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