Memoir Of Hendrick Zwaardecroon, Commandeur Of Jaffnapatam Part 8

[2] "Want, de keuse van zyne begraafplaats mocht van nederigheid getuigen--zoolang de oud Gouverneur-Generaal onbegraven was had hy zekere rol te spelen, en zelf had Zwaardecroon maatregelen genomen, op dat ook zyne laatste verschyning onder de levenden de compagnie waardig mocht wesen, die hy gediend had."--De Haan, De Portugeesche Buitenkerk, p. 40.

[3] Van Rhede van der Kloot, De Gouverneurs-Generaal en Commissarissen-Generaal van Nederlandsch-Indie, 1610-1888.

[4] That of Laurens Pyl.

[5] 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.

[6] 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.

[7] Elephants without tusks.

[8] Thomas van Rhee, Governor of Ceylon, 1693 to 1695.

[9] The old plural of opperkoopman, upper merchant, the highest grade in the Company's Civil Service.

[10] Veddas.

[11] Tanjore.

[12] Zinc.

[13] Probably bullock carts, from Portuguese boi, an ox. Compare boiada, a herd of oxen.

[14] Palm leaves dressed for thatching or matting, from the Malay kajang, palm leaves.

[15] Chanks.

[16] These figures are taken from the original MS. It is difficult to explain the discrepancy in the total.

[17] This is the pure Arabic word, from which the word Shroff in our local vocabulary is derived.

[18] See note on p. 16.

[19] Accountants, Tamil.

[20] A variation in spelling of chicos. See p. 21.

[21] Commandeur Floris Blom died at Jaffna on July 3, 1694, and is buried inside the church.

[22] Kernels of the palmyra nut.

[23] An irrigation headman in the Northern and Southern Province.

[24] Probably from kaiya, a party of workman doing work without wages for common advantage.

[25] A corruption of the Tamil word pattankatti. The word is applied to certain natives in authority at the pearl fisheries.

[26] Acts of appointment.

[27] From Tamil tarahu, brokerage. Here applied apparently to the person employed in the transaction.

[28] The juice of the palmyra fruit dried into cakes.

[29] The fruit itself.

[30] The palmyra yam.

[31] Palm oil.

[32] See note on p. 15 (cadjang).

[33] Coir.

[34] Bananas: the word is in use in Java.

[35] Durbar.

[36] 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.

[37] 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 fict.i.tious ident.i.ty 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.

[38] In China a picol is equal to 133-1/3 lb. avoir.

[39] 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.

[40] Florins, stivers, aba.s.sis.

[41] These are now known as cheniyas.

[42] Plural of onderkoopman.

[43] The same as chicos. See p. 21.

[44] Pupil teachers?

[45] Parda, a popular name among the Portuguese for a gold and afterwards for a silver coin. That here referred to was perhaps the paG.o.da, which Valentyn makes equal to 6 guilders.

[46] A copy of these is among the Archives in Colombo.

[47] The Militia, composed of Vryburgers as officers, and townsmen of a certain age in the ranks.

[48] Pen-men, who also had military duties to perform.

[49] The Artisan cla.s.s in the Company's service.

[50] Sloops.

[51] Same as dhoneys.