Dutch Ceylon Kredit Brief
1795 Kolumbo

Denomination : 5 Ryxds Dutch : vyf Sinhala : පතාග පහකට  Thamil : இறையால அஞகிககு (௫) Size : 165 x 250 mm Date : 17 September 1795 Status : Cancelled Pick-lk : Unlisted

Front: No ... Goed voor Ryksdaalders 5 (huge in rectangle).

Zegge VYF Ryksdaalders.

WY ondergetekende Certificeeren, dat Thoonder dee- zes, by de Compagnie te goet heeft Vyf Ryksdaalders van 48 zwaare Stuyvers, Indisch-Geld. voor welkers waerde dees Kreditbrief overal ten deezen Eilande gangbaar zal gehouden worden

(In Dutch)

ඉලක්කම පතාග

පහකට හොදයි ෴

මෙක පෙනනන අයගෙ: ඊන්දියාවෙ මුදල්වු පතාගයට ඉස්තිබ්‍රි හතලිස් අටගනනේ පතාග පහක් කොම්පඤෙඤ්වෙත තිබෙනබව මෙහි පහ ල අතහන්කල අපි එලිදරවු කරනවායැ. එවෙනි ගනනට මෙ විස්වාසකෙරිමෙ ලිවුම මෙ දිවයි නේ සැමතැනම වලගුවෙනඩ යෙදේයැ.

(in Sinhala)

இலககம

இறையால ௫. ககு நலலது இதைககாணபிககிறவாகளுடைய முதல இநதியாலின னானையம இறையாலுககு இஸததிவிரி நாறபததெடடு வீதம இறையால ௫. கொமபஞஞியலிலெ யிருககிறபடிககு இதின கீளெ கையெளுதது வைககபபடட நாஙகள நிசஞ சொலலுகிறொம. இவவிலஙகைத தீவுககடுதத சகலலிடஙகளிலும இநத முதலொடுககுக கடதாகியநதது கைககு வளஙகுமபடிககு யொததுககொளளபபடும.

(in Thamil).

Christiaan van Angelbeek Hoofd Administrateur (Chief Administrator)

T. G. Hofland Negotie Boekhouder (Negotiating Bookkeeper)

Back: Blank except for handwritten Endorsements some in red ink of interest up to 1912. Some Endorsements in Tamil
WaterMark: None detected by contrast enhancement need to confirm.
PrintedDutch Press in Colombo Fort which was founded in 1737 (Based on Sinhala & Tamil Fonts)
Size : The size of the Rubber Seal also stamped on the Dutch Kasnoot measured in National Museum note, was used to estimated that this scan is 100 dpi.

Observe that this 1795 note has a large Numeric Denomination on upper right which is seen on the 1794 note

The Endorsement in English and the Signature of George Gregory Collector for Colombo with Black rectangular personal Seal of Colonel James Stuart who led the British troops to take Ceylon from the Dutch, at the bottom was added by the British, after they accepted the liability and agreed to pay 3% interest for up to £50,000 of Kredit Brieven and Kas Nooten still in Circulation.

I thank Rodolf Boekel for translation of Dutch to English as
We, the signatory, certify that bearer, here at the company, has a balance of Five Rix Dollars of 48 heavy stivers Indian money, for which value this Letter of Credit will be in circulation anywhere on this island.

The word Zegge old Dutch for Zeggen, written before the amount translates to "To Say" and appears on Dutch Banknotes to about 1850 and Cheques even Today. Rudi explains On top of every VOC Plakkaat was written "To all who will see and read this and to those who will hear it being read, salute" (greeting). The Plakkaat were displayed on Plakkaat Boards around town so you could read it with your own eye's. There were also town criers, special people who read or shouted those publications in public, so you were forced to listen, and couldn't deny that you didn't know about it, even if you were unable to read.

Now "Zegge" (to say), same reason, as not everybody was able to read, the giver, when handing over the Kredit Brief was ordered by Dutch law, to say the amount. Zegge was therefore written just in front of the amount. The law is probably still in force because even today a check is printed with the word "Zegge" in front of the space where you write the amount down. Maybe by law you still have to say the amount when you hand over the check, as then the receiver cannot say I just took the check I didn't know the amount, the giver can then say I told you.

Note that all of "dot"s (pulli matra) above the Thamil characters are missing from the crudely printed Thamil Text, as was the case in all currency till after about 1850.
I thank Prof. Paramu Pushparathnam of University of Jaffna for transcribing the old Thamil Text as given above to more Thamil Text with dots given below, but still printed with Classical Tamil Font. னானை rather than னானை
Note 4 of the Thamil vowel sign 'e' ெ is written with vowel sign 'ee' ே. Is it ignored like the dots pulli matra.

இலக்கம்

இறையால் ௫. க்கு நல்லது. இதைக் காண்பிக்கிறவர்களுடைய முதல் இந்தியாவின் னானையம் இறையாலுக்கு இஸ்த்திவிரி நாற்பத்தெட்டு வீதம் இறையால் ௫. கொம்பஞ்ஞியவிலே யிருக்கிறபடிக்கு இதன் கீளே கையெளுத்து வைக்கப்பட்ட நாங்கள் நிசஞ் சொல்லுகிறோம். இவ்விலங்கைத் தீவுக்கடுத்த சகலலிடங்களிலும் இந்த முதலோடுக்குக் கடதாசி யந்தது கைக்கு வனங்கும்படிக்கு யொத்துக் தொள்ளப்படும்.

Type Designer Tharique Azeez says that missing dots pulli matra is evident in most of the writing and printing in Tamil from this era. I thank him for pointing out few additional spelling mistakes in the original printing, which are highlighted below in bold. Could any of the difference in spelling be change in words or differences between old Jaffna Thamil/Malayalm and modern Tamil.

இலக்கம்

இறையால் ௫. க்கு நல்லது. இதைக் காண்பிக்கிறவர்களுடைய முதல் இந்தியாவின் நாணயம் இறையாலுக்கு இஸ்த்திவிரி நாற்பத்தெட்டு வீதம் இறையால் ௫. கொம்பஞ்ஞியவிலே இருக்கிறபடிக்கு இதன் கீழே கையெழுத்து வைக்கப்பட்ட நாங்கள் நிஜம் சொல்லுகிறோம். இவ்விலங்கைத் தீவுக்கடுத்த சகலவிடங்களிலும் இந்த முதலோடுக்குக் கடதாசி யானது கைக்கு வழங்கும்படிக்கு ஒத்துக் கொள்ளப்படும்.

The Endorsement in English and the Signature and Black rectangular seal at the bottom was put by the British, after they accepted the liability and agreed to pay interest for up to £50,000 of Kredit Brief and Kas Nooten still in Circulation.

On the upper right corner of this Note there is the oldest Endorsement which says Interest Paid from 15th February to 15th August 1796. This Interest at 3% per annum would have been 3.6 Stuivers for 6 months.

A most important financial document issued at a turbulent period of Ceylon's history. There is one other example believed extant and that is in the Dutch Maritime Museum in Amsterdam. In 2016 November 2nd I Tried to see the Kredit Brief at the Maritime Museum in Amsterdam but as it was in Storage. An image of it is available at photo which was also published in an exhibition catalog.

Image 100 dpi displayed at 50 dpi from 2017 Sept 28th Spink Auction Lot 1297 1795 5 Ryxd estimated value at £ 20,000-25,000, Passed without bids at 19,000 pounds. (About lkRs 5 M with 20% premium )
I thank Spink for sending me the high resolution scans of both sides of the Note.
It was sold for €28,000 by Daendels Currency of Netherlands.

I thank Pathum Egodawatta of the Akuru group for recognising the Sinhala and Tamil fonts used on the currency as those developed by the Dutch Press, and from that identifying the Printer.

Text from
* Ceylon Coins and Currency By H. W. Codrington. Colombo 1924
  Chapter X Dutch - Page 124, 144

Note that all of "dot"s above the Thamil characters are missing from the crudely printed Thamil Text.

Please contact kavan @ gmail.com if you have any comments on the Thamil in Unicode. Thanks.