The First issue of Paper Money in Ceylon in 1785 May 10th under the Dutch VOC was based on the decision of the VOC council on 1785 March 19th. The Kredit Brieven had legality expressed in Dutch, Sinhala, and Malabar.
18th-century Malabar was a specific variant of Tamil used by Europeans,
particularly missionaries in Kerala, and it had a differed in vocabulary.
It is interesting that it is explicitly referred to in the resolution
as Malabar and not Thamil.
Door de Heer Gouverneur overgeleyg zynde een model van de Krediet Brieven, in het Nederlandsch Singa- leesch en Mallabaarsch, die volgens het besluit dezer tafel van den 19: Maart zullen rouleeren Zoo is goed gevonden en verstaen, sich daermeede te konformeeren, en het zelve hier onder te doen inse- reeren. -------------------------------------------------- La : A : No ....... goed voor ryksdaalders 1000. Wij ondergetekende certificeren dat toonder deeses, bij de Comp: te goed heeft Een duysend Ryksds: van 48 zwaare Stuyvs: Ind: geld. Kolombo den 10: Maij Anno 1785. -------------------------------------------------- En is wyder verstaan van dese Krediet Brieven voor eerst te laaten rouleeren Vyf stuks ider van Duysent rds: |
Tien stuks ider van vyfhondt rds: Hondt stuks ider van Hondert rds: Hondt stuks ider van vyftig rds: Uijtmaackende te zaamen de bepaalede somme van vyfen twintigh duysent rds: moetende dese Krediet Brieven door den pl: E: Hoofdadministrateur Sluysken, en pl: E: Negotie Boekhouder Raket getekend en door den E: Sekretaris Billing kontrassignerd worden. |
English Translation
The Governor having submitted a model of
the Kredit Brieven in Dutch, Sinhala,
and Malabar, which according to the decision
of this council of the 19th of March
are to circulate, it has been approved and resolved
to conform thereto and to have the same inserted below.
--------------------------------------------------
La : A : No ....... Good for 1000 Rijksdaalders. We, the undersigned, certify that the bearer hereof has with the Company credit for One Thousand Rijksdaalders of 48 heavy stuivers each, in Indian money. Colombo, the 10th of May, Year 1785.--------------------------------------------------
In Model shown above between --- lines
La : A was the Letter Prefix
No : ___ was space for the Serial Number
Ref: ARA VOC 3692 (1786 Fifteenth book: Ceylon fourth part) Pages
202-203 Scan
digitized and transcribed
The Handwriting text was OCRed using ChatGPT-5 and translated into English
Dutch also Published in Codrington, Ceylon Coins and Currency, p. 218.