| Description | Is pleased that committee have agreed to allocate subsistence allowances for some youths in the seminary; delays giving numbers as unforeseen difficulty has arisen; cost of journeys was 9 star pagodas, most of which were palanquin expenses
Postscript: John Devasagayam left mid-Feb for a visit to Jaffna at Mr. Moryar's invitation; expected back mid-Apr
7 Jun 1817: Devasagayam only returned 5 Jun having been ill with fever in Colombo and Jaffna; no possible pensioned seminarists as yet; has stopped paying boys of well-to-do parents for coming to school; few offers for possible schoolmasters as parents consider the job too menial for their children; intends building school near the paper mill for some boys of low caste to be taught to be schoolmasters; has 7 suitable boys, who would cost 63 rupees per quarter
1 Jul 1817: Glad committee approves scheme for low-caste boys; school is almost finished at a cost of about 4 star pagodas; cannot immediately suggest a schoolmaster or catechist for Jackson at Vellore; hopes to provide schoolmaster; to find dependable catechist is difficult; if Jackson wants to open a school for heathen children and have them instructed in Christianity advises a heathen schoolmaster educated in Christianity
3 Jul 1817: Acknowledges letters; decrease in schoolchildren unavoidable as the 300 sepoys stationed when Travancore was under British rule have gone, also the Roman Catholics have opened a school in Careical; needs some tracts called 'The advice to Youth'
18 Aug 1817: Has 15 pensioned seminarists and 2 who maintain themselves; 5 are low caste, the others Malabar; a heathen Tamil Free school has been begun at Nagoor
16 September 1817: Schnarre to J. M. Strachan
Sent John Devasagayam to Sheally to enquire relating to possibility of starting school there; people willing to have school and use Schnarre's printed books, but preferred man of their own appointment as schoolmaster; will need additional 2 pagodas per month for Sheally school, as the recently opened Nagoor school has used the present allowance to the limit |