1 That of Laurens Pyl.
2 These figures at the end of paragraphs refer to the marginal remarks by way of reply made by the Governor Gerrit de Heer in the original MS. of the Memoir, and which for convenience have been placed at the end of this volume. See p. 96.
3 Hendrik Adriaan van Rheede of Drakestein, Lord of Mydrecht, High Commissioner to Bengal, Coromandel, Ceylon, &c., from 1684–1691. For a fuller account of him, see Report on the Dutch Records, p. 39.
4 Elephants without tusks.
5 Thomas van Rhee, Governor of Ceylon, 1693 to 1695.
6 The old plural of opperkoopman, upper merchant, the highest grade in the Company’s Civil Service.
7 Veddas.
8 Tanjore.
9 Zinc.
10 Probably bullock carts, from Portuguese boi, an ox. Compare boiada, a herd of oxen.
11 Palm leaves dressed for thatching or matting, from the Malay kajang, palm leaves.
12 Chanks.
13 These figures are taken from the original MS. It is difficult to explain the discrepancy in the total.
14 This is the pure Arabic word, from which the word Shroff in our local vocabulary is derived.
16 Accountants, Tamil.
17 A variation in spelling of chicos. See p. 21.
18 Commandeur Floris Blom died at Jaffna on July 3, 1694, and is buried inside the church.
19 Kernels of the palmyra nut.
20 An irrigation headman in the Northern and Southern Province.
21 Probably from kaiya, a party of workman doing work without wages for common advantage.
22 A corruption of the Tamil word pattankatti. The word is applied to certain natives in authority at the pearl fisheries.
23 Acts of appointment.
24 From Tamil tarahu, brokerage. Here applied apparently to the person employed in the transaction.
25 The juice of the palmyra fruit dried into cakes.
26 The fruit itself.
27 The palmyra yam.
28 Palm oil.
29 See note on p. 15 (cadjang).
30 Coir.
31 Bananas: the word is in use in Java.
32 Durbar.
33 This has been translated into English, and forms an Appendix to the Memoir of Governor Ryckloff van Goens, junior, to be had at the Government Record Office, Colombo.
34 The full value of the rix-dollar was 60 Dutch stivers; but in the course of time its local value appears to have depreciated, and as a denomination of currency it came to represent only 48 stivers. Yet to preserve a fictitious identity with the original rix-dollar, the local mint turned out stivers of lower value, of which 60 were made to correspond to 48 of the Dutch stivers.
35 In China a picol is equal to 133⅓ lb. avoir.
36 Probably the Malay word bahar. It was equal to 419 lb. avoir. The word is also found spelt baar, plural baren, in the Dutch Records. A baar is equal to 600 lb.
37 Florins, stivers, abassis.
38 These are now known as cheniyas.
39 Plural of onderkoopman.
40 The same as chicos. See p. 21.
41 Pupil teachers?
42 Pardaõ, a popular name among the Portuguese for a gold and afterwards for a silver coin. That here referred to was perhaps the pagoda, which Valentyn makes equal to 6 guilders.
43 A copy of these is among the Archives in Colombo.
44 The Militia, composed of Vryburgers as officers, and townsmen of a certain age in the ranks.
45 Pen-men, who also had military duties to perform.
46 The Artisan class in the Company’s service.
47 Sloops.
48 Same as dhoneys.
49 Lit. “man searchers.” These were probably small boats rowed by men.
50 Cakes of palmyra sugar.
51 Coconut shells.
53 This is what he says: “It was my intention to have a new drawbridge built before the Castle, with a small water mill on one side to keep the canals always full of sea water; and a miniature model has already been made.”
54 He died on December 15, 1691, on board the ship Drechterland on a voyage from Ceylon to Surat.
55 Cured and dried fish.
56 Pallars?
58 The church was completed in 1706, during the administration of Commandeur Adam van der Duyn.
59 “Van geen oude schoenen te verwerpen, voor dat men met nieuwe voorsien is.”
60 Tanjore.
61 This is unfortunately no longer forthcoming, having probably been destroyed or lost with the rest of the Jaffna records; and there is no copy in the Archives at Colombo. But an older report of Commandeur Blom dated 1690 will be translated for this series.
62 Also lost.
63 The figures are as given in the MS. It is difficult to reconcile these equivalents with the rate of 3 guilders to the rix-dollar. The denominations given under florins (guilders) are as follows:—16 abassis = 1 stiver; 20 stivers = 1 florin.
65 Hendrick Zwaardecroon.