here at the Castle, has been prevented from
doing so by the severe illness of one of his friends. I am obliged
to mention all these particulars here in order that Your Honours may
be able to keep an eye on the Wannias and their conduct. I wished to
do more in this matter, and would have made an effort to discover
and punish the murderers, but I was not in a position to do this
because it seems that the Government of Jaffnapatam has no longer
any influence in Colombo. This is apparent from the fact that while
these Wannias were not only heard, but also treated with great honour,
unknown to their ruler, I was even personally insulted by being kept
out of the Political Council. I considered it inadvisable on my part
to bring any charges against them at that time, and I think it would
be for Your Honours to do thus.[4]
Mantotte, Moezely, and Pirringaly are just as important to the
Company with regard to the capture of elephants as the Wanni; but
these Provinces are not under the subaltern rule of any native chief,
but are ruled directly by the Company through officers paid by the
Company. In Mantotte and Moezely there is an Adigar, paid by the
Company, whose work it is to supervise the elephant hunt and the
cultivation of the arable fields. For the latter the Company exacts
tithes, as from the Wannia Majoraals in the Wanni. The inhabitants
of Pirringaly, who were for some time ruled by Wannias, appealed in
1692 to the Commandeur Blom to be relieved of that servitude, and
this was granted to them on condition that they yearly delivered to
the Wannias 2 alias for this freedom. Since then they have been ruled
by their own Moete Carres or Masters of the Hunt, which arrangement
has proved to be very satisfactory, as may be seen from the Trade
Accounts, which show that these people, as well as the hunters of
Mantotte, Moezelypattoe, and Setticoulang have delivered a large
number of elephants at Manaar, and would have delivered more were it
not that a great many animals had died on the way. Further particulars
on this subject may be found by Your Honours in a certain report of
September 13, 1690, submitted by Commandeur Blom to His Excellency
van Mydregt of blessed memory, in the margin of which His Excellency
wrote instructions bearing date October 7 of the same year, where
you will find the most important particulars as to the troubles on
the borders of the Wanni. Your Honours may also read a short Memoir
by the late Commandeur Anthony Paviljoen, dated July 28, 1662, and
addressed to the Adigar of Mantotte. This office is held at present
by Dimingo Rodrigues, who was transferred from the same office in
Ponneryn by order of His Excellency the Governor and the Council of
Colombo, as contained in their letter of October 13, 1696. He was sent
to Mantotte to take the place of the native Alepander Ananaal, who in
the same letter was dismissed from his office, although, as this was
done without my knowledge, I am not in a position to state the reason
therefor. Some other native officers were likewise dismissed from
their offices in this Commandement without communication with me, as
you may see from my letter to Colombo of October 15, 1696. The hunters
in the Provinces of Mantotte, Pirringaly, and Moezely, who, as stated
above, have shown great diligence in the capture of elephants and
still continue to do so, must be protected from any ill-treatment on
the part of the Adigar or any of the officers at Manaar or elsewhere,
in order that they may not be discouraged and lose their interest in
the work, which would be prejudicial to the Company. The price paid by
the Company for each elephant is stated in a document forwarded by His
Excellency van Mydregt to Jaffnapatam bearing date April 3, 1690.[5]
Ponneryn is the third Province from where elephants should be obtained
if all be well, because formerly when this Province was ruled by
an Adigar or Lieutenant-Dessave appointed by the Company, like the
Provinces Ilipoecarwe, Polweramcattoe, and Mantotte, no less than 25
alias on an average were obtained from there yearly, for which purpose
two kraals had been made. In 1690 this practice was changed, because
His Excellency van Mydregt, by decree of March 2 of the same year,
granted the revenue of Ponneryn to the young Don Gaspar, and those
of the other two Provinces to the old Don Gaspar, on condition that
the former should, as Master of the Hunt, see that all the elephants
which were found there were captured and sent down on account of the
Company; for which purpose 145 hunters and their Manigares were placed
under his command. The project for which this arrangement was made,
however, proved to be illusory, for no more than 74 elephants were
delivered by the Master of the Hunt in 7 years' time, while according
to the previous account 175 animals ought to have been delivered. This
means a loss to the Company of 101 elephants during the same period,
besides the tithes of the harvest for these three Provinces, while,
moreover, we had to continually hear complaints from the inhabitants of
maltreatment on the part of the said Wannias, as happened again lately
when the Dessave De Bitter visited Ponneryn. They are not satisfied
with the revenues mentioned above, but consider themselves rulers
over the inhabitants, which was never meant by His Excellency van
Mydregt, and they were always prevented from asserting themselves as
such, as may be seen from a report by Commandeur Blom on Jaffnapatam,
submitted to His Excellency the Governor and the Council of Colombo on
August 28, 1692. About a year after the issue of the deeds of gift of
the tithes, His Excellency proposed to change this practice again,
and in a document of March 29, 1693, he repeated this proposal,
saying that he had already given orders for a general elephant hunt
on account of the Company in the said Provinces, in which both the
hunters and the inhabitants were to take part. Why this order was not
carried out I cannot say; but I know that already, within six months
after the issue of the deeds of gift, he noticed that both these Don
Gaspars had been favoured too much. This may be seen from a letter
from His Excellency dated July 4, 1690, to Jaffnapatam. For these
various reasons I have recommended that the form of government in
the Wanni should be changed, as would appear in our conjoined letter
to Batavia of August 12, 1695. Many more reasons might be brought
forward, but it would be trouble in vain. I therefore recommend
Your Honours to strictly follow the orders of His Excellency the
Governor and the Council of Colombo as contained in their letters
of October 13 and November 21, 1696, in favour of the said Wannias,
because Messrs. van Kuilen and Petitfilz, who were commissioned to
investigate this matter, declared that the inhabitants on the borders
of the Wanni are quite content and well satisfied. There is no use
therefore in our saying anything, although my experience and that of
the Dessave have proved quite the contrary. I cannot help for this
reason making a speculative calculation of the amount which the Company
has lost since the conquest of this territory by the non-payment of
tributes and arrears in the Wanni and Ponneryn. If each animal be
calculated on an average to be sold at Rds. 350, or 1,050 Florins,
as may be considered to be the case, the amount would be:--
Fl.
For 1680 discharged from the delivery of 313 alias:
estimated price 328,650
For 1694 discharged from the delivery of 18 1/2 alias 19,425
For present arrears 73,500
For arrears over 7 years in Ponneryn 106,050
Total 527,625
This then is the loss the Company has suffered through the Wannias,
besides the many annoyances and indirect losses through the inhabitants
and the subjects in Jaffnapatam, which might be pointed out, but
which I will not do here for the reasons stated above.[6]
The trade here is not very important and does not amount to much,
except that in elephants, which was renewed chiefly by His Excellency
van Mydregt since 1689; because the merchants from Golconda and
Tansjouwer [11] had neglected this trade for some years, having driven
up the prices by bidding against each other at the public auctions. The
endeavour to interest them again in this trade has been successful;
the more so because the price for tuskers and elephants without tusks,
as also for that of infirm animals has been limited and regulated
in the letter of April 3, 1690, often previously referred to. The
principal people in Golconda address their payment orders to Philip
Sangere Pulle or the Brahmin Timmersa, whom they have chosen as their
agents, while the Company employs them as brokers in this trade. This
is found to save much trouble in the distribution and selling of the
animals and in feeding and transporting them when sold, because these
brokers procure the provisions and vessels, giving an account to the
merchants. This course was followed from the time the Company took
possession of this territory up to 1696, but Sangere Pulle died in
1695, and the Brahmin Timmersa has been discharged from his office,
because His Excellency the Governor and the Council of Colombo gave
instructions, in their letter of August 23 last, that the trade in
elephants with the Moors at Golconda should be carried on in future
without any agents or brokers. This office was accordingly taken
off the trade accounts in compliance with the said order, after the
accounts with the merchants and between them and the agents had been
settled. This has brought about a great change, as may be seen from
the resolutions of December 17 of the same year, where it is stated
that these people intended to give up the trade for the reasons just
mentioned, as is known to Your Honours; but it is to be hoped that this
new Ordinance which was issued without communication with, or advice
from, the Commandeur of Jaffnapatam, may not have the serious effects
which are feared. Your Honours are also aware with how much bickering,
cavilling, dispute, and vexation, the trade in elephants was kept
up last year, so that about 161 animals were sold on behalf of the
Company for the sum of Rds. 53,357. It is to be hoped that the sale
will increase; but I must seriously advise Your Honours to strictly
adhere to the above-mentioned rule, although it was made without my
advice or opinion being asked; unless their Excellencies at Batavia
should not agree with the view of His Excellency the Governor and
the Council of Colombo and send other orders.
Besides the trade in elephants the Company deals here only in pepper,
about 40,000 or 50,000 lb. of which is sold yearly; some copper,
spiaulter, [12] a little pewter, a small quantity of powdered sugar,
about 300 or 350 ammunams of Ceylon areca-nut, which are sold to the
inhabitants, and a few other articles of little importance which
are sold to the Company's Dutch servants, amounting altogether to
no more than Rds. 7,000 or 9,000 a year. Several endeavours have
been made to extend the trade, and an effort was made to introduce
here the linen manufacture from Tutucorin and Coromandel, but so far
without success, as may be seen from the minutes of the meeting of
the Council of Ceylon of January 22, 1695, where I brought forward
several questions with regard to this matter. It was proposed there
to allow private persons in Jaffnapatam to carry on a trade in cloth
on the payment of 20 per cent. duty, which proposal was approved
by Their Excellencies at Batavia by their letter of December 12 of
the same year, but this subject will be treated of under the head of
Leases. Considering further means of extending the Company's trade, it
struck me that Jaffnapatam was not only better situated than Calpetty
for the areca-nut trade with Coromandel, but also that the roads
through the Wanni to the Sinhalese areca-nut forests are very good,
so that the nuts could be transported from there in Boyados. [13] In
our letter of October 26, 1694, to Colombo, I proposed that this should
be done, which proposal was referred by His Excellency the Governor
and the Council of Colombo to Their Excellencies at Batavia. In
their letter of December 12, 1695, our Supreme Government expressed
themselves in favour of this proposal, but in a later letter of July
3, 1696, this was cancelled, although it is beyond doubt that this
way of transport of the areca-nut would be more advantageous to the
Company. This may be seen from the fact that the Portuguese, when they
were here, followed the same practise, and with good success as I was
told. I will now leave the subject of areca-nut and revert to that of
elephants. Many of these animals have been left here after the last
sale in 1696, because the purchasers were afraid of meeting with a
north wind on their voyage. Many vessels will be required to transport
not only these animals but also those that will be sold during the
next southern season. There being no agent now, the purchasers will
have to look out for themselves. And it will be necessary for Your
Honours to give them all possible assistance in order that they may
not be entirely discouraged and give up this trade. Your Honours
must also inquire whether any suitable vessels are to be procured
here which could be sent to Colombo or Galle in March or April, for
the transport from there of the Company's elephants fit for sale: in
compliance with the proposals contained in the correspondence between
Colombo and Jaffnapatam of April 13 and July 11, 1695, and especially
with the orders from Their Excellencies at Batavia in their letter of
July 3, 1696, wherein this course was highly approved. The fare for
these private vessels is far less than the expenditure the Company is
put to when its own vessels are used to transport the elephants from
Galle round about Ceylon to Cougature. If the latter course has to be
followed, care must be taken that the animals are carefully landed at
Manaar, in order that they may be fit to be transported further by land
to the place of their destination. It will also be necessary to have
some more of these animals trained for the hunt; because at present
the Company owns only about 6 tame ones, while there should be always
about a dozen; not only in order to fetch the elephants from Manaar
and to tame the wild animals, but also to assist the Wannias in case
they should capture a large number of elephants, when these animals
would be useful in the shipping of those sold to the purchasers. This
is not a regular practice, but is followed sometimes at their request
when any animals are to be shipped which are not sufficiently tamed
to be led into the vessels by themselves. Nothing more need be said
with regard to the elephants, except that there are about 6 animals in
the stables besides the 6 for the hunt mentioned above. It is to be
hoped that this number will soon be considerably increased, and the
prices must be regulated according to the instructions contained in
the letter from Colombo of January 16, 1696, and in compliance with
the decision arrived at on certain questions brought forward by the
late Commandeur Blom in the Council of Ceylon on February 17, 1692,
and agreed upon on February 19 following; while also, and especially,
the instructions from Their Excellencies at Batavia contained in their
letter of January 4, 1695, must be observed, where they order that
no animals are to be sold or sent except for cash payment, so that
there may be no difficulty in recovering the amount. (7)
The trade with the Moors from Bengal at Jaffnapatam and Galle has
been opened by order of the Honourable the Supreme Government of India
in terms of their letter of August 20, 1694. It is expected that the
trade with the Moors will greatly benefit this country, because the
inhabitants here are continually in want of grain and victuals, which
are imported by the Moors. Some years ago, when food was very scarce in
Coromandel, the English at Madraspatnam stopped the Moorish vessels on
their way hither, and bought up all their rice, which was a great loss
to Jaffnapatam. If the Moors could be induced to come here in future
with their rice, butter, sugar, cadjang, [14] &c., which are always
very much in demand, it must be seen that they are fairly dealt with,
and not discouraged from coming to this country. Perhaps they also
would buy some elephants if it happened that the Company had too many,
or if too few purchasers should arrive here from Golconda. But if the
demand for these animals at Golconda continues as it has done for the
last few years, we would not need the aid of the Bengal Moors in this
matter, although in compliance with the orders of Their Excellencies at
Batavia they may be accommodated with a few elephants if they urgently
request them. It is the intention besides to sell to them the Ceylon
areca-nut; as we cannot as yet transport it through the Wanni, His
Excellency the Governor and the Council at Colombo must see that the
areca-nut from Calpetty or Trincomalee is sent here, in compliance
with the instructions of Their Excellencies at Batavia as contained
in their letter of July 3, 1696. Your Honours must therefore send in
the orders in due time if the Moors continue to come here, because
we cannot sell to them the Chiankos, [15] it being the intention of
Their Honours at Batavia, according to their letters of January 4 and
February 12, 1695, that this sea-product should be chiefly transported
to Bengal on behalf of the Company. On the other hand the diving for
Chiankos at Manaar is of so little importance that it is hardly worth
while mentioning here, and they are also very small, so that it is
not likely that the Moors would be willing to pay 12 pagodas a Cour,
as was ordered in a letter from Colombo to Jaffnapatam of March 23,
1695. With regard to the further restrictions put upon the trade with
the Moors, Your Honours must observe the instructions contained in
the letter of January 4, 1695. (8)
The inhabitants of this territory, who are really a perverse
race, are far too numerous to be maintained by the produce of this
Commandement. This had been expected at the beginning of the Company's
rule, when the late Commandeur, Anthony Paviljoen, stated in his
Instructions that there were about 120,000 subjects. How much worse
must this be now, when, as shown by the last Census, there were of the
people known alone, 169,299 subjects here and in Manaar. I think there
would be far more if all those who hide themselves in order to escape
from taxes and servitude be included. All these inhabitants are divided
into 40 different castes, which are described in the Thombo, so that
I will not name them here, as this would involve too much prolixity,
especially if I should state what kind of services, impositions,
&c., each one is liable to. All this I imagine to be well known to
Your Honours; because the late Mr. Blom had given a detailed and
accurate account of these matters in his report of August 20, 1692,
and I could only re-write what has been already described by others;
I therefore refer to the said manuscript, where, besides this subject,
much information may be found with regard to other matters concerning
Jaffnapatam. In the same document is also found a comparison between
the revenue of the Commandement, with the taxes and duty it has to
render to the Company, in the payment of which it has been greatly met
by the Honourable the Supreme Government of India as will be shown
below. In order to prevent any misapprehension during my absence,
I will state here the amount of the income of the Company during the
last year, viz., from September 1, 1695, to the end of August, 1696,
inclusive, viz.:--
Rds.
Rent from lands, trees, and gardens 16,348. 3.4 3/4
Tithes 8,632. 7.3 3/4
Poll tax 5,998. 1.0
Officie 865. 2.0
Adigary 1,178. 3.0 1/2
Total 33,020.10.2
Revenue of Manaar 879.10.2
===============
33,900. 9.0 [16]
From this amount of Rds. 33,020.10.2 the following expenditure must
be deducted, viz.:--
Rds.
Payment of 216 Majoraals at Rds. 2 each 432. 0.0
Payment of 218 Cayaals at Rd. 1 each 218. 0.0
Payment of 8 tax collectors 320. 3.7 3/4
Payment of 8 Sarraafs [17] or Accountants 32. 3.0 1/2
For elephants delivered in lieu of poll tax and
land rent by the tamekares to the value of 373. 4.0 1/2
==============
Total 1,375. 8.1 1/4 [18]
So that Jaffnapatam had from this a clear revenue of Rds. 31,645.2.3/9
last year, which is the second in importance of the sources of revenue
which the Company derives from this Commandement, besides the profit on
the sale of elephants. So far the land rents have only been calculated
in the Mallabaar books. We had therefore to depend entirely on the
native officers who were employed in this work and had to translate
the accounts; but the Hon. the Extraordinary Councillor of India,
Mr. Laurens Pyl, when he was Commandeur of Jaffnapatam, very wisely
introduced the practice of having all the fields, trees, houses, and
gardens of the inhabitants indicated on maps, and of estimating the
impositions of the tithes, and thus compiling a Dutch instead of the
Mallabaar Thombo. Because, when a description was made in Mallabaar,
in compliance with the orders of Their Excellencies at Batavia in 1675
and 1677, the yearly revenue of the Company increased by no less than
Rds. 12,204 and 17/40 fanams. But as the natives were not supposed
to have done the work satisfactorily, it was again undertaken by a
committee of Dutch surveyors, who, however, wrote a great deal but
did not start the work in the right way, and it was never properly
completed.
The new description of lands had however become so urgently necessary
that His Excellency the Commissioner-General left orders that this work
should be started afresh, ignoring what had been done already. During
the government of Commandeur Blom this work was commenced again, some
soldiers who were qualified surveyors being employed in it, as well
as such Cannecappuls [19] as were required by the Thombo-keeper to
do the writing, while one of the surveyors prepared the maps of the
fields which had been surveyed. This was done with a view to obtain
a plan of each particular field and thus recover the proper rents,
and also to fix the boundaries between the different properties. Maps
are also being prepared of each Aldea or village and each Province,
of which our authorities in the Fatherland desire to receive a
copy as stated in their letter to Batavia of August 27, 1694, which
copies must be prepared. On my arrival here from Batavia in 1694, the
Thombo-keeper, Pieter Bolscho, pointed out to me that this description
of land was again unsatisfactory, and that it would not serve its
purpose, as stated by me in the Annual Compendiums of November 30,
1694 and 1695. It was therefore necessary to have this work done for
the third time, and to measure again all the lands which had been
surveyed already. This time a scheme was drawn up with the help of the
said Mr. Bolscho, and the work has succeeded so well that the Province
of Walligamme, which alone extends over about half of this territory,
has been completely surveyed, and will from the last of August yield an
increase of revenue of Rds. 1,509.5.23 or Fl. 4,527.3.4 yearly. I have
already written and sent out the bills, as a warning to the people
to prepare for the payment, and the tax collectors are responsible
for the recovery of the amount; so that the small expenditure of this
new description will be recouped, and the inhabitants have no cause
of complaint, because they are only asked to pay their due to the
lord of the land as they ought to have done long ago. There is also
to be recovered an amount of Rds. 500.2.5 for some small pieces of
land which were sold on behalf of the Company in 1695 in the village
of Copay, which no one appears to have demanded, because I was in
Colombo and the Dessave in Negapatam at the time. This must be done
now, especially as the expenditure of the new description of lands
has, by order of Their Honours contained in the general resolutions
of October 4, 1694, been written off the general revenue, to which
must therefore be now transferred the amount gained thereby, as also
the sum of Rds. 288.7 which has been received by the survey of some
lands in Sjeroepittie, Wallalay, and Nierwely, which were occupied and
cultivated by the inhabitants, but for which they did not pay any rent
while we had the old Thombo, and which we left to them for payment as
they had cultivated them. This was in compliance with the instructions
contained in the reply to our letter to Colombo of August 22, 1695,
received December 15 following. If any one among you should not quite
understand this new description of lands, he may find it useful to
read certain instructions left by Governor Laurens Pyl with regard
to this subject on February 1, 1679, for the Committee appointed
to do this work, which instructions must be still observed so far
as they are applicable to the present circumstances. Your Honours
will most likely be aware also of the extensive Memoir compiled on
my orders by the said Mr. Bolscho, and submitted to the Council on
December 15, 1696, and of the reply thereto, as also of the report by
Mr. Blom of August 20, 1692, on the same subject, to which documents
I here refer. The surveyors are at present at work in the Province of
Waddemoraatsche, where they have with them two Mudaliyars, in order to
settle small differences which might arise among the inhabitants when
their lands are being surveyed. The Mudaliyars act as arbitrators in
the presence of the Majoraals of the villages, but important matters
must be brought before the Dessave, to be disposed of by him or by
the Court of Justice or the Civil Court according to the importance
of the case. The Dessave must see that the Thombo-keeper, Mr. Pieter
Bolscho, receives all the assistance he requires, and also that the
natives who have to serve him in this work are kept in obedience, in
order that he may not be discouraged and lose the zeal he has shown
so far in the service of the Company in this difficult work. Once
this work is completed it will not be required to be done again,
and we will be able then to prepare separate lists not only of each
Province, but also of each village; so that at any time the credits
or the debits of each tax collector may be seen.[9]
The tithes are a tax levied on the harvest, and are paid in money. Last
year it amounted to the sum of Rds. 8,632.7.3 3/4, as shown in the
above account, and treated of at length in the report of August 20,
1692. I need not therefore dilate on this subject, and only wish to
state that I do not agree with the concluding portion of that report,
where it is stated that this tax is too heavy, and might be reduced to
half the amount as requested by the inhabitants, for which many reasons
are given pro and con. I think that it can be proved sufficiently that
the inhabitants are able to easily pay this imposition of the tithes;
not only because they have never complained against it since the year
1690 during the stay of His Excellency van Mydregt, when they knew
His Excellency had the power to grant their request without waiting
for further instructions. On that occasion the people of Jaffnapatam
tried every means of obtaining their wish, but it may be proved that
since that time they have become more prosperous--a subject which
may be dealt with perhaps later on. That the payment of the said
tithes cannot be very difficult for them is proved by the fact that
if half of the amount, viz., Rds. 4,316, be divided over the total
number of inhabitants, the rate for each individual amounts to but
very little. It is stated as a fact that the rich people possess
the largest number of fields, but this shows that they do not need
a reduction of the tithes.[10]
Besides these tithes, one-tenth is also paid for the forests, mud
lands, &c., which have been granted for cultivation by the successive
Dessaves to different persons with the promise of exemption from any
impositions for a period of 3, 4, 6, or more years; on the expiry
of this period taxes must be paid. As I think that the Majoraals
do not look after these matters sufficiently well, and do not give
notice in time, the Dessave will have to investigate the matter and
see that the tenth of the harvest is brought to the Company's stores,
especially because the natives do not hesitate to steal or keep back
their dues if they are not kept constantly in fear of punishment.
The poll tax, shown above to amount to the sum of Rds. 5,998.1,
is of quite a different nature, because the rich and the poor pay
exactly the same rate. His Excellency van Mydregt on February 28,
1690, caused a decree to be issued, by which all the inhabitants
were exempted from the increase of poll tax which they had had to
pay since the year 1675, and which amounted on an average to from
Rds. 10 to 110. But this exemption was only for the period of ten
years, and would have expired therefore in 1699, if the Honourable
the Supreme Government of India had not in a spirit of benevolence
decided by their letter to Ceylon of December 12, 1695, to make the
reduction a permanent one. This was made known to the inhabitants
of this Island on November 8 following. They showed themselves very
grateful for this generosity; but this must be considered sufficient
for the present, and they have not much reason now to insist upon a
decrease of the tithes also. The time for a renovation of the Head
Thombo, which has to be done every three years, has again arrived,
and the Ondercoopman and Thombo-keeper, Mr. Pieter Bolscho, and the
Ondercoopman, Mr. Roos, were sent on circuit on November 19, 1696, in
order to carry out this work. The names of the old and infirm people
and those who have died must be taken off the list, and the names of
the youths who have passed from the schools must be entered, in order
that those who owe Oely service may be known. It would also be useful
if the Dessave were occasionally present at this revision when his
other duties do not interfere with it, because an acquaintance with
this work is very desirable in a land regent. This new Head Thombo
must be completed by the end of next August, in order that the poll
tax and the fines for failure of performing Oely services, called
Chicos money, may be included in the Trade Accounts for each year,
as arranged by me.[11]
The Officie Gelden have also been described at length in the often
cited report by Mr. Blom of August 20, 1692. It is stated there
how these were first levied, as also how they were raised by the
Portuguese, and how they were paid during the rule of the Company. Some
of the castes had besides requested to be exempted from the payment of
these dues, and it is shown how this had been refused. Last year the
aggregate of this tax did not amount to more than Rds. 865.2. It is
also spoken of in the Memoir of the Thombo-keeper, Piet Christiaansz
Bolscho, which was presented to the Council on October 20, 1696,
and the approval of which was conveyed by the letter from Colombo to
Jaffnapatam of November 16 following. The instructions contained in
this Memoir with regard to the Officie Gelden must still be observed,
the chief point being that they must be demanded for each individual
and not in the aggregate for the caste as a whole, as it has been done
thus far, so that the Majoraals and tax collectors had an opportunity
of appropriating a great part of the amount, which could never be
exactly calculated. That they could do this easily may be understood
when it is considered that most of the castes have increased in number,
while the Company has received no more than the lump sum due by each
caste. Knowing the covetousness and avarice of the tax collectors
and Majoraals, it could hardly be expected that they would excuse
any one from the payment; they must, on the contrary, have demanded
the money from each person and appropriated the surplus collected
by the increase in the number of people in each caste. Your Honours
must therefore take note of the matter, and the newly compiled lists
must show at a glance how much each aldea or parish owes; and as the
payment of this tax will be fairly distributed, no one will be wronged,
and the Company will receive its dues.[12]
The Adigary amounted last year to Rds. 1,178.3 1/2. It is paid,
like the Officie Gelden, by every person without distinction, but
the only castes which pay it are the Bellales, the Chandes, and the
Tannatare. It dates from the time of the heathen kings, who used to
rule the country through Adigars, who were appointed over the different
Provinces, and the same method was followed by the Portuguese. These
Adigars were not paid by the king, but the inhabitants had to furnish
them with victuals. This was changed in the course of time by their
having to contribute to the payment of the Adigar, which did not
exceed one fanam for each person. Although the Company, which at
first followed the same practice, later on abolished this office,
except in the districts of Mantotte and Ponneryn, yet this imposition
of the Adigary remained in force on the same castes and is still
paid by them. No one however complains of it, but on the contrary,
they consider themselves to be the three oldest castes, and look
upon it as a mark of distinction and honour conferred on them above
the other castes, thinking that only they are worthy to contribute
to the maintenance of the king's Adigars. It is looked upon in the
same light by some other castes who consider themselves equal to
these three, such as the Maddapallys, Agambadys, Paradeesys, &c. I
think, therefore, that the Company could put this point of honour
to advantage and levy this tax from many other wealthy castes, who
would gladly out of jealousy allow the Adigary to be levied on them;
but this is mentioned here only en passant as a suggestion for the
consideration of wiser heads.[13]
The Oely service has, like the Officie Gelden, been described in
detail by the late Mr. Blom in his report of August 20, 1692, so
that I need not expand on this subject here. It may be seen from the
document just mentioned what castes up to this time have been obliged
to perform this service and how many men have to attend daily, as
also how they are classified. The same rules are still observed, but,
as I noticed during my residence, these people are very lazy in the
performance of their servitudes, although they are only required to
attend three days in every three months, or twelve days in a whole
year. I think this may be considered as a sign of their increased
prosperity; because they seem to find the means for paying their
fines for non-attendance without any trouble. This fine is only 2
Dutch stivers for each day, or 1 rix-dollar for the twelve days in
a year for each person, and the account for the year 1695 shows that
on the 24,021 men Rds. 2,001.9 were paid in fines, and for the year
1696 for eight months (January to August) a sum of Rds. 1,053.9 for
12,640 men; so that the Company during the period of 20 months had to
lose the daily labour of 36,661 men. It is therefore to be expected
that the works have been considerably delayed at the Castle, in the
loading and unloading of the vessels, at the wharf, at the gunpowder
mill, at the brick-kiln at Point Pedro, in the burning of lime and
the felling of wood on the borders of the Wanni, the digging and
breaking of coral stones on the islands, the burning of coals for
the smith's shop, &c. I therefore think that the said Sicos [20]
money ought to be doubled, so that they would have to pay 1 fanam
instead of 2 stivers for each day's absence; because I do not think
this must be considered as a tax levied on the inhabitants, but as
a fine and punishment imposed for negligence and as a means to make
them perform the necessary labour in order to prevent delay. But,
as these my Instructions are to be revised by His Excellency the
Governor at Colombo, Your Honours will no doubt receive orders from
him, I not being authorized to issue them. The reason why the last
account of the Sicos runs only over eight months instead of as usual
over a year is that I specially ordered this to be done because the
account used to run from the beginning to the end of each year,
while the Trade Accounts were closed on the last day of August,
which formerly closed on the last day of February, which was always a
source of confusion. In order to correct this I ordered the account of
the Sicos to be made up for the last eight months only. Meantime Your
Honours must not fail to see that these amounts are collected on behalf
of the Company, because out of it only Rds. 180 has been received for
Patchelepalle for 1695; so that out of the above-mentioned amount
for the last 20 months the sum of Rds. 2,975.1 is still due to the
Company. Besides the usual Caltementos received by the Collectors as
a compensation for the loss they suffer on account of those persons
who died or disappeared since the last revision of the Thombo, Your
Honour must also keep in mind that a small amount is to be paid yet
towards the Sicos for 1693. The whole of the amount was Rds. 993.7,
and the greater part was received during my time. I do not know why
this was not collected before; perhaps it was due to the departure
of the late Mr. Blom to the pearl fishery in 1699, and his death
soon thereafter. [21] Because, when I arrived in December of the
same year from Batavia, I found matters in Jaffnapatam very much in
the same condition in which they were on my return from Colombo last
August, namely, many necessary things had been neglected and there was
great confusion. I will not enter into details over the matter here,
as I am not writing with direct reference to them. We will return
now to the subject of the Oely service, with regard to which I have
merely to add that it must be seen that the old and infirm people,
who are exempted from this servitude in the new Thombo, do not fail to
deliver such mats and pannegay [22] kernels for coals for the smith's
shop, as they are bound to according to the customs of the country;
because, although this is only a small matter, yet these things come
in very handy for the storehouses, vessels, pearl fishery, &c., while
otherwise money would have to be spent on these mats, an expenditure
which could be thus avoided. (14)
The tax collectors and Majoraals are native officers appointed by
the Company to demand and collect the poll tax, land rent, tithes,
and the Officie and Adigary rates which I have treated of above. They
also see that the natives perform such servitudes as they owe to
the lord of the land, and collect the Sicos money to which I have
referred, levied for neglect in attending for Oely service. The
expenditure in the appointment of these native officers is very
small, as may be seen from the foregoing account, considering that
these Collectors and Majoraals have to attend once in three months,
or four times a year, at the Castle to hand over one-fourth of the
full amount of the taxes for the year; so that the revenue is usually
received at the closing of the accounts. As this practice has proved
to be successful, the same course must be followed in future. I would
wish at the same time to point out here that the facility with which
these taxes are collected in Jaffnapatam is another evidence of the
improved condition of the inhabitants. In the year 1690 a change
was made in the appointment of the Collectors and Majoraals. Up to
that time all these and many of the Cannecappuls, Arachchies, &c.,
belonged to one caste, viz., that of the Bellales, being the farmers
or peasants. The principal of these belong to the family of Don Philip
Sangerepulle, from Cannengray, a native of evil repute; so much so,
that His Excellency the Extraordinary Councillor of India, Laurens Pyl,
who was at the time Governor of Ceylon, issued an order on June 16,
1687, by which Commandeur Cornelis van der Duyn and his Council were
instructed to have the said Don Philip and several of his followers
and accomplices put in chains and sent to Colombo. He succeeded,
however, in concealing himself and eventually fled to Nagapatam, where
he managed to influence the merchant Babba Porboe to such an extent
that through his aid he obtained during the years 1689 and 1690 all
the advantages he desired for his caste and for his followers. This
went so far as to the appointment of even schoolboys as Majoraals
and Cayaals from the time they left school. His late Excellency van
Mydregt, who had great confidence in the said Babba, was somewhat
misled by him, but was informed of the fact by certain private letters
from the late Commandeur Blom during His Excellency's residence at
Tutucorin. His Excellency then authorized Mr. Blom on July 4, 1690,
to at once make such changes as would be necessary, under the pretext
that some of the Majoraals were not provided yet with proper acts of
appointment issued by His Excellency. This may also be seen in the
answer to some points brought before His Excellency by Mr. Blom on
October 20. These replies bear date November 29 following. Finding,
however, on my arrival from Batavia, that these appointments were
still reserved for the Bellales, through the influence of a certain
Moddely Tamby, who had formerly been a betel carrier to Sangerepulle,
later on a private servant of Babba Porboe, and last of all Cannecappul
to the Commandeur, and another Cannecappul, also of the Bellale caste
and a first cousin of the said Sangerepulle, of the name of Don Joan
Mandala Nayaga Mudaliyar, I brought this difficulty before my Governor
His Excellency the Extraordinary Councillor of India, Thomas van
Rhee, on my visit to Colombo in the beginning of 1698. He verbally
authorized me to make the necessary changes, that so many thousands
of people should no longer suffer by the oppression of the Bellales,
who are very proud and despise all other castes, and who had become
so powerful that they were able not only to worry and harass the poor
people, but also to prevent them from submitting their complaints to
the authorities. Already in the years 1673 and 1675 orders had been
given that the Collectors should be transferred every three years;
because by their holding office for many years in the same Province
they obtained a certain amount of influence and authority over the
inhabitants, which would have enabled them to take advantage of them;
and it has always been a rule here not to restrict the appointment
to these offices to the Bellales, but to employ the Maddapallys
and other castes as well, to serve as a counter-acting influence;
because by this means the inhabitants were kept in peace, and through
the jealousy of the various castes the ruler was always in a position
to know what was going on in the country. All these reasons induced
His Excellency Thomas van Rhee to give me leave to bring about the
necessary changes, which have now been introduced. I appointed the
Collector of Waddemoraatje as my Cannecappul in the place of Moddely
Tamby, whose place I filled with the new Collector of the Maddapally
caste, while also a new Collector was appointed for Timmoraatsche
in the place of Don Joan Mandala Nayaga, whom the late Mr. Blom had
discharged from his office as Cannecappul of the Gate; because no two
Bellales are allowed to hold office in one place. He agreed with me on
this point, as may be seen from his report of August 20, 1692. I have
further transferred two Collectors in the large Province of Wallegamo,
so as to gradually bring about the desired change in the interest of
the Company and that of the other castes; but I heard that this small
change created so much disturbance and canvassing that I had to leave
the matter alone. The Bellales, seeing that they would be shut out from
these profitable offices and that they would lose the influence they
possessed so far, and being the largest in number and the wealthiest of
the people, moved heaven and earth to put a stop to the carrying into
effect of this plan so prejudicial to their interests. With this view
they also joined the Wannias Don Philip Nellamapane and Don Gaspar
Ilengenarene Mudaliyar in their conspiracies. The latter two, also
Bellales, well aware that they owed many elephants to the Company,
as stated at the beginning of this Memoir, and knowing that their
turn would also come, organized the riots in which the said Moddely
Tamby was the principal instrument. He was a man who first appeared
as a rebel, on the plea that, having been prosecuted by the Fiscaal
for many offences, he had been injured by a long imprisonment and
that this induced him to take revenge, these same two Wannias having
been then the first accusers who came to me complaining against this
man in the latter part of 1694. Perhaps later on they considered the
great assistance they received from him during the time of Babba
Porboe in obtaining the various privileges and favours. They also
probably understood that it was my intention to diminish the influence
of the Bellale caste, and were thus induced to take this course to
promote the welfare of their caste. I think that it was also out of
their conspiracies that the riots arose from which this Commandement
suffered during my absence in the months of May, June, and July. I
cannot account for them in any other way, as I have stated previously
when treating of the Wanni. I am obliged to repeat this here, in
order that Your Honours may be on your guard and watch the movements,
alliances, and associations of these Bellales and the Majoraals of the
Wanni; because although I may have persisted in bringing about the
desired changes, I preferred to leave the matter alone, seeing how
much annoyance this first attempt caused me, and how the obsequious
subjects of this Commandement are not only given audience in Colombo,
but are also upheld against their local ruler, whose explanation is
not only not asked for, but who is even prevented from defending the
interests of the Company at the place he had a right to do. I will,
however, drop this subject, although a great deal more might be said,
because I consider it will be useless to do so. I only advise Your
Honours not to make the slightest alteration in the appointment of the
native officers during my residence at Mallabaar, but to leave them
for the present in the state in which they wish so much to remain,
as this is a matter within the province of the Commandeur. Lascoreens
and Arachchies with their Canganes may, however, be discharged or
appointed according to their merits by the Dessave, in accordance
with the instructions of the late Admiral Rycloff van Goens, dated
February 26, 1661. In the case, however, of any of the Majoraals,
[23] Cayaals, [24] Pattangatyns, [25] Cannecappuls, or Collectors
resigning their offices or of being dismissed on account of misconduct,
the Dessave will be also authorized to provisionally appoint others
in their place without issuing the actens [26] until my return or
until the appointment of another Commandeur in my place, if such be
the intention of Their Excellencies at Batavia. Because no provision
has been made for such cases, which interrupt the regular course of
the administration. (15)
It must be also seen that the lower castes observe the rules with
regard to their costumes, &c., because I hear that here also corruption
has crept in, and that they do not wear their dress in the proper way,
do not cut their hair, and do not wear any golden rings in their ears,
so that they cannot be distinguished from the caste-people or Gonoradas
as they are called, who consider this an insult to them. A plackaat
on this subject was issued by His Excellency Laurens Pyl, Governor
of Ceylon, on August 18, 1686. There will be little difficulty in
enforcing those rules if the Regent in this Commandement is allowed to
assume the authority which is his right, and which he must have if he
is to maintain the discipline required to carry on the operations of
the Company, for the people of Jaffnapatam are conceited, arrogant,
and stubborn. They bring false complaints against their rulers to the
higher powers if they find but the least encouragement, while on the
other hand they are slavish and cringe under the rod of their rulers so
long as they see that their authority is not disputed, but is upheld
by the Government. As they were so strictly held down to their duties
during the time of the heathen and of the Portuguese, not knowing any
other but their own immediate ruler, they often do not understand
the position of a subordinate ruler in the service of the Company,
and are not able to act with discretion when they find a way from
an inferior to a superior. It is not in accordance with the natural
government to which their ancestors had been accustomed. It must not,
however, be supposed that I ignore the fact that the mild government of
the Company always leaves a way of appeal for those of its subjects,
whoever they may be, when they consider themselves unjustly treated;
but I think that on the other hand the Company should likewise allow
their chiefs to punish the delinquents before they are permitted to
appeal to the higher powers. This I have found is not always observed
as regards Jaffnapatam, although it seems to me necessary that it
should be if our officers are not in the course of time to become a
laughing stock to the people. It is a well-known fact that the more
influential natives always try to oppress the poorer classes, and it
will be impossible to prevent their doing this if they are allowed
to become stronger than they already are.
The Lascoreens, who are supposed to be soldiers, appear however to be
more useful in times of peace for the running of errands, the carrying
of letters, the communication of orders to and fro in the country,
and to summon the inhabitants, than they are in times of war for
the carrying of arms, for they have not the slightest idea of drill
or discipline, and are entirely wanting in courage. Yet we have to
employ them in these services, and it will be chiefly the duty of
the Dessave to see that those whose names are entered as Lascoreens
in the Hoofd Thombo are kept under discipline by their officers, and
also that their number is complete, so that they may be easily found
when suddenly wanted. It must also be observed that no men are entered
as Lascoreens who are bound to perform other services. The argument
brought forward by His late Excellency Commissioner van Mydregt in
his Instructions for Jaffnapatam of November 29, 1690, that it is
most difficult to reduce such people afterwards to their more humble
service is undoubtedly true and has been proved by experience. Those
whose names are at present entered in the Thombo as Lascoreens amount
to 834 men, both archers and pikemen, viz.:--
Arachchies 31
Canganas 4
Lascoreens 799
===
Total 834
Of these, only 200 are paid, and sometimes less than that
number, according to circumstances, as may be seen in the monthly
accounts. They are commanded by two Mudaliyars, one over the archers
and one over the pikemen. The Lascoreens are paid only 7 1/5 fanams
per mensem, without rice, and they are required to be ready day
and night to carry orders. Their pay is certainly not too high,
especially in such times of dearth as we have had during the last
three or four years, but I hope that this may be prevented in future
to some extent when the Moors from Bengal come here more frequently
and the rice from Trincomalee and Cotjaar is received in the required
quantities. Otherwise I think that the request of the Lascoreens,
if they strongly urge it, should be complied with, namely, that they
may be paid Rd. 1 per month should the dearth continue longer. But
this can only be done with the special permission of His Excellency
the Governor and the Council of Colombo, although the Commandeur
and the Council here have been authorized to grant this higher pay
by His Excellency Laurens Pyl, Councillor of India, on his visit to
Jaffnapatam on June 14, 1687, when this and other requests of the
natives were submitted to him. But, considering that besides the
180 or 200 Lascoreens there are also employed other native soldiers
in Mannar, Aripo, Calpentyn, Trincomalee, and Batticaloa, who are
also drawn from the above-mentioned 834 men, and that they have to
be transferred every half year, it is desirable that the same rules
should apply to them all, especially because a number of them are
also employed in this Commandement in the felling of wood, some at
Point Pedro under the Vidaan of the Elephants, some at Kayts in the
dyeing industry, some under the Civil Council, others again under
the Collectors of taxes in the various Provinces, at the Passes,
under the clergy, the Fiscaal, and other of the Company's servants;
since in that way they will be best kept under discipline. This would
also prevent fraud, because each person would receive his pay direct
from the Company, while at present the two Mudaliyars mentioned above
have a chance of favouring those whom they prefer. For this and other
reasons Your Honours must see that the Lascoreens are transferred at
least once a year, if not twice.[16]
Slaves from the opposite coast are brought here in large numbers,
because the accounts state that from December 1, 1694, to the end of
November, 1696, no less than 3,589 slaves were brought across, on each
of whom was paid to the Company as duty for admittance the amount of 11
fanams, making a total of 39,424 fanams or 9,856 guilders. The people
of Jaffnapatam import these slaves only for their own advantage, as
they find the sale of these creatures more profitable than the trade
in rice or nely, these grain being at present very dear in Coromandel,
which again is a reason why these slaves are very cheap there, being
procurable almost for a handful of rice. As Jaffnapatam does not yield
a sufficient quantity of rice for its large population, I tried to
induce the inhabitants to import as much nely as possible, but to no
purpose. Therefore, considering that it is likely the scarcity of the
necessaries of life will increase rather than decrease, because the
Moorish vessels loaded with rice remained at Madraspatam, I thought
it best to open the passage to Trincomalee and Batticaloa for the
inhabitants of Jaffnapatam. I did so because I was informed that grain
is very plentiful there and may be had at a low price, and also because
I found that this privilege had been granted to them already by the
Honourable the Supreme Government of India by Resolution of November,
1681. This permission was renewed in a letter of December 12, 1695,
but as this was cancelled in a letter from Colombo to Jaffnapatam
of January 6, 1696, this Commandement continued to suffer from the
scarcity of provisions. However, the price of rice was never higher
than Rd. 1 a parra, and even came down to 6 fanams for a cut parra,
of which there are 75 in a last of 3,000 lb. The question arises,
however, whether the Company might not be greatly inconvenienced
by the importation of these slaves, because it seems to me that the
scarcity of victuals would be thus increased, and I do not consider it
advisable for other reasons also. It is true that the Company receives
a considerable amount as duty, but on the other hand these slaves
have to be fed, and thus the price of victuals will, of necessity,
advance. The people of Jaffnapatam are besides by nature lazy and
indolent, and will gradually get more accustomed to send their
slaves for the performance of their duties instead of attending to
them themselves, while moreover these slaves are in various ways
enticed outside the Province and captured by the Wannias, who in
times of peace employ them for sowing and mowing, and in times of war
strengthen their ranks with them. They also sometimes send them to
officers of the Kandyan Court in order to obtain their favour. Many
of the slaves imported suffer from chicken pox, which may cause an
epidemic among the natives, resulting in great mortality. The amount
derived from the duty on importation of slaves would therefore not
be a sufficient compensation. In my opinion this large importation
of slaves is also another evidence of the greater prosperity of the
inhabitants of this Commandement, as the purchase and maintenance of
slaves require means.[17]
Rice and nely are the two articles which are always wanting in
Jaffnapatam, and, as the matter is one which concerns the maintenance
of life, great attention must be paid to it if we are to continue to
exact from the inhabitants the dues they are paying now. It will be
found on calculation from the notes of the Tarrego [27] taken for
some years that the inhabitants consume on an average no less than
2,000 lasts of rice a year in addition to the quantity produced in the
Provinces, The Islands, the Wanni, Ponneryn, and Mantotte, so that it
is clear how necessary it is that the inhabitants are not only enabled
but also encouraged to import grain from outside. Besides that obtained
from the Bengal Moors, they may now also obtain rice from Tanjauwen,
Oriza, Tondy, Trincomalee, and Batticaloa, as the latter passage has
been re-opened by order of the Honourable the Supreme Government of
India at Batavia in terms of their letter of July 3, 1696, which I
published in a mandate in Dutch and Mallabaar on October 1, 1696. From
this I expect good results in future for this Commandement. I also
hope that this will be a means of preventing the undesirable monopoly
of victuals, with regard to which subject I refer Your Honours to the
letter from Colombo of November 16, 1696, and the reply from here
of December 12 following, and I again seriously recommend to Your
Honours' attention this subject of monopoly, without any regard to
persons, as the greatest offences are undoubtedly those which affect
the general welfare. (18)
The native trade is confined to articles of little importance, which,
however, yield them a considerable profit, as many of the articles
found here are not found elsewhere. Thus, for instance, the palmyra
tree is not only very useful to them, as its fruit serves them as
food instead of rice, but they also obtain from it sugar, poenat, [28]
pannangay, [29] calengen, [30] mats, carsingos, [31] and caddigans [32]
or olas, and besides, the palmyra timber comes very handy whenever they
fell the trees. For all these sundries the inhabitants of Jaffnapatam
obtain good prices in Coromandel and Tondy, where also they sell
coconuts, kayer, [33] oil obtained from coconuts, and margosy, and
many other things which are not found in the places mentioned above,
or in Trincomalee and Batticaloa. These articles are rising in price
from year to year, so that they fetch two and three per cent. more
than formerly, and on this account the number of vessels along the
seacoast between Point Pedro and Kayts has increased to threefold
their number. With a view to prevent the monopoly of grain as much as
possible Your Honours are recommended to follow the same method I did,
viz., to order all vessels which come into Point Pedro, Tellemanaar,
or Wallewitte to go on to Kayts, as the owners often try to land in
these places under some pretext or other. They must be made to sell
their nely at the bangsaal or the public market, which is under the
supervision of this Castle; because if they unload their nely elsewhere
they do not bring it to the market, and the people not finding any
there have to obtain it from them at any price, which I consider to
be making a monopoly of it. Another product which yields a profit to
the inhabitants is tobacco. This grows here very abundantly, and the
greater part of it is sold by the owners without the least risk to the
merchants of Mallabaar, while the rest is sold here among their own
people or to the Company's servants. A part also is sent to Negapatam,
because the passage to Mallabaar is too dangerous for them on account
of the Bargareese pirates, who infest the neighbourhood. They also
make a good profit out of the provisions which the Company's servants
have to buy from them, such as fowls, butter, milk, sheep, piesang,
[34] soursop, betel, oil, &c., on which articles these officers have
to spend a good deal of their salaries, and even the native officers
have to devote a great deal of their pay to the purchase of these. The
inhabitants are also able to obtain a good deal as wages for labour if
they are not too lazy to work, so that, taking all in all, Your Honours
will find that the inhabitants of Jaffnapatam are more prosperous now
than they have been for some time, although it has been urged in some
quarters that they are oppressed and fleeced and are therefore in a
miserable condition. These people do not know or pretend not to know
that those reports have been circulated by some of the wealthiest
Bellales, because endeavours were made to maintain and uphold the
poorer castes against them. Their circumstances being so much better,
the people of Jaffnapatam ought not to hope for a decrease of the
tithes, as spoken of before. Nor did they ask for this during my
time, nor even referred to it, because at the general paresse [35]
of August 2, 1685, they made a unanimous declaration that they had
no request to make and no reason for complaint, and that they were
perfectly satisfied with the rule of the Company. This may be seen
in the Compendium of the last of November of the same year. In my
questions of January 22 of the same year several requests of theirs
had already been submitted, which had been all disposed of to their
satisfaction, as, for instance, that with regard to the free trade
in Batticaloa and Trincomalee already mentioned above, while the
other matters will be treated of later on. It is true that the late
Mr. Blom would seem to recommend the decrease of the tithes in his
report of August 20, 1692, but he did not know at the time that so many
privileges would be granted to them. Although the granting of these is
of little importance to the Company, it is a fact on the other hand
that the prosperity of the inhabitants will also be an advantage to
the Company, because it enables them to pay their imposts and taxes
regularly, as witness the last few years.[19]
The coconut trees are the third source of prosperity granted to the
inhabitants, besides the free trade in Batticaloa and Trincomalee
and the reduced poll tax; because, in compliance with the orders from
Batavia of December 12, 1695, these trees would no longer be subject
to taxes in the new Land Thombo, the owners being obliged to feed not
only the Company's elephants, but also those which have been already
purchased by the merchants, with coconut leaves. Although this no
doubt is more profitable to them, as they are paid for the leaves
by the merchants, yet it is true that the trees yield less fruit
when their nourishment is spent on the leaves. But although Their
Excellencies at Batavia kindly relieved the people of their burden
in this respect, the duty was imposed again in another way when His
Excellency the Governor and the Council decided, in their letter of
October 13, that Jaffnapatam would have to deliver yearly no less
than 24 casks of coconut oil besides that which is required for use
in this Commandement and at Manaar. This, including what is required
at the pearl fishery, amounts according to my calculation to no less
than 12 casks. For this reason it will be necessary to prohibit the
export of coconuts. This order, like the one with regard to the reform
in the sale of elephants, was sent to us without previous consultation
with the Commandeur or the Council of Jaffnapatam; yet in the interest
of the Company I could not abstain from expressing my opinion on the
subject in my reply of November 1, 1696; but as the order was repeated
in a subsequent letter from Colombo as also in one of the 21st of
the same month, although with some slight alteration, I am obliged to
recommend that Your Honours should endeavour to put this order into
execution as far as possible, and not issue licenses to any one. I
do so although I expect not only that the farmer of the Alfandigo
(for the export of all articles permitted to be exported) will
complain on this account, and will pay less rent in future, but also,
and especially that the inhabitants will object to this regulation,
because they receive at least twice as much for the plain coconuts
as for the oil which they will have to deliver to the Company. This
will be so in spite of some concessions which have been made already
in the payment for the oil, upon their petition of June 14, 1687,
submitted to His Excellency Laurens Pyl, then Governor of Ceylon,
in which they stated that it was a great disadvantage to them to be
obliged to give the olas of their trees as food for the elephants,
and that they were now also prevented from selling their fruits,
but had to press oil out of these for the Company.[20]
The iron and steel tools imported by the Company did not yield much
profit, because there was no demand for them. The wealthy people
considered them too expensive, and the poor could not afford to
purchase them for the ploughing and cultivation of their fields and
gardens. They have therefore been stowed away in the storehouses. As
may be seen from the questions submitted by me to the Council of
Colombo on January 22, 1695, I proposed that the inhabitants should
be permitted to obtain these tools direct from Coromandel, which was
kindly granted by the Honourable the Supreme Government of India by
letter of December 12 of the same year. This may be considered the
fourth point in which they have been indulged; another is the license
given to them in the same letter from Batavia (confirmed in a letter
of July 3, 1696) that they may convey the products of their lands and
other small merchandise by vessel to Coromandel, north of Negapatam,
without being obliged to stop and pay Customs duty in the former place,
as they had to do since 1687. They must not therefore be restricted in
this, as I introduced this new rule as soon as the license arrived.[21]
The palmyra timber required by the Company for Colombo and Jaffnapatam
used to be exacted from the inhabitants at a very low price which
had been fixed for them. They had not only to deliver this, but also
that which some of the Company's servants demanded for their private
use at the same low rate, under pretence that it was required for the
Company; so that the owners not only lost their trees and what they
might obtain from them for their maintenance, but were also obliged
to transport this timber and the laths, after they had been split,
from their gardens for two or three miles to the harbours from which
they were to be shipped, either to the seacoast or to the banks of
the river. Besides this they had still to pay the tax fixed for those
trees in the Thombo. Moreover, it happened that in the year 1677
there was such a large demand for these planks and laths, not only
in Colombo but also in Negapatam, that no less than 50,687 different
staves and 26,040 laths were sent to the latter town on account of
the Company. Their Excellencies at Batavia, considering that such
a practice was too tyrannical and not in keeping with the mild,
reasonable, and just government which the Company wishes to carry on,
have lessened the burden of the inhabitants in this respect, and have
desired that in future no such demand should be made from them, but
that they should be allowed to sell this timber in the market. Further
particulars with regard to this matter may be found by Your Honours
in the letter from Their Excellencies to Ceylon of May 13, 1692, and
in the letter from His Excellency the Governor and the Council of
Colombo of April 29, 1695, which may serve for your guidance. This
may be considered as the fifth favour bestowed on the inhabitants,
but it does not extend to the palmyra planks and laths required by
the Company for the ordinary works in this Commandement or for the
Castle. These are to be paid for at the rate stated in the Trade
Account as paid formerly, because this is a duty they have been
subject to from olden times, and it is unadvisable to depart from
such customs without good reason, the nature of these people being
such that they would not consider it a favour and be grateful for it,
but if they were relieved of this they would continue to complain
of other matters. On the other hand they will, without complaint,
pay such duties as have been long customary, because they consider
themselves born to these. I therefore think it will be best to observe
the old customs. With regard to the purchase of planks and laths on
account of the Company, I found on my arrival from Batavia in this
Commandement that this had been done with the greatest carelessness,
the accounts being in a terrible disorder. I therefore proposed in
my letter of December 9, 1694, to Colombo that such purchases should
be made by the Dessave, as he, by virtue of his office, has the best
opportunity. This was approved of in the letter of the 22nd of the
same month, and since then a certain amount of cash, about Rds. 100
or 200, has been handed to him for this purpose, and he accounts for
this money in the Trade Accounts and states how many planks and laths
have been delivered to the Company. In this way it may be always seen
how the account stands, and this practice must be continued. It must
also be seen that as many planks and laths are stored up at the outer
harbours for Coromandel and Trincomalee and at the inner harbours for
Colombo and our own use as will be possible without interfering with
the liberty granted to the inhabitants; because the demand both in
Negapatam and in Colombo is still very great, as may be seen in the
letter of February 10, 1695, to which I have referred.[22]
The felling of timber is a work that must receive particular attention,
as this is required for the repair of the Company's vessels, at
least such parts of them as stand above the water level. For repairs
under water no timber has so far been obtained in the Wanni that is
serviceable, as the timber there is liable to be attacked by a kind of
worm under water. Timber can be transported to the Castle only once
a year during the rainy season, when the rivers swell so much that
the timber which has been felled during the dry season can be brought
down to the Passes and from there to the Fort. Sometimes also timber
is felled near the seashore, when it is brought down along the coast
to Kayts or Hammenhiel by pressed Carrias or fishermen. Occasionally
some timber is also felled near the seacoast between Manaar and
Jaffnapatam, which is suitable for door posts, window frames, and
stocks for muskets and guns, while here also is found the timber for
gun-carriages, which comes in very useful, as the Fort must be well
provided with ammunition. In the Memoir left by Mr. Laurens Pyl for
this Commandement, bearing date November 7, 1679, [36] it is stated
in detail how the felling of timber is conducted and what class of
people are employed in this work. This subject is also dealt with
in the report by the late Mr. Blom of August 20, 1692, so that I
merely refer to these documents, and recommend that another and an
experienced person ought to be trained for the supervision of this work
in addition to the sergeant Harmen Claasz, who has done this work for
the last 25 years, and has gained much experience during his residence
in the forests of the Wanni, and knows exactly when the timber ought
to be felled, when it can be transported, and what kinds of trees are
the most suitable. Because it must be remembered that like all human
beings he also is only mortal. I therefore some time ago appointed the
soldier Laurens Hendriksz as his assistant. He is still employed in
the same capacity. As these forests are very malarious, there are but
few Dutchmen who could live there, and this is the more reason why Your
Honours should always see that an able person is trained to the work,
so as to avoid inconvenience some time or other. It is impossible to
employ a native in this work, because the Wannias would not have the
same regard for a native as for a European, and one of their caprices
to which they are so often subject might interfere with the work.[23]
Charcoal, made from the kernel of the palmyra fruit, is used here
for the smith's forge. In the Memoir referred to Your Honours will
also find stated by whom this is furnished to the Company. As I
noticed that the work in the smith's forge had to be discontinued
sometimes for want of charcoal, especially during the months of
August, September, and October, which causes great inconvenience to
the Government, I proposed to His Excellency the Governor and Council
that a quantity of smiths' coals from Holland should be provided. This
has been approved of. It must be used in times of scarcity, and the
people who are bound to collect and burn the kernel must be kept
to their duty, and compelled to deliver up the full extent of their
tax. The coals from Holland must be looked upon as a reserve supply,
to be used only when no pannangay kernels are to be had, as happens
sometimes when the inhabitants plant these seeds in order to obtain
from them a kind of root, called calengen, which they use as food.[24]
Bark-lunt is another article which the Company receives from the
inhabitants here without any expense. All inhabitants who go yearly
to the Wanni to sow and mow, consisting of about 6,000 or 7,000
and sometimes even 10,000 persons, and who pay 10 of these lunts to
the Wannias, have on their return at the Passes to pay a piece of
lunt each, 4 fathoms long, and for each cow or bull they have with
them and have employed in the Wanni for ploughing or have allowed
to graze there they also have to pay the same. This amounts to a
considerable quantity yearly, nearly 60,000 lunts. It is a matter
of little importance, but a great convenience, because not only the
garrison in this Commandement is thus furnished, but a large quantity
may also be sent to other places when required, as is done usually to
Negapatam and Trincomalee, for which a charge of 1 stiver a piece is
made, which amount is entered here with the general income and charged
to the said stations. Care must be taken that this duty is paid at
the Redoubts, but on the other hand also that not too much is charged
to these people, because I have heard complaints that sometimes more
than 4 fathoms of the lunt is demanded. This is unfair, because the
surplus is appropriated by persons who have no right to it.[25]
Coral stone, used for building purposes and for the burning of lime,
is found here in abundance. This also the Company obtains without any
expenditure, because it is dug up and broken by ordinary Oeliares. It
is also found at Point Pedro, where it is burnt into lime or otherwise
sent to the Castle in tonys or pontoons, where it is then either burnt
into lime, used for foundations or for the filling up of the body of
walls, which are then covered on the outside with cut coral stone,
as this makes them strong and durable. For some years the cut stone
has also been sent to Negapatam for the fortifications. This must be
continued until we receive notice that it is no longer necessary,
which I think will be soon, because I noticed that lately not so
much stone was asked for. From 1687 up to the present about 52,950
cut stones have been sent to this place.[26]
It may be understood from the above that lime is easily obtained here,
and without great expenditure. That which is required for the Company
here is delivered free of charge. For the lime sent to Negapatam 7
fanams are paid in place of 5 light stivers. [37] This is paid to the
lime burners at Canganture, who received an advance on this account,
of which a small balance is left. Meanwhile the Dessave de Bitter
informed us on his return from Coromandel that no more lime was
required there, but in order that the Company may not lose by the
advance made, a quantity of 8,000 or 9,000 parras of lime is lying
ready at Canganture, which must be fetched by the Company's vessels
in March or April and brought to Kayts. This, I think, will make up
the amount, and if not, they must reimburse the difference. It will
be seen from this that we have tried to comply with the wishes of
His late Excellency van Mydregt, who wrote from Negapatam on July 10,
1687, that the new fortifications there were to be supplied with lime
and all other building materials which are to be found here. The lime
sent there since that date has amounted to 4,751 31/75 lasts.[27]
The dye-root is a product found in this territory which yields the
Company a considerable profit. The best kinds are found in Carrediva,
but the largest quantity in Manaar. The other kinds, found in the
Wanni and The Islands, are so inferior that they cannot be used for
dyeing unless they are mixed with the kinds obtained from Manaar
and Carrediva, and are found in small quantities only. The inferior
kinds are used in this way so that they may not be lost, because it
is to be feared that there will be a greater scarcity of root than
of cloth. I will not enter into detail here as to how, by whom,
where, and when these roots are dug out, or how they are employed
in the dyeing of cloth, or again how much is received yearly; as
all these matters have been mentioned at length on other occasions,
making it unnecessary to do so here. I therefore refer Your Honours
to an account by the late Commandeur Blom, dated April 25, 1693,
with regard to the cultivation and digging of this root, and another
by the same Commandeur of November 12 of the same year with regard to
the dyeing of red cloth and the use of dye-root, while Your Honours
might also look up the document sent to Colombo on December 29, 1694,
by Your Honours and myself, and another of September 16, 1695, where
an estimate is made of the quantity of cloth that could be dyed here
yearly with the root found in this Commandement. An answer will also
be found there to the question raised by the Honourable the Supreme
Government of India in their letter to Ceylon of December 12, 1695,
as to whether the dye-roots found in Java costing Rds. 5 the picol
[38] of 125 lb. and sent here might be employed with profit in the
service of the Company, and whether these roots from Java could not
with advantage be planted here. The reply from Colombo of January
6, 1696, in answer to our letter of September 16, 1695, must also
be considered, in order that Your Honours may bear in mind all the
arguments that have been urged on this subject. Experiments have been
made with the Java roots to see whether they could be turned to any
account, and with a view to compare them with the Jaffna roots. It
seems to me that good results may be obtained from the Brancoedoe
roots, according to the experiments made by myself and afterwards by a
Committee in compliance with the orders of Their Excellencies, but as
we cannot be quite sure yet another quantity of Java roots for further
experiments has been sent, as stated in the letter from Batavia of July
3, 1696. Your Honours must pay great attention to these experiments,
so that the result may be definitely known. This was prevented so
far by the rainy season. Besides the above-mentioned documents,
Your Honours will also find useful information on the subject in two
reports submitted by a Committee bearing date July 29 and December
10, 1695. Experiments must also be made to find out whether the
Wancoedoe roots used either alone or mixed with the Jaffna roots will
yield a good red dye of fast colour, this being the wish of Their
Excellencies. Meantime the red cloth ordered in 1694, being 142 webs,
and the 60 webs ordered lately, must be sent as soon as the required
linen arrives from Coromandel. This cloth must be carefully dyed, and
after being examined and approved by the members of Council must be
properly packed by the Pennisten of the Comptoiren who are employed
in this work, on both which points complaints have been received,
and which must be guarded against in future. During my residence
96 webs of cloth have been sent out of the 142 that were ordered,
so that 46 are yet to be sent, besides the 60 of the new order. No
more cloth and dye-roots must be issued to the dyers at a time than
they can use in one dyeing, because otherwise the cloth lies about in
their poor dwellings and gets damaged, while the roots are stolen or
used for private purposes, which is a loss to the Company, of which
many instances might be quoted. There is no doubt the Administrateur
Abraham Mighielsz Biermans, who has been entrusted with the supervision
of this work for many years, will endeavour to further the interests
of the Company in this respect as much as possible and keep these lazy
people to their work. For the present there is a sufficient quantity
of material in stock, as there were in the storehouses on the last
of November, 1696, 60,106 lb. of different kinds of dye-root, with
which a large quantity of cloth may be dyed, while a yearly supply is
delivered at the Fort from Manaar, Carrediva, &c. In Carrediva and "the
Seven Places" as they are called, much less is delivered than formerly,
because at present roots are dug up after the fields have been sown,
while formerly this used to be done before the lands were cultivated,
to the disadvantage of the owners. This practice was abandoned during
the time of Commandeur Blom, as it was considered unfair; because the
fields are already heavily taxed, and on this account the delivery
is 20 to 25 bharen [39] less than before.[28]
The farming out of the various duties in this Commandement may
be considered as the third source of revenue to the Company in
Jaffnapatam, and next to that of the sale of elephants and the revenue
derived from the poll tax, land rents, tithes, Adigary, and Officie
Gelden mentioned before. The farming out of the said duties on the last
of February, 1696, brought to the Company the sum of Rds. 27,518 for
the period of one and a half year. The leases were extended on this
occasion with a view to bring them to a close with the close of the
Trade Accounts, which, in compliance with the latest instructions from
Batavia, must be balanced on August 31. The previous year, from March
1 to February 28, 1695-1696, the lease of the said duties amounted
to Rds. 15,641, which for 18 months would have been Rds. 23,461 1/2,
so that the Company received this year Rds. 4,056 1/2 more than last
time; but I believe that the new duty on the import of foreign cloth
has largely contributed to this difference. This was proposed by me
on January 22, 1695, and approved by the Hon. the Supreme Government
of India in their letter of December 12 of the same year. It yielded
the first year Rds. 7,100, including the stamping of native cloth with
a seal at 25 per cent., while for the foreign cloth no more than 20
per cent. was paid. As Their Excellencies considered this difference
unfair, it has pleased them, at the earnest request of the natives,
or rather at the request of the Majoraals on behalf of the natives, in
a later letter of July 3, 1696, to consent to the native cloth being
taxed at 20 per cent. only, which must be considered in connection
with the new lease. Meantime the order from Batavia contained in
the Resolutions of the Council of India of October 4, 1694, must be
observed, where all farmers are required to pay the monthly terms
of their lease at the beginning of each month in advance. This rule
has been followed here, and it is expressly stipulated in the rent
conditions. Whether the farming out of the duty on native and foreign
cloth will amount to as much or more I cannot say; because I fear
that the present farmer has not made much profit by it, in consequence
of the export having decreased on account of the closing of the free
passage to Trincomalee and Batticaloa. The sale of these cloths depends
largely on the import of nely from the said places, and this having
been prevented the sale necessarily decreased and consequently the
farmer made less profit. The passage having been re-opened, however,
it may be expected that the sale will increase again. With a view
to ascertain the exact value of this lease, I sent orders to all
the Passes on February 27, 1696, that a monthly list should be kept
of how many stamped cloths are passed through and by whom, so that
Your Honours will be able to see next August how much cloth has been
exported by examining these lists, while you may also make an estimate
of the quantity of cloth sold here without crossing the Passes, as
the farmer obtains his duty on these. Your Honours may further read
what was reported on this subject from here to Colombo on December 16,
1696, and the reply from Colombo of January 6 of this year.[29]
The Trade Accounts are closed now on August 31, as ordered by the
Supreme Government of India in their letter of May 3, 1695. Last
year's account shows that in this Commandement the Company made a
clear profit of Fl. 121,795.2.9. It might have been greater if more
elephants could have been obtained from the Wanni and Ponneryn, or if
we were allowed the profits on the elephants from Galle and Colombo
sold here on behalf of the Company, which are not accompanied by an
invoice, but only by a simple acknowledgment. Another reason that it
was not higher is that we had to purchase the very expensive grain
from Coromandel. Your Honours must also see that besides observing
this rule of closing the accounts in August, they are submitted to
the Council for examination, in order that it may be seen whether the
discharges are lawful and whether other matters are in agreement with
the instructions, and also whether some items could not be reduced
in future, in compliance with the order passed by Resolution in the
Council of India on September 6, 1694. These and all other orders
sent here during the last two years must be strictly observed, such
as the sending to Batavia of the old muskets, the river navigation
of ships and sloops, the reduction of native weights and measures to
Dutch pounds, the carrying over of the old credits and debits into
the new accounts, the making and use of casks of a given measure,
and the accounting for the new casks of meat, bacon, butter, and
all such orders, which cannot be all mentioned here, but which Your
Honours must look up now and again so as not to forget any and thus
be involved in difficulties. [(30)]
The debts due to the Company at the closing of the accounts must be
entered in a separate memorandum, and submitted with the accounts. In
this memorandum the amount of the debt must be stated, with the name
of the debtor, and whether there is a prospect of the amount being
recovered or not. As shown by Their Excellencies, these outstandings
amounted at the closing of the accounts at the end of February, 1694,
to the sum of Fl. 116,426.11.19. This was reduced on my last departure
to Colombo to Fl. 31,948.9.15, as may be seen in the memorandum by the
Administrateur of January 31, 1696. I will now proceed to show that on
my present departure no more is due than the amount of Fl. 16,137.8,
in which, however, the rent of the farmers is not included, as it is
only provisional and will be paid up each month, viz.:--
Fl.
The Province of Timmoraten 376. 2.8 [40]
The Province of Pathelepally 579.10.0
Panduamoety and Nagachitty 2,448.13.0
Company's weavers 167.15.0
Manuel van Anecotta, Master Dyer 9,823. 6.0
The Caste of the Tannecares 1,650. 0.0
The dyers at Point Pedro and Nalloer 566.14.0
Don Philip Nellamapane 375. 0.0
Ambelawanner Wannia 150. 0.0
===========
Total 16,137. 0.8
With regard to the debt of the weavers, amounting to Fl. 2,616.8,
I deem it necessary here to mention that the arrears in Timmoratsche
and Patchelepally, spoken of in the memorandum by the Administrateur
of January 31, 1696, compiled by Mr. Bierman on my orders of November
30, 1695, after the closing of the accounts at the end of August,
of which those of Tandia Moety and Naga Chitty and that of the
Company's weavers which refer to the same persons, may, in my opinion,
be considered as irrecoverable. It would therefore be best if Their
Excellencies at Batavia would exempt them from the payment. This debt
dates from the time when it was the intention to induce some weavers
from the opposite coast to come here for the weaving of cloth for the
Company. This caste, called Sinias, [41] received the said amount in
cash, thread, and cotton in advance, and thus were involved in this
large debt, which having been reduced to the amount stated above, has
remained for some years exactly the same, in spite of all endeavours
made to collect it, and notwithstanding that the Paybook-keeper was
appointed to see that the materials were not stolen and the money not
wasted. It has been, however, all in vain, because these people were
so poor that they could not help stealing if they were to live, and it
seems impossible to recover the amount, which was due at first from
200 men, out of whom only 15 or 16 are left now. When they do happen
occasionally to deliver a few gingams, these are so inferior that
the soldiers who receive them at the price of good materials complain
a great deal. I think it unfair that the military should be made to
pay in this way, as the gingams are charged by the Sinias at Fl. 6
or 6.10 a piece, while the soldiers have to accept the same at Fl. 9
and 9.15. The same is the case with the Moeris and other cloths which
are delivered by the Sinias, or rather which are obtained from them
with much difficulty; and I have no doubt Your Honours will receive
instructions from Batavia with regard to this matter. Meanwhile they
must be dealt with in the ordinary way; but in case they are exempted
from the payment of their debt I think they ought to be sent out of
the country, not only because they are not liable to taxes or services
to the Company, but also because of the idolatry and devil-worship
which they have to a certain extent been allowed to practise, and
which acts as a poison to the other inhabitants, among whom we have
so long tried to introduce the Dutch Reformed religion.
The debt of the dyers at Annecatte, entered under the name of Manoel of
Annecatte, dyer, which amounted at the end of August to Fl. 9,823.6,
has been since reduced by Fl. 707.10, and is still being reduced
daily, as there is sufficient work at present to keep them all busy,
of which mention has been made under the heading of Dye-roots. This
debt amounted at the end of February, 1694, to Fl. 11,920.13.6, so
that since that time one-third has been recovered. This is done by
retaining half the pay for dyeing; for when they deliver red cloth
they only receive half of their pay, and there is thus a prospect
of the whole of this debt being recovered. Care must be taken that
no one gives them any money on interest, which has been prohibited,
because it was found that selfish people, aware of the poverty of
these dyers, sometimes gave them money, not only on interest but at
a usurious rate, so that they lost also half of the pay they received
from the Company on account of those debts, and were kept in continual
poverty, which made them either despondent or too lazy to work. For
this reason an order was issued during the time of the late Commandeur
Blom that such usurers would lose all they had lent to these dyers,
as the Company would not interfere on behalf of the creditors as long
as the debt to the Company was still due. On this account also their
lands have been mortgaged to the Company, and Mr. Blom proposed in
his questions of December 22, 1693, that these should be sold. But
this will not be necessary now, and it would not be advantageous to
the Company if the weavers were thus ruined, while on the other hand
this debt may on the whole be recovered. (31)
The Tannekares are people who made a contract with the Company during
the time of Mr. Blom by a deed bearing date June 7, 1691, in terms
of which they were to deliver two elephants without teeth in lieu
of their poll tax amounting to Fl. 269.4.17/60 and for their Oely
service. It was found, however, last August that they were in arrears
for 11 animals, which, calculated at Rds. 50 or Fl. 150 each, brings
their debts to Fl. 1,650, just as I expected. As all contracts of this
kind for the delivery of elephants are prejudicial to the Company,
I proposed on January 22, 1695, that this contract should be annulled,
stating our reasons for doing so. This proposal was submitted to Their
Excellencies at Batavia in our letter of August 12 of the same year,
and was approved by them by their letter of December 12, 1695, so that
these people are again in the same position as the other inhabitants,
and will be taxed by the Thombo-keeper for poll tax, land rent, and
Oely service from September 1, 1696. These they must be made to pay,
and they also must be made to pay up the arrears, which they are quite
capable of doing, which matter must be recommended to the attention
of the tax collector in Waddamoraatsche.
The debt due by the dyers of Nalloer and Point Pedro, which arose
from their receiving half their pay in advance at their request,
as they were not able to pay their poll tax and land rent (which
amounted to Fl. 566.14), has been paid up since.
The debt of Don Philip Nellamapane, which amounts to Fl. 375, arose
from the amount being lent to him for the purchase of nely in the
latter part of 1694, because there was a complaint that the Wannias,
through a failure of the crop, did not have a sufficient quantity
of grain for the maintenance of the hunters. This money was handed
to Don Gaspar Ilengenarene Mudaliyar, brother-in-law of Don Philip,
and at the request of the latter; so that really, not he, but Don
Gaspar, owes the money. He must be urged to pay up this amount,
which it would be less difficult to do if they were not so much in
arrears with their tribute, because in that case the first animals
they delivered could be taken in payment. There is no doubt, however,
that this debt will be paid if they are urged.
The same is the case with the sum of Fl. 150 which Ambelewanne Wannia
owes, but as he has to deliver only a few elephants this small amount
can be settled the first time he delivers any elephants above his
tribute. (32)
The Pay Accounts must, like the Trade Accounts, be closed on the
last day of August every year, in compliance with the orders of the
Honourable the Supreme Government of India contained in their letter
of August 13, 1695. They must also be audited and examined, according
to the Resolution passed in the Council of India on September 6,
1694, so that it may be seen whether all the items entered in the
Trade Accounts for payments appear also in the Pay Accounts, while
care must be taken that those who are in arrears at the close of the
books on account of advance received do not receive such payments too
liberally, against which Your Honours will have to guard, so that no
difficulties may arise and the displeasure of Their Excellencies may
not be incurred. Care must also be taken that the various instructions
for the Paybook-keeper are observed, such as those passed by Resolution
of Their Excellencies on August 27 and June 29, 1694, with regard to
the appraising, selling, and entering in the accounts of estates left
by the Company's servants, the rules for the Curators ad lites, those
with regard to the seizure of salaries by private debtors passed by
Resolution of August 5, 1696, in the Council of India, and the rules
passed by Resolution of March 20, with regard to such sums belonging
to the Company's servants as may be found outstanding on interest
after their death, namely, that these must four or six weeks after
be transferred from the Trade Accounts into the Pay Accounts to the
credit of the deceased. (33)
The matter of the Secretariate not being conducted as it ought to
be, cannot be dealt with in full here. It was said in the letters
of November 17 and December 12, 1696, that the new Secretary,
Mr. Bout (who was sent here without any previous intimation to the
Commandeur), would see that all documents were properly registered,
bound, and preserved, but these are the least important duties
of a good Secretary. I cannot omit to recommend here especially
that a journal should be kept, in which all details are entered,
because there are many occurrences with regard to the inhabitants,
the country, the trade, elephants, &c., which it will be impossible to
find when necessary unless they appear in the letters sent to Colombo,
which, however, do not always deal very circumstancially with these
matters. It will be best therefore to keep an accurate journal,
which I found has been neglected for the last three years, surely
much against the intention of the Company. The Secretary must also
see that the Scholarchial resolutions and the notes made on them by
the Political Council are copied and preserved at the Secretariate,
another duty which has not been done for some years. I know on the
other hand that a great deal of the time of the Secretary is taken up
with the keeping of the Treasury Accounts, while there is no Chief
Clerk here to assist him with the Treasury Accounts, or to assist
the Commandeur. This was felt also by Mr. Blom, and he proposed
in his letters of February 12 and March 29, 1693, to Colombo that
the Treasury Accounts should be kept by the Paybook-keeper, which,
in my humble opinion, would be the best course, as none of the four
Onderkooplieden [42] here could be better employed for this work
than the Paybook-keeper. It must be remembered, however, that Their
Excellencies do not wish the Regulation of December 29, 1692, to be
altered or transgressed, so that these must be still observed. I would
propose a means by which the duties of the Cashier, and consequently of
the Secretary, could be much decreased, considering that the Cashier
can get no other knowledge of the condition of the general revenue
than from the Thombo-keeper who makes up the accounts, namely, that
the Thombo-keeper should act as General Accountant, as well of the
rent for leases as of the poll tax, land rent, tithes, &c., in which
case the native collectors could give their accounts to him. This,
I expect, would simplify matters, and enable the Secretary to be of
more assistance to the Commandeur. In case such arrangement should be
made, the General Accountant could keep the accounts of the revenue
specified above, which could afterwards be transferred to the accounts
of the Treasury; but Your Honours must wait for the authority to do
so, as I do not wish to take this responsibility. I must recommend
to Your Honours here to see that in future no petitions with regard
to fines are written for the inhabitants except by the Secretaries
of the Political Council or the Court of Justice, as those officers
in India act as Notaries. This has to be done because the petitions
from these rebellious people of Jaffnapatam are so numerous that the
late Mr. Blom had to forbid some of them writing such communications,
because even Toepasses and Mestices take upon themselves to indite
such letters, which pass under the name of petitions, but are often so
full of impertinent and seditious expressions that they more resemble
libels than petitions. Since neither superior nor inferior persons
are spared in these documents, it is often impossible to discover the
author. Whenever the inhabitants have any complaint to make, I think
it will be sufficient if they ask either of the two Secretaries to
draw out a petition for them in which their grievances are stated,
which may be sent to Colombo if the case cannot be decided here. In
this way it will be possible to see that the petitions are written
on stamped paper as ordered by the Company, while they will be
written with the moderation and discrimination that is necessary in
petitions. There are also brought to the Secretariate every year all
sorts of native protocols, such as those kept by the schoolmasters
at the respective churches, deeds, contracts, ola deeds of sale,
and other instruments as may have been circulated among the natives,
which it is not possible to attend to at the Dutch Secretariate. But
as I have been informed that the schoolmasters do not always observe
the Company's orders, and often issue fraudulent instruments and thus
deceive their own countrymen, combining with the Majoraals and the
Chiefs of the Aldeas, by whom a great deal of fraud is committed,
it will be necessary for the Dessave to hold an inquiry and punish
the offenders or deliver them up for punishment. For this purpose
he must read and summarize the instructions with regard to this and
other matters issued successively by Their Excellencies the Governors
of Ceylon and the subaltern Commandeurs of this Commandement, to be
found in the placaats and notices published here relating to this
Commandement. The most important of these rules must be published in
the different churches from time to time, as the people of Jaffnapatam
are much inclined to all kinds of evil practices, which has been
the reason that so many orders and regulations had to be issued by
the placaats, all which laws are the consequence of transgressions
committed. Yet it is very difficult to make these people observe
the rules so long as they find but the least encouragement given to
them by the higher authorities, as stated already. It was decided in
the Meeting of Council of October 20, 1696, that a large number of
old and useless olas which were kept at the Secretariate and were
a great encumbrance should be sorted, and the useless olas burnt
in the presence of a committee, while the Mallabaar and Portuguese
documents concerning the Thombo or description of lands were to be
placed in the custody of the Thombo-keeper. This may be seen in the
report of November 8 of the same year. In this way the Secretariate
has been cleared, and the documents concerning the Thombo put in their
proper place, where they must be kept in future; so that the different
departments may be kept separately with a view to avoid confusion. I
have also noticed on various occasions that the passports of vessels
are lost, either at the Secretariate or elsewhere. Therefore, even so
lately as last December, instructions were sent to Kayts and Point
Pedro to send all such passports here as soon as possible. These
passports, on the departure of the owners, were to be kept at the
Secretariate after renovation by endorsement, unless they were more
than six months old, in which case a new passport was to be issued. In
case Your Honours are not sufficiently acquainted with the form of
these passports and how they are to be signed as introduced by His
late Excellency Governor van Mydregt, you will find the necessary
information in the letters from Negapatam to Jaffnapatam of 1687 and
1688 and another from Colombo to Jaffnapatam bearing date April 11,
1690, in which it is stated to what class of persons passports may
be issued. The same rules must be observed in Manaar so far as this
district is concerned, in compliance with the orders contained in
the letter of November 13, 1696.(34)
The Court of Justice has of late lost much of its prestige among the
inhabitants, because, seeing that the Bellale Mudaly Tamby, to whom
previous reference has been made, succeeded on a simple petition sent
to Colombo to escape the Court of Justice while his case was still
undecided (as may be seen from a letter from Colombo of January 6,
1696, and the reply thereto of the 26th of this month), they have an
idea that they cannot be punished here. Even people of the lowest caste
threaten that they will follow the same course whenever they think
they will not gain their object here, especially since they have seen
with what honours Mudaly Tamby was sent back and how the Commissioners
did all he desired, although his own affairs were not even sufficiently
settled yet. A great deal may be stated and proved on this subject, but
as this is not the place to do so, I will only recommend Your Honours
to uphold the Court of Justice in its dignity as much as possible,
and according to the rules and regulations laid down with regard to
it in the Statutes of Batavia and other Instructions. The principal
rule must be that every person receives speedy and prompt justice,
which for various reasons could not be done in the case of Mudaly
Tamby, and the opportunity was given for his being summoned to Colombo.
At present the Court of Justice consists of the following persons:--
The Commandeur, President (absent).
Dessave de Bitter, Vice-President.
Capt. van der Bruggen, Administrateur.
Abraham Biermans.
Lieut. Claas Isaacsz.
The Thombo-keeper, Pieter Chr. Bolscho.
The Ensign Arnoud Mom.
The Onderkoopman Joan Roos.
The Onderkoopman Jan van Groeneveld.
The Bookkeeper Jan de Wit, Secretary.
But it must be considered that on my departure to Mallabaar, and in
case the Dessave be commissioned to the pearl fishery, this College
will be without a President; the Onderkooplieden Bolscho and Roos
may also be away in the interior for the renovation of the Head
Thombo, and it may also happen that Lieut. Claas Isaacsz will be
appointed Lieutenant-Dessave, in which case he also would have to go
to the interior; in such case there would be only three members left
besides the complainant ex-officio and the Secretary, who would have
no power to pronounce sentence. The Lieutenant van Hovingen and the
Secretary of the Political Council could be appointed for the time,
but in that case the Court would be more a Court Martial than a Court
of Justice, consisting of three Military men and two Civil Servants,
while there would be neither a President nor a Vice-President. I
consider it best, therefore, that the sittings of the Court should
be suspended until the return of the Dessave from the pearl fishery,
unless His Excellency the Governor and the Council should give other
instructions, which Your Honours would be bound to obey.
I also found that no law books are kept at the Court, and it would
be well, therefore, if Your Honours applied to His Excellency the
Governor and the Council to provide you with such books as they deem
most useful, because only a minority of the members possess these
books privately, and, as a rule, the Company's servants are poor
lawyers. Justice may therefore be either too severely or too leniently
administered. There are also many native customs according to which
civil matters have to be settled, as the inhabitants would consider
themselves wronged if the European laws be applied to them, and it
would be the cause of disturbances in the country. As, however, a
knowledge of these matters cannot be obtained without careful study and
experience, which not every one will take the trouble to acquire, it
would be well if a concise digest be compiled according to information
supplied by the chiefs and most impartial natives. No one could have a
better opportunity to do this than the Dessave, and such a work might
serve for the instruction of the members of the Court of Justice as
well as for new rulers arriving here, for no one is born with this
knowledge. I am surprised that no one has as yet undertaken this work.
The advice of Mr. Laurens Pyl in his Memoir of November 7, 1679,
with regard to the Court of Justice, namely, that the greatest
precautions must be used in dealing with this false, cunning, and
deceitful race, who think little of taking a false oath when they see
any advantage for themselves in doing so, must be followed. This is
perhaps the reason that the Mudaliyars Don Philip Willewaderayen and
Don Anthony Naryna were ordered in a letter from Colombo of March 22,
1696, to take their oath at the request of the said Mudaly Tamby
only in the heathen fashion, although this seemed out of keeping
with the principles of the Christian religion (Salva Reverentio),
as these people are recognized as baptized Christians, and therefore
the taking of this oath is not practised here. The natives are also
known to be very malicious and contentious among themselves, and do
not hesitate to bring false charges against each other, sometimes for
the sole purpose of being able to say that they gained a triumph over
their opponents before the Court of Justice. They are so obstinate
in their pretended rights that they will revive cases which had been
decided during the time of the Portuguese, and insist on these being
dealt with again. I have been informed that some rules have been laid
down with regard to such cases by other Commandeurs some 6, 8, 10,
and 20 years previous, which it would be well to look up with a view
to restrain these people. They also always revive cases decided by
the Commandeurs or Dessaves whenever these are succeeded by others,
and for this reason I never consented to alter any decision by a former
Commandeur, as the party not satisfied can always appeal to the higher
court at Colombo. His Excellency the Governor and the Council desired
very properly in their letter of November 15, 1694, that no processes
decided civilly by a Commandeur as regent should be brought in appeal
before the Court of Justice here, because the same Commandeur acts in
that College as President. Such cases must therefore be referred to
Colombo, which is the proper course. Care must also be taken that all
documents concerning each case are preserved, registered, and submitted
by the Secretary. I say this because I found that this was shamefully
neglected during my residence here in the years 1691 and 1692, when
several cases had been decided and sentences pronounced, of which not
a single document was preserved, still less the notes or copies made.
Another matter to be observed is that contained in the Resolutions
of the Council of India of June 14, 1694, where the amounts paid to
the soldiers and sailors are ordered not to exceed the balance due
to them above what is paid for them monthly in the Fatherland. I
also noticed that at present 6 Lascoreens and 7 Caffirs are paid
as being employed by the Fiscaal, while formerly during the time
of the late Fiscaal Joan de Ridder, who was of the rank of Koopman,
not more than 5 Lascoreens and 6 Caffirs were ever paid for. I do not
know why the number has been increased, and this greater expense is
imposed upon the Company. No more than the former number are to be
employed in future. This number has sufficed for so many years under
the former Fiscaal, and as the Fiscaal has no authority to arrest any
natives without the knowledge of the Commandeur or the Dessave, it
will still suffice. It was during the time of the late Onderkoopman
Lengele, when the word "independent" carried much weight, that the
staff of native servants was increased, although for the service of
the whole College of the Political Council not more than 4 Lascoreens
are employed, although its duties are far more numerous than those of
the Fiscaal. I consider that the number of native servants should be
limited to that strictly necessary, so that it may not be said that
they are kept for show or for private purposes.[35]
The Company has endeavoured at great expense, from the time it took
possession of this Island, to introduce the religion of the True
Reformed Christian Church among this perverse nation. For this purpose
there have been maintained during the last 38 years 35 churches and
3 or 4 clergymen, but how far this has been accepted by the people
of Jaffnapatam I will leave for my successors to judge, rather than
express my opinion on the subject here. It is a well-known fact that
in the year 1693 nearly all the churches in this part of the country
were found stocked with heathen books, besides the catechisms and
Christian prayer books. It is remarkable that this should have
occurred after His late Excellency Governor van Mydregt in 1689
had caused all Roman Catholic churches and secret convents to be
dismantled and abolished, and instead of them founded a Seminary or
Training School for the propagation of the true religion, incurring
great expenses for this purpose. I heard only lately that, while I
was in Colombo and the Dessave in Negapatam, a certain Lascoreen,
with the knowledge of the schoolmasters of the church in Warrany, had
been teaching the children the most wicked fables one could think of,
and that these schoolmasters had been summoned before the Court of
Justice here and caned and the books burnt. But on my return I found
to my surprise that these schoolmasters had not been dismissed, and
that neither at the Political Council nor at the Court of Justice
had any notes been made of this occurrence, and still less a record
made as to how the case had been decided. The masters were therefore
on my orders summoned again before the meeting of the Scholarchen,
by which they were suspended until such time as the Lascoreen should
be arrested. I have not succeeded in laying hands on this Lascoreen,
but Your Honours must make every endeavour, after my departure, to
trace him out; because he may perhaps imagine that the matter has
been forgotten. Such occurrences as these are not new in Warrany;
because the idolatry committed there in 1679 will be known to some
of you. On that occasion the authors were arrested by the Company
through the assistance of the Brahmin Timmersa Nayk, notwithstanding he
himself was a heathen, as may be seen from the public acknowledgment
granted to him by His Excellency Laurens Pyl, November 7, 1679. I
therefore think that the Wannias are at the bottom of all this
idolatry, not only because they have alliances with the Bellales all
over the country, but especially because their adherents are to be
found in Warrany and also in the whole Province of Patchelepalle,
where half the inhabitants are dependent on them. This was seen at
the time the Wannias marched about here in Jaffnapatam in triumph,
and almost posed as rulers here. We may be assured that they are
the greatest devil-worshippers that could be found, for they have
never yet admitted a European into their houses, for fear of their
idolatry being discovered, while for the sake of appearance they
allow themselves to be married and baptized by our ministers.
For instance, it is a well-known fact that Don Philip Nellamapane
applied to His late Excellency van Mydregt that one of his sons might
be admitted into the Seminary, with a view of getting into his good
graces; while no sooner had His Excellency left this than the son
was recalled under some false pretext. In 1696, when this boy was in
Negapatam with the Dessave de Bitter, he was caught making offerings
in the temples, wearing disguise at the time. It could not be expected
that such a boy, of no more than ten or twelve years old, should do
this if he had not been taught or ordered by his parents to do so
or had seen them doing the same, especially as he was being taught
another religion in the Seminary. I could relate many such instances,
but as this is not the place to do so, this may serve as an example
to put you on your guard. It is only known to God, who searches the
hearts and minds of men, what the reason is that our religion is not
more readily accepted by this nation: whether it is because the time
for their conversion has not yet arrived, or whether for any other
reason, I will leave to the Omniscient Lord. You might read what has
been written by His Excellency van Mydregt in his proposal to the
reverend brethren the clergy and the Consistory here on January 11,
1690, with regard to the promotion of religion and the building of
a Seminary. I could refer to many other documents bearing on this
subject, but I will only quote here the lessons contained in the
Instructions of the late Commandeur Paviljoen of December 19, 1665,
where he urges that the reverend brethren the clergy must be upheld and
supported by the Political Council in the performance of their august
duties, and that they must be provided with all necessary comforts;
so that they may not lose their zeal, but may carry out their work
with pleasure and diligence. On the other hand care must be taken
that no infringement of the jurisdiction of the Political Council
takes place, and on this subject it would be well for Your Honours
to read the last letter from Batavia of July 3,1696, with regard to
the words Sjuttan Peria Padrie and other such matters concerning the
Political Council as well as the clergy. (36)
With regard to the Seminary or training school for native children
founded in the year 1690 by His late Excellency van Mydregt, as another
evidence of the anxiety of the Company to propagate the True and Holy
Gospel among this blind nation for the salvation of their souls,
I will state here chiefly that Your Honours may follow the rules
and regulations compiled by His Excellency, as also those sent to
Jaffnapatam on the 16th of the same month. Twice a year the pupils
must be examined in the presence of the Scholarchen (those of the
Seminary as well as of the other churches) and of the clergy and the
rector. In this college the Commandeur is to act as President, but, as
I am to depart to Mallabaar, this office must be filled by the Dessave,
in compliance with the orders contained in the letters from Colombo
of April 4, 1696. The reports of these examinations must be entered
in the minute book kept by the Scriba, Jan de Crouse. These minutes
must be signed by the President and the other curators, while Your
Honours will be able to give further instructions and directions as
to how they are to be kept. During my absence the examination must be
held in the presence of the Dessave, and the Administrateur Michiels
Biermans and the Thombo-keeper Pieter Bolscho as Scholarchen of the
Seminary, the Lieutenant Claas Isaacsz and the Onderkoopman Joan Roos
as Scholarchen of the native churches, the reverend Adrianus Henricus
de Mey, acting Rector, and three other clergymen.
It must be remembered, however, that this is only with regard to
examinations and not with regard to the framing of resolutions, which
so far has been left to the two Scholarchen and the President of the
Seminary. These, as special curators and directors, have received
higher authority from His Excellency the Governor and the Council,
with the understanding, however, that they observe the rules given
by His Excellency and the Council both with regard to the rector and
the children, in their letters of April 4 and June 13, 1696, and the
Resolutions framed by the curators of June 27 and October 21, 1695,
which were approved in Colombo. Whereas the school had been so far
maintained out of a fund set apart for this purpose, in compliance
with the orders of His Excellency, special accounts being kept of
the expenditure, it has now pleased the Council of India to decide
by Resolution of October 4, 1694, that only the cost of erection
of this magnificent building, which amounted to Rds. 5,274, should
be paid out of the said fund. This debt having been paid, orders
were received in a letter from Their Excellencies of June 3, 1696,
that the institution is to be maintained out of the Company's funds,
special accounts of the expenditure being kept and sent yearly, both
to the Fatherland and to Batavia. At the closing of the accounts
last August the accounts of the Seminary as well as the amount due
to it were transferred to the Company's accounts. The capital then
was still Rds. 17,141, made up as follows:--
Rds. 10,341 entered at the Chief Counting-house in Colombo.
Rds. 1,200 cash paid by the Treasurer of the Seminary into the
Company's Treasury, December 1, 1696.
Rds. 5,600 on account of church fines.
The latter was on December 1, 1690, on the foundation of the Seminary,
granted to that institution, and must now again, as before, be
placed by the Cashier on interest and a special account kept thereof;
because out of this fund the repairs to the churches and schools and
the expenses incurred in the visits of the clergy and the Scholarchen
have to be paid. Other items of revenue which had been appropriated
for the foundation of the Seminary, such as the farming out of
the fishery, &c., must be entered again in the Company's accounts,
as well as the revenue derived from the sale of lands, and that of
the two elephants allowed yearly to the Seminary. The fines levied
occasionally by the Dessave on the natives for offences committed
must be entered in the accounts of the Deaconate or of that of the
church fines, for whichever purpose they are most required.
The Sicos [43] money must again be expended in the fortifications,
as it used to be done before the building of the Training School. The
income of the Seminary consisted of these six items, besides the
interest paid on the capital. This, I think, is all I need say on
the subject for Your Honours' information. I will only add that I
hope and pray that the Lord may more and more bless this Christian
design and the religious zeal of the Company.(37)
The Scholarchen Commission is a college of civil and ecclesiastical
officers, which for good reasons was introduced into this part of
the country from the very beginning of our rule. Their meetings are
usually held on the first Tuesday of every month, and at these is
decided what is necessary to be done for the advantage of the church,
such as the discharge and appointment of schoolmasters and merinhos,
[44] &c. It is here also that the periodical visits of the brethren of
the clergy to the different parishes are arranged. The applications of
natives who wish to enter into matrimony are also addressed to this
college. All the decisions are entered monthly in the resolutions,
which are submitted to the Political Council. This is done as I had
an idea that things were not as they ought to be with regard to the
visitation of churches and inspection of schools, and that the rules
made to that effect had come to be disregarded. This was a bad example,
and it may be seen from the Scholarchial Resolution Book of 1695 and
of the beginning of 1696, what difficulty I had in reintroducing these
rules. I succeeded at last so far in this matter that the visits of
the brethren of the clergy were properly divided and the time for them
appointed. This may be seen from the replies of the Political Council
to the Scholarchial Resolutions of January 14 and February 2, 1696.
On my return from Ceylon I found inserted in the Scholarchial
Resolution Book a petition from two of the clergymen which had been
clandestinely sent to Colombo, in which they did not hesitate to
complain of the orders issued with regard to the visits referred to,
and, although these orders had been approved by His Excellency the
Governor and the Council, as stated above, the request made in this
clandestine petition was granted on March 6, 1696, and the petition
returned to Jaffnapatam with a letter signed on behalf of the Company
on March 14 following. It is true I also found an order from Colombo,
bearing date April 4 following, to the effect that no petitions should
be sent in future except through the Government here, which is in
accordance with the rules observed all over India, but the letter
from Colombo of November 17, received here, and the letter sent from
here to Colombo on December 12, prove that the rule was disregarded
almost as soon as it was made. On this account I could not reply
to the resolutions of the Scholarchen, as the petition, contrary to
those rules, was inserted among them. I think that the respect due
to a ruler in the service of the Company should not be sacrificed to
the private opposition of persons who consider that the orders issued
are to their disadvantage, and who rely on the success of private
petitions sent clandestinely which are publicly granted. In order not
to expose myself to such an indignity for the second time I left the
resolutions unanswered, and it will be necessary for Your Honours to
call a meeting of the Political Council to consider these resolutions,
to prevent the work among the natives being neglected. The College
of the Scholarchen consists at present of the following persons:--
The Dessave de Bitter, President.
The Lieutenant Claas Isaacsz, Scholarch.
The Onderkoopman P. Chr. Bolscho, Scholarch.
The Onderkoopman Joan Roos, Scholarch.
Adrianus Henricus de Mey, Clergyman.
Joannes Roman, Clergyman.
Philippus de Vriest, Clergyman.
Thomas van Symey, Clergyman.
The Assistant Godfried Abraham, Scriba.
I am obliged to mention here also for Your Honours' information that I
have noticed that the brethren of the clergy, after having succeeded
by means of their petition to get the visits arranged according to
their wish, usually apply for assistance, such as attendants, coolies,
cayoppen, &c., as soon as the time for their visits arrive, that is to
say, when it is their turn to go to such places as have the reputation
of furnishing good mutton, fowls, butter, &c.; but when they have to
visit the poorer districts, such as Patchelepalle, the boundaries of
the Wanny, Trincomalee, and Batticaloa, they seldom give notice of the
arrival of the time, and some even go to the length of refusing to go
until they are commanded to depart. From this an idea may be formed of
the nature of their love for the work of propagating religion. Some
also take their wives with them on their visits of inspection to
the churches and schools, which is certainly not right as regards
the natives, because they have to bear the expense. With regard to
the regulations concerning the churches and schools, I think these
are so well known to Your Honours that it would be superfluous for
me to quote any documents here. I will therefore only recommend the
strict observation of all these rules, and also of those made by His
Excellency Mr. van Mydregt of November 29, 1690, and those of Mr. Blom
of October 20, with regard to the visits of the clergy to the churches
and the instructions for the Scholarchen in Ceylon generally by His
Excellency the Governor and the Council of December 25, 1663, and
approved by the Council of India with a few alterations in March, 1667.
The Consistory consists at present of the four ministers mentioned
above, besides:--
Joan Roos, Elder.
Hendrik Warnar, Elder.
Joan Swinas, Deacon.
Jacob Jansz, Deacon.
Domenicus Hartkamp, Deacon.
Jan de Wit, Deacon.
To these is added as Commissaris Politicus, the Administrateur Abraham
Michielsz Biermans, in compliance with the orders of December 27, 1643,
issued by His late Excellency the Governor General Antony van Diemen
and the Council of India at Batavia. Further information relating
to the churches may be found in the resolutions of the Political
Council and the College of the Scholarchen of Ceylon from March 13,
1668, to April 3 following. I think that in these documents will be
found all measures calculated to advance the prosperity of the church
in Jaffnapatam, and to these may be added the instructions for the
clergy passed at the meeting of January 11, 1651.(38)
The churches and the buildings attached to the churches are in many
places greatly decayed. I found to my regret that some churches
look more like stables than buildings where the Word of God is to be
propagated among the Mallabaars. It is evident that for some years
very little has been done in regard to this matter, and as this is a
work particularly within the province of the Dessave, I have no doubt
that he will take the necessary measures to remedy the evil; so that
the natives may not be led to think that even their rulers do not have
much esteem for the True Religion. It would be well for the Dessave
to go on circuit and himself inspect all the churches. Until he can
do so he may be guided by the reports with regard to these buildings
made by Lieutenant Claas Isaacsz on March 19 and April 4, 1696. He
must also be aware that the schoolmasters and merinhos have neglected
the gardens attached to the houses, which contain many fruit trees and
formerly yielded very good fruit, especially grapes, which served for
the refreshment of the clergymen and Scholarchen on their visits.(39)
The Civil Court or Land Raad has been instituted on account of the
large population, and because of the difficulty of settling their
disagreements, which cannot always be done by the Commandeur or the
Court of Justice, nor by the Dessave, because his jurisdiction is
limited to the amount of 100 Pordaus. [45] The sessions held every
Wednesday must not be omitted again, as happened during my absence
in Colombo on account of the indisposition of the President. This
Court consists at present of the following persons:--
Abraham Michielsz Biermans, Administrateur. President.
Jan Fransz, Vryburger, Vice-President.
Arnoud Mom, Ensign.
Jan Lodewyk Stumphuis, Paymaster.
Lucas de Lange, Vryburger.
Jan de Wit, Bookkeeper.
Louis Verwyk, Vryburger.
J. L. Stumphuis, mentioned above, Secretary.
The native members are Don Louis Poeder and Don Denis Nitsingeraye.
The instructions issued for the guidance of the Land Raad may be found
with the documents relating to this college of 1661, in which are also
contained the various Ordinances relating to the official Secretaries
in this Commandement, all which must be strictly observed. As there is
no proper place for the assembly of the Land Raad nor for the meeting
of the Scholarchen, and as both have been held so far in the front room
of the house of the Dessave, where there is no privacy for either,
it will be necessary to make proper provision for this. The best
place would be in the town behind the orphanage, where the Company
has a large plot of land and could acquire still more if a certain
foul pool be filled up as ordered by His Excellency van Mydregt. A
building ought to be put up about 80 or 84 feet by 30 feet, with a
gallery in the centre of about 10 or 12 feet, so that two large rooms
could be obtained, one on either side of the gallery, the one for the
assembly of the Land Raad and the other for that of the Scholarchen. It
would be best to have the whole of the ground raised about 5 or 6
feet to keep it as dry as possible during the rainy season, while
at the entrance, in front of the gallery, a flight of stone steps
would be required. In order, however, that it may not seem as if I am
unaware of the order contained in the letter from Their Excellencies
of November 23, 1695, where the erection of no public building is
permitted without authority from Batavia, except at the private cost
of the builder, I wish to state here particularly that I have merely
stated the above by way of advice, and that Your Honours must wait for
orders from Batavia for the erection of such a building. I imagine
that Their Excellencies will give their consent when they consider
that masonry work costs the Company but very little in Jaffnapatam,
as may be seen in the expenditure on the fortifications, which was
met entirely by the chicos or fines, imposed on those who failed to
attend for the Oely service. Lime, stone, cooly labour, and timber
are obtained free, except palmyra rafters, which, however, are not
expensive. The chief cost consists in the wages for masonry work and
the iron, so that in respect of building Jaffnapatam has an advantage
over other places. Further instructions must however be awaited, as
none of the Company's servants is authorized to dispense with them.(40)
The Weesmeesteren (guardians of the orphans) will find the regulations
for their guidance in the Statutes of Batavia, which were published
on July 1, 1642, [46] by His Excellency the Governor-General Antonis
van Diemen and the Council of India by public placaat. This college
consists at present of the following persons:--
Pieter Chr. Bolscho, President.
Lucas Langer, Vice-President.
Joan Roos, Onderkoopman.
Gerrit van Hovingen, Lieutenant.
Johannes Huysman, Boekhouder.
Jan Baptist Verdonk, Vryburger.
Jan de Wit, Secretary.
As the Hon. the Government of India has been pleased to send
to Ceylon by letter of May 3, 1695, a special Ordinance for the
Orphan Chamber and its officials with regard to their salaries,
I consider it necessary to remind you of it here and to recommend
its strict observance, as well also of the resolution of March 20,
1696, whereby the Orphan Chamber is instructed that all such money
as is placed under their administration which is derived from the
estates of deceased persons who had invested money on interest with
the Company, and whose heirs were not living in the same place, must
be remitted to the Orphan Chamber at Batavia with the interest due
within a month or six weeks.(41)
The Commissioners of Marriage Causes will also find their instructions
in the Statutes of Batavia, mentioned above, which must be carefully
observed. Nothing need be said with regard to this College, but that
it consists of the following persons:--
Claas Isaacsz, Lieutenant, President.
Lucas Langer, Vryburger, Vice-President.
Joan Roos, Onderkoopman.
Jan van Bruggen, Secretary.[42]
The officers of the Burgery, [47] the Pennisten, [48] and the
Ambachtsgezellen [49] will likewise find their instructions and
regulations in the Statutes of Batavia, and apply them as far as
applicable.[43]
The Superintendent of the Fire Brigade and the Wardens of the Town
(Brand and Wyk Meesteren) have their orders and distribution of work
publicly assigned to them by the Regulation of November 8, 1691,
upon which I need not remark anything, except that the following
persons are the present members of this body:--
Jan van Croenevelt, Fiscaal, President.
Jan Baptist Verdonk, Vryburger, Vice-President.
Jan van der Bruggen, Assistant.
Lucas de Langer, Vryburger.
Jacobus Aubert, Schoolmaster.
Jan de Wit, Secretary. [44]
The deacons, as caretakers of the poor, have been mentioned already
under the heading of the Consistory. During the last five and half
years they have spent Rds. 1,145.3.7 more than they received. As I
apprehended this would cause inconvenience, I proposed in my letter
of December 1, 1696, to Colombo that the Poor House should be endowed
with the Sicos money for the year 1695, which otherwise would have
been granted to the Seminary, which did not need it then, as it had
received more than it required. Meantime orders were received from
Batavia that the funds of the said Seminary should be transferred
to the Company, so that the Sicos money could not be disposed of in
that way. As the deficit is chiefly due to the purchase, alteration,
and repairing of an orphanage and the maintenance of the children,
as may be seen from the letters to Colombo of December 12 and 17,
1696, to which expenditure the Deaconate had not been subject before
the year 1690, other means will have to be considered to increase
its funds in order to prevent the Deaconate from getting into further
arrears. It would be well therefore if Your Honours would carefully
read the Instructions of His late Excellency van Mydregt of November
29, 1690, and ascertain whether alimentation given to the poor by
the Deaconate has been well distributed and whether it really was of
the nature of alms and alimentation as it should be. A report of the
result of your inquiry should be sent to His Excellency the Governor
and the Council of Colombo. You might also state therein whether the
orphanage has not been sufficiently enlarged yet, for it seems to me
that the expenditure is too great for only 14 children, as there are
at present. It might also be considered whether the Company could not
find some source of income for the Deaconate in case this orphanage
is not quite completed without further expenditure, and care must be
taken that the deacons strictly observe the rules laid down for them
in the Regulation of His Excellency the Governor and the Council of
Ceylon of January 2, 1666. The present matron, Catharina Cornelisz,
widow of the late Krankbezoeker Dupree, must be directed to follow
the rules laid down for her by the Governor here on November 4, 1694,
and approved in Colombo. That all the inferior colleges mentioned
here successively have to be renewed yearly by the Political Council
is such a well-known matter that I do not think it would escape
your attention; but, as approbation from Colombo has to be obtained
for the changes made they have to be considered early, so that the
approbation may be received here in time. The usual date is June 23,
the day of the conquest of this territory, but this date has been
altered again to June 13, 1696, by His Excellency the Governor and
the Council of Colombo.[45]
The assessment of all measures and weights must likewise be renewed
every year, in the presence of the Fiscaal and Commissioners;
because the deceitful nature of these inhabitants is so great that
they seem not to be able to help cheating each other. The proceeds
of this marking, which usually amounts to Rds. 70 or 80, are for the
largest part given to some deserving person as a subsistence. On my
arrival here I found that it had been granted to the Vryburger Jurrian
Verwyk, who is an old man and almost unable to serve as an assayer. The
post has, however, been left to him, and his son-in-law Jan Fransz,
also a Vryburger, has been appointed his assistant. The last time
the proceeds amounted to 80 rds. 3 fannums, 8 tammekassen and 2 1/2
duyten, as may be seen from the report of the Commissioners bearing
date December 13, 1696. This amount has been disposed of as follows:--
For the Assizer Rds. 60.0.0.0
For the assistant to the Assizer " 6.0.0.0
Balance to the Company's account " 14.3.8.2 1/2
============
Total Rds. 80.3.8.2 1/2
It must be seen to that the Assizer, having been sworn, observes
his instructions as extracted from the Statutes of Batavia, as made
applicable to the customs of this country by the Government here on
March 3, 1666.
In compliance with orders from Batavia contained in the letter of June
24, 1696, sums on interest may not be deposited with the Company here,
as may be seen also from a letter sent from here to Batavia on August
18 following, where it is stated that all money deposited thus must
be refunded. This order has been carried out, and the only deposits
retained are those of the Orphan Chamber, the Deaconate, the Seminary,
and the Widows' fund, for which permission had been obtained by letter
of December 15 of the same year. As the Seminary no longer possesses
any fund of its own, no deposit on that account is now left with
the Company. Your Honours must see that no other sums on interest
are accepted in deposit, as this Commandement has more money than
is necessary for its expenditure and even to assist other stations,
such as Trincomalee, &c., for which yearly Rds. 16,000 to 18,000
are required, and this notwithstanding that Coromandel receives the
proceeds from the sale of elephants here, while we receive only the
money drafts.[46]
No money drafts are to be passed here on behalf of private persons,
whether Company's servants or otherwise, in any of the outstations,
but in case any person wishes to remit money to Batavia, this may be
done only after permission and consent obtained from His Excellency
the Governor at Colombo. When this is obtained, the draft is prepared
at Colombo and only signed here by the Treasurer on receipt of the
amount. This is specially mentioned here in order that Your Honours may
also remember in such cases the Instructions sent by the Honourable the
Government of India in the letters of May 3, 1695, and June 3, 1696,
in the former of which it is stated that no copper coin, and in the
latter that Pagodas are to be received here on behalf of the Company
for such drafts, each Pagoda being counted at Rds. 2 in Batavia.[47]
The golden Pagoda is a coin which was never or seldom known to be
forged, at least so long as the King of Golconda or the King of the
Carnatic was sovereign in Coromandel. But the present war, which has
raged for the last ten years in that country, seems to have taken away
to some extent the fear of evil and the disgrace which follows it,
and to have given opportunity to some to employ cunning in the pursuit
of gain. It has thus happened that on the coast beyond Porto Novo,
in the domain of these lords of the woods (Boschheeren) or Paligares,
Pagodas have been made which, although not forged, are yet inferior
in quality; while the King of Sinsi Rama Ragie is so much occupied
with the present war against the Mogul, that he has no time to pay
attention to the doings of these Paligares. According to a statement
made by His Excellency the Governor Laurens Pyl and the Council of
Negapatam in their letter of November 4, 1695, five different kinds
of such inferior Pagodas have been received, valued at 7 3/8, 7 1/8,
7 5/8, 7 7/8, and 8 3/4 of unwrought gold. A notice was published
therefore on November 18, following, to warn the people against the
acceptance of such Pagodas, and prohibiting their introduction into
this country. When the Company's Treasury was verified by a Committee,
1,042 of these Pagodas were found. Intimation was sent to Colombo on
December 31, 1695. The Treasurer informed me when I was in Colombo
that he had sent them to Trincomalee, and as no complaints have been
received, it seems that the Sinhalese in that quarter did not know
how to distinguish them from the current Pagodas. As I heard that
the inferior Pagodas had been already introduced here, while it was
impossible to get rid of them, as many of the people of Jaffnapatam
and the merchants made a profit on them by obtaining them at a lower
rate in Coromandel and passing them here to ignorant people at the
full value, a banker from Negapatam able to distinguish the good from
the inferior coins has been asked to test all Pagodas, so that the
Company may not suffer a loss. But in spite of this I receive daily
complaints from Company's servants, including soldiers and sailors,
that they always have to suffer loss on the Pagodas received from
the Company in payment of their wages, when they present them at the
bazaar; while the chetties and bankers will never give them 24 fanums
for a Pagoda. This matter looks very suspicious, and may have an evil
influence on the Company's servants, because it is possible that the
chetties have agreed among themselves never to pay the full value
for Pagodas, whether they are good or bad. It is also possible that
the Company's cashier or banker is in collusion with the chetties,
or perhaps there is some reason for this which I am not able to
make out. However this may be, Your Honours must try to obtain as
much information as possible on this subject and report on it to
His Excellency the Governor and the Council of Colombo. All inferior
Pagodas found in the Company's Treasury will have to be made good by
the cashier at Coromandel, as it was his business to see that none
were accepted. With a view to prevent discontent among the Company's
servants the tax collectors must be made to pay only in copper and
silver coin for the poll tax and land rent, and out of this the
soldiers, sailors, and the lower grades of officials must be paid,
as I had already arranged before I left. I think that they can easily
do this, as they have to collect the amount in small instalments from
all classes of persons. The poor people do not pay in Pagodas, and the
collectors might make a profit by changing the small coin for Pagodas,
and this order will be a safeguard against loss both to the Company
and its servants. It would be well if Your Honours could find a means
of preventing the Pagodas being introduced and to discard those that
are in circulation already, which I have so far not been able to
do. Perhaps on some occasion you might find a suitable means.[48]
The demands received here from out-stations in this Commandement must
be met as far as possible, because it is a rule with the Company that
one district must accommodate another, which, I suppose, will be
the practice everywhere. Since His Excellency the Governor and the
Council of Colombo have authorized Your Honours in their letter of
June 13,1696, to draw directly from Coromandel the goods required from
those places for the use of this Commandement, Your Honours must avail
yourselves of this kind permission, which is in agreement with the
intention of the late Commissioner van Mydregt, who did not wish that
the order should pass through various hands. Care must be taken to send
the orders in due time, so that the supplies may not run out of stock
when required for the garrisons. The articles ordered from Jaffnapatam
for Manaar must be sent only in instalments, and no articles must be
sent but those that are really required, as instructed; because it
has occurred more than once that goods were ordered which remained
in the warehouses, because they could not be sold, and which, when
going bad, had to be returned here and sold by public auction, to
the prejudice of the Company. To give an idea of the small sale in
Manaar, I will just state here that last year various provisions and
other articles from the Company's warehouses were sent to the amount
of Fl. 1,261.16.6--cost price--which were sold there at Fl. 2,037,
so that only a profit of Fl. 775.3.10 was made, which did not include
any merchandise, but only articles for consumption and use.[49]
The Company's chaloups [50] and other vessels kept here for the
service of the Company are the following:--
The chaloup "Kennemerland."
Do. "'t Wapen van Friesland."
Do. "Jaffnapatam."
The small chaloup "Manaar."
Do. "Hammenhiel."
Do. "Het Vissertje."
The ponton "De Hoop."
Do. "De Last Drager."
Do. "De Os."
Further, 14 tonys [51] and manschouwers, [52] viz.:--
4 tonys for service in the Fort.
1 tony in Isle de Vacoa.
1 do. in the islands "De Twee Gebroeders."
1 do. at Point Pedro.
1 do. at Kayts for the Waterfort.
Three manschouwers for the three largest chaloups, one manschouwer for
the ponton "De Hoop," one manschouwer for the ferry at Colombogamme,
one manschouwer for the ferry between the island Leiden and the fort
Kayts or Hammenhiel.
The chaloups "Kennemerland" and "Friesland" are used mostly for the
passage between Coromandel and Jaffnapatam, and to and fro between
Jaffnapatam and Manaar, because they sink too deep to pass the river
of Manaar to be used on the west coast of Ceylon between Colombo and
Manaar. They are therefore employed during the northern monsoon to
fetch from Manaar such articles as have been brought there from Colombo
for this Commandement, and also to transport such things as are to
be sent from here to Colombo and Manaar, &c. They also serve during
the southern monsoon to bring here from Negapatam nely, cotton goods,
coast iron, &c., and they take back palmyra wood, laths, jagerbollen,
[53] coral stone, also palmyra wood for Trincomalee, and corsingos,
oil, cayro, [54] &c. The sloop "Jaffnapatam" has been built more
for convenience, and conveys usually important advices and money, as
also the Company's servants. As this vessel can be made to navigate
the Manaar river, it is also used as a cruiser at the pearl banks,
during the pearl fishery. It is employed between Colombo, Manaar,
Jaffnapatam, Negapatam, and Trincomalee, wherever required. The small
sloops "Manaar" and "De Visser," which are so small that they might
sooner be called boats than sloops, are on account of their small
size usually employed between Manaar and Jaffnapatam, and also for
inland navigation between the Passes and Kayts for the transport of
soldiers, money, dye-roots from The Islands, timber from the borders
of the Wanni, horses from The Islands; while they are also useful
for the conveyance of urgent advices and may be used also during the
pearl fishery. The sloop "Hammenhiel," being still smaller than the
two former, is only used for convenience of the garrison at Kayts,
the fort being surrounded by water. This and a tony are used to
bring the people across, and also to fetch drinking water and fuel
from the "Barren Island." The three pontons are very useful here,
as they have daily to bring fuel and lime for this Castle, and they
are also used for the unloading of the sloops at Kayts, where they
bring charcoal and caddegans, [55] and fetch lunt from the Passes,
and palmyra wood from the inner harbours for this place as well
as for Manaar and Colombo. They also bring coral stone from Kayts,
and have to transport the nely and other provisions to the redoubts
on the borders of the Wanni, so that they need never be unemployed
if there is only a sufficient number of carreas or fishermen for the
crew. At present there are 72 carreas who have to perform oely service
on board of these vessels or on the four tonies mentioned above. (50)
In order that these vessels may be preserved for many years, it
is necessary that they be keelhauled at least twice a year, and
rubbed with lime and margosa oil to prevent worms from attacking
them, which may be easily done by taking them all in turn. It must
also be remembered to apply to His Excellency the Governor and the
Council for a sufficient quantity of pitch, tar, sail cloth, paint,
and linseed oil, because I have no doubt that it will be an advantage
to the Company if the said vessels are kept constantly in repair. As
stated under the heading of the felling of timber, no suitable wood
is found in the Wanni for the parts of the vessels that remain under
water, and therefore no less than 150 or 200 kiate or angely boards of
2 1/2, 2, and 1 1/2 inches thickness are required yearly here for this
purpose. His Excellency the Governor and the Council of Colombo have
promised to send this yearly, in answer to the request from Jaffnapatam
of February 17, 1692, and since this timber has to be obtained from
Mallabaar I will see whether I cannot send it directly by a private
vessel in case it cannot be obtained from Colombo. Application must be
made for Dutch sailors from Colombo to man the said sloops, which are
at present partly manned by natives for want of Europeans. According to
the latest regulation, 95 sailors are allowed for this Commandement,
while at present we have not even half that number, as only 46 are
employed, which causes much inconvenience in the service.
The fortifications of the Castle have now for a few years been
complete, except the moat, which is being dug and has advanced to the
peculiar stratum of rocks which is found only in this country. All
matters relating to this subject are to be found in the Compendiums
for 1693, 1694, and 1695. Supposing that the moat could be dug to the
proper depth without danger to the fort, it could not be done in less
than a few years, and it cannot very well be accomplished with the
services of the ordinary oeliaars, so that other means will have to be
considered. If, on the other hand, the moat cannot be deepened without
danger to the foundations of the fort, as stated in the Compendium
for 1694, it is apparent that the project ought to be abandoned. In
that case the fort must be secured in some other way. The most natural
means which suggests itself is to raise the wall on all sides except
on the river side by 6 or 8 feet, but this is not quite possible,
because the foundation under the curtains of the fortification, the
faces of the bastion, and the flanks have been built too narrow,
so that only a parapet of about 11 feet is left, which is already
too small, while if the parapet were extended inward there would not
be sufficient space for the canons and the military. The best plan
would therefore be to cut away the hills that are found between the
Castle and the town. The earth might be thrown into the tank found
eastward of the Castle, while part of it might be utilized to fill
up another tank in the town behind the orphanage. This was the plan
of His Excellency van Mydregt, although it was never put down in
writing. Meantime care must be taken that the slaves and other native
servants of persons residing in the Castle do not through laziness
throw the dirt which they are supposed to carry away from the fort on
the opposite bank of the moat, and thus raise a space which the Company
would much rather lower, and gradually and imperceptibly prepare a
suitable place for the battery of an enemy. I have had notices put
up against this practice, under date July 18, 1695, and these must be
maintained and the offenders prosecuted. Considering the situation of
the Castle and the present appearance of the moat, I think that the
latter is already sufficiently deep if always four or five feet water
be kept in it. In order to do this two banks would have to be built,
as the moat has communication in two places with the river, while the
river also touches the fort at two points. This being done I think
the moat could be kept full of water by two or three water mills
driven by wind and pumps, especially during the south-west monsoon
or the dry season, when an attack would be most likely to occur,
and there is always plenty of wind to keep these mills going both
by night and day. A sluice would be required in the middle of these
banks so that the water may be let out whenever it became offensive
by the river running dry, to be filled again when the water rose. It
would have to be first ascertained whether the banks could really
be built in such a way that they would entirely stop the water in
the moat, because they would have to be built on one side against
the foundations of the fort, which I have been told consist of large
irregular rocks. An experiment could be made with a small mill of the
kind used in Holland in the ditches along bleaching fields. They are
quite inexpensive and easily erected and not difficult to repair,
as they turn on a dovetail. The late Commandeur Anthony Paviljoen
also appears to have thought of this plan even before this Castle was
built, when the Portuguese fort was occupied by the Company, as may
be seen from his instructions of December 19, 1665. [56] This would,
in my opinion, be the course to follow during the south-west monsoon,
while during the north-east monsoon there is usually so much rain that
neither the salt river nor the water mills would be required, while
moreover during that time there is little danger of an attack. These
three plans being adopted, the banks of the moat could be protected by
a wall of coral stone to prevent the earth being washed away by the
water, as the present rocky bed of the moat is sufficiently strong
to serve as a foundation for it. The moat has already been dug to
its proper breadth, which is 10 roods.
In my opinion there are two other defects in this Castle: the one
is as regards the embrazures, the other is in the new horse stable
and carpenters' yard, which are on the south side just outside the
opposite bank of the moat. I think these ought to be altered, for
the reasons stated in our letter to Colombo of November 30, 1695. I
was however opposed by the Constable-Major Toorse in his letter of
December 16 next, and his proposal was approved in Batavia by letter
of July 3 following. This work will therefore have to remain as it is,
although it appears that we did not explain ourselves sufficiently;
because Their Excellencies seem to think that this yard and stable
were within the knowledge of His Excellency van Mydregt. It is true
that the plan for them was submitted to His Excellency, as may be seen
from the point submitted by the late Mr. Blom on February 17, 1692,
and April 29, 1691, but no answer was ever received with regard to
this matter, on account of the death of His Excellency van Mydregt,
[57] and I have an idea that they were not at all according to his
wish. However, the yard and stable will have to remain, and with
regard to the embrazures the directions of the Constable-Major must
be followed.
If it be recommended that the deepening of the moat is possible
without danger to the fort, and if the plan of the water mills and
banks be not approved, so that a dry moat would have to suffice,
I think the outer wall might be completed and the ground between
the rocks be sown with a certain kind of thorn called in Mallabaar
Oldeaalwelam and in Dutch Hane sporen (cock spurs), on account of
their resemblance to such spurs in shape and stiffness. This would
form a covering of natural caltrops, because these thorns are so sharp
that they will penetrate even the soles of shoes, which, besides,
all soldiers in this country do not wear. Another advantage in these
thorns is that they do not easily take fire and do not grow higher
than 2 or 2 1/2 feet above the ground, while the plants grow in quite
a tangled mass. I thought it might be of some use to mention this here.
The present bridge of the fort is built of palmyra wood, as I found
on my arrival from Batavia; but as the stone pillars have already
been erected for the construction of a drawbridge, this work must be
completed as soon as the timber that I ordered from the Wanni for this
purpose arrives. In the carpenters' yard some timber will be found that
was prepared three years ago for the frame of this drawbridge, which,
perhaps, could yet be utilized if it has been well preserved. This
work will have to be hurried on, for the present bridge is dangerous
for anything heavy to pass over it, such as elephants, &c. It will
also be much better to have a drawbridge for the fortification. The
bridge must be built as broad as the space between the pillars and
the opposite catches will permit, and it must have a strong wooden
railing on either side, which may be preserved for many years by
the application of pitch and tar, while iron is soon wasted in this
country unless one always has a large quantity of paint and linseed
oil. Yet, an iron railing is more ornamental, so I leave this matter
to Your Honours.[51]
The fortress Hammenhiel is in good condition, but the sand bank
upon which it is built has been undermined by the last storm in the
beginning of December during the north-east monsoon. The damage must
be remedied with stones. In this fortress a reservoir paved with
Dutch bricks has been built to collect and preserve the rain water,
but it has been built so high that it reaches above the parapets
and may thus be easily ruined by an enemy, as I have pointed out in
my letter to Colombo of September 8, 1694. As this is a new work it
will have to remain as present, until such time as alterations can
be made. The ramparts of this fortress, which are hollow, have been
roofed with beams, over which a floor of stone and chunam has been
laid, with a view to the space below being utilized for the storing
of provisions and ammunition. This is a mistake, as the beams are
liable to decay and the floor has to support the weight of the canon,
so that there would be danger in turning the guns round for fear of
the floor breaking down. So far back as the time of Commandeur Blom
a beginning was made to replace this roof by an entire stone vault,
which is an important work. The gate of the fortress, which is still
covered with beams, must also be vaulted.[52]
Ponneryn and the passes Pyl, Elephant, and Buschutter only
require a stone water tank, but they must not be as high as that of
Hammenhiel. Dutch bricks were applied for from Jaffnapatam on February
17, 1692, and His Excellency the Governor and the Council of Colombo
promised to send them here as soon as they should arrive from the
Fatherland, so that Your Honours must wait for these. Ponneryn is
not so much in want of a reservoir, as it has a well with fairly good
drink water.[53]
The work that demands the chief attention in Manaar is the deepening
of the moat, as the fortifications, dwelling houses, and stores are
completed. But since this work has to be chiefly carried out by the
Company's slaves, it will take some time to complete it. There are
also several elevations near the fort which will have to be reduced,
so that they may not at any time become a source of danger. During
my circuit on two or three occasions the Opperhoofd and the Council
at Manaar applied for lime to be sent from here, as no more coral
stone for the burning of lime was to be found there. This takes
away the Company's sloops from their usual employment, and the
officials have been informed that they must get the lime made
from the pearl shells which are found in abundance in the bay of
Condaatje as remains of the fishery. It makes very good lime, and
the forests in the neighbourhood provide the fuel, and the lime can
then be brought to Manaar in pontons and tonys. Information on this
subject may be found in the correspondence between this station and
Jaffnapatam. Care must be taken that the lime of the pearl shells
is used for nothing but the little work that has yet to be done in
the fort, such as the pavements for the canons and the floors of the
galleries in the dwelling houses. The Opperhoofd and other officers
who up to now have been living outside the fort must now move into
it, as there are many reasons why it is undesirable that they should
reside outside--a practice, besides, which is against the Company's
rules with regard to military stations in India. (54)
Provisions and ammunition of war are matters of foremost consideration
if we desire to have our minds at ease with regard to these stations,
for the one is necessary for the maintenance of the garrison and the
officials, while the other is the instrument of defence. These two
things ought at all times to be well provided. His late Excellency
van Mydregt for this reason very wisely ordered that every station
should be stocked with provisions for two years, as may be seen in
the letter sent from Negapatam bearing date March 17, 1688. This is
with regard to the Castle, but as regards the outstations it will be
sufficient if they are provided with rice for six or eight months. On
account of the great expense the Castle has not of late been provided
for two years, but this will soon be changed now that the passage to
Trincomalee and Batticaloa has been opened, even if the scarcity in
Coromandel should continue, or if the Theuver should still persist in
his prohibition of the importation of nely from Tondy. I have heard,
however, that this veto has been withdrawn, and that vessels with this
grain will soon arrive here. If this rumour be true and if a good
deal of rice is sent here from Cotjaar, Tammelegan, and Batticaloa,
a large quantity of it might be purchased on behalf of the Company
with authority of His Excellency the Governor and the Council of
Colombo, which might be obtained by means of our sloops. Perhaps
also the people of Jaffnapatam who come here with their grain may be
prevailed upon to deliver it to the Company at 50 per cent. or so
less, as may be agreed upon. This they owe to their lawful lords,
since the Company has to spend so much in governing and protecting
them. Sanction to this measure was granted by His Excellency van
Mydregt in his letter from Negapatam to Jaffnapatam of June 12, 1688,
which may be looked up. If a calculation be made of the quantity of
provisions required for two years, I think it would be found that it
is no less than 300 lasts of rice a year. This includes provisions
for the garrison and those who would have to come into the fort in
case of a siege, so that 600 lasts would be required for two years,
a last being equal to 3,000 lb. or 75 Ceylon parras, thus in all
45,000 parras. At the rate of one parra per month for each person,
1,875 people could be maintained for two years with this store of
rice. This would be about the number of people the Company would
have to provide for in case of necessity, considering that there are
according to the latest regulations 600 Company's servants, while
there are according to the latest enumeration 1,212 women, children,
and slaves in the town, making a total of 1,812 persons who have to be
fed; so that the above calculation is fairly correct. Sometimes also
Manaar will have to be provided, because Mantotte does not yield a
sufficient quantity of nely to supply that fort for two years. This
must also be included in the calculation, and if Your Honours are
well provided in this manner you will be in a position to assist some
of the married soldiers, the orphanage, and the poor house with rice
from the Company's stores in times of scarcity, and will be able to
prevent the sale in rice being monopolized again. It was the intention
of His Excellency van Mydregt that at such times the Company's stores
should be opened and the rice sold below the bazaar price. Care must
be taken that this favour is not abused, because it has happened
that some of the Company's servants sent natives on their behalf,
who then sold the rice in small quantities at the market price. This
was mentioned in our letter to Colombo of October 1 and December 12,
1695. The Company can hardly have too much rice in store, for it can
always be disposed of with profit when necessary, and therefore I think
600 lasts need not be the limit, so long as there is a sufficient
number of vessels available to bring it. But as rice alone will not
suffice, other things, such as salt, pepper, bacon, meat, &c., must
also be considered. Salt may be obtained in sufficient quantities
in this Commandement, but pepper has to be obtained from Colombo,
and therefore this spice must never be sold or issued from the store
houses until the new supply arrives, keeping always 3,000 or 4,000
lb. in store. Bacon and meat also have to be obtained from Colombo,
and His Excellency the Governor and the Council of Colombo were kind
enough to send us on my verbal request ten kegs of each from Galle
last August by the ship "Nederland." But I find that it has become
stale already, and it must be changed for new as soon as possible,
with authority of His Excellency and the Council, in order that it may
not go further bad. In compliance with the orders of His Excellency
van Mydregt in his letter of November 23, 1687, the old meat and
bacon must be returned to Colombo, and a new supply sent here every
three or four years, the stale meat being supplied in Colombo to
some of the Company's vessels. But considering that His Excellency
the Governor and the Council of Colombo are not always in a position
to supply Jaffnapatam with a sufficient quantity of meat and bacon,
as there are so many other stations in Ceylon to be provided for,
it would be well to keep in mind the advice of the late Mr. Paviljoen
that in emergencies 1,000 or 1,200 cattle could be captured and kept
within the fort, where they could be made to graze on the large plain,
while as much straw from the nely would have to be collected as could
be got together to feed these animals as long as possible. This
small loss the inhabitants would have to bear, as the Company has to
protect them and their lands, and if we are victorious a recompense
could be made afterwards. I would also advise that as much carrawaat
[58] as could be found in the quarters of the Carreas, Palwelys,
[59] and other fishermen should be brought into the fort; because
this dried fish makes a very good and durable provision, except
for the smell. The provision of arrack must also not be forgotten,
because used moderately this drink does as much good to our people as
it does harm when taken in large quantities. As I have heard so many
complaints about the arrack here, as well as in Trincomalee, at the
pearl fishery, at Coromandel, &c., it is apparent that the Company is
not properly served in this respect. On this account also some arrack
was returned from Negapatam and the Bay of Condaatje. Henceforth
no arrack must be accepted which has not been tested by experts,
neither for storing in the warehouses nor for sending to the different
stations, because at present I cannot say whether it is adulterated by
the people who deliver it to the Company or by those who receive it
in the stores, or even by those who transport it in the sloops. With
regard to the munitions of war, I think nothing need be stated here,
but that there is a sufficient stock of it, because by the last stock
taking on August 31, 1696, it appears that there is a sufficient
store of canons, gun-carriages, gunpowder, round and long grenades,
instruments for storming, filled fire bombs, caseshot-bags, martavandes
for the keeping of gunpowder, and everything that pertains to the
artillery. The Arsenal is likewise sufficiently provided with guns,
muskets, bullets, native side muskets, &c. I would only recommend that
Your Honours would continue to have ramrods made for all the musket
barrels which are still lying there, suitable timber for which may be
found in the Wanni. It is from there also that the boards are obtained
for gun-carriages. And as I found that some had not been completed,
I think this work ought to be continued, so that they may be ready
when wanted. No doubt His Excellency the Governor and the Council of
Colombo will be willing to send a sufficient quantity of pitch and
tar for the preservation both of the sloops and the gun-carriages,
which otherwise will soon decay during the heavy rains which we have
here in India. Although the Arsenal is at present well provided with
guns and muskets, it is possible that half of them may be found unfit
for use. I have therefore given orders to examine them all carefully,
so that those that are unfit may be sent to Colombo and from there to
the Fatherland, and new ones returned. Water and fuel are also two of
the most important things to think of for the defence of a fortress,
and I had therefore a large room built behind
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