71. That the elephant stalls and the churches should have been allowed
to fall into decay speaks badly for the way in which those concerned
have performed their duty; and it is a cause of dissatisfaction. The
orders for the stalls in Manaar must also be applied for here,
and repairs carried out as soon as possible. I have been informed
that there are many elephants scattered here and there far from each
other, while only one Vidana acts as chief overseer, so that he cannot
possibly attend to his duty properly. It has been observed that the
elephants should have more parias or men who provide their food. These
and other orders with regard to the animals should be carried out.
72. No remarks are required with regard to this subject of thornback
skins, Amber de gris, Carret, and elephants' tusks.
73. The General Paresse [80] has been held upon my orders on the last
of July. Three requests were made, two of which were so frivolous and
unimportant that I need not mention them here. These were dropped. The
third and more important one was that the duty on native cloth,
which at present is 25 per cent., might be reduced. It was agreed
that from the 31st December it would be only 20 per cent. I was in a
position to settle this matter at once, because orders had been already
received from Batavia that they could be reduced to 20 per cent.,
but no more. As shown in the annexed Memoir, the inhabitants are not
so badly off as they try to make us believe. The further instructions
in the annexed Memoir must be observed; and although I have verbally
ordered the Onderkoopman De Bitter to have the Pattangatyns appear
only twice instead of twelve times a year, as being an unbearable
inconvenience, the Dessave must see that this order is obeyed. He must
also make inquiries whether the work could be done by one Cannekappul,
and, if so, Jeronimus must be discharged.
74. Conclusion.--The advice in this conclusion may be useful to Your
Honours. I confirm the list of members of the Political Council,
to whom the rule of this Commandement in the interest of the Company
is seriously recommended. Reports of all transactions must be sent
to Colombo.