Ol'h lERrElEV IBRARY ^IVER^fTY OF ::alifornia h •^ Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2008 with funding from IVIicrosoft Corporation http://www.archive.org/details/briefaccountofceOOIiesrich ..sr" r^' BRIEF ACCOUNT OF CEYLON, BY L. F. LIESCHING, CETLON CIVIL SERVICE. m And India's utmost isle, Taprobane.— -Miltoit. Jaffna: RIPLEVr & STRONG,— PRINTERS 1861. ^>^' LOAN STACK TO Sir Charles J. MacCartht, GOVERNOR AND COMM J^NDER-IN-CHIKf OF THE Island of Ceyloa and its Dependencies, &:C,, &c., kt. This work is hy 'permission dedicated^ with much respect^ by His Excellency's Obedient Servant^ THE WRITER, Ubi Taprobanen IndJca cingit aqua. CONTESTS, INTRODUCTION Vll. CHAPTER I. GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION, CLI- MATE, SCENERY, &C. OF (M^^VLON, 1 11. INHABITANTS AND RESIDENTS, 16 III. ANIMALS, VEGETABLES, AND MINERALS, 32 IV. HISTORICAL SKETCH, 38 V, ANTIQUITIES, Ill '' VL RELIGION, EDUCATION, LITER- ATURE, 126 '''- VII. TRADE AND REVENUE, 148 • VIII. CONCLUSION, 15L APPENDIX, 154 GLOSSART. Da'goba, a bell shaped monumei]i ^moky Budha. Pansala, the monastic residence '-.f Bndhu,: priesi:; Wiha ra, a Budhist temple. INTEOBUCTIOS. __ MERsoN Tennent has made tlie remark, liat more works liavebeenpublislied on Cey- nu than on any other island in the world, vUgland itself not excepted. Such being the a>( ,the question may naturally he asked why : should have been thought necessary to add M)thenumber. To this we would reply iv book of a general character, has been en with a special view to the wants of iglit tube chiefly interested in an 1 tlie islaiid. — namely, the sons of the .M the British Government has ex- benefits of European learning to its : vbjecls,'- -^vhile the various missionary ive largely employed education as a v'ards j-.ecuring their great end, — and recipients of these benefits have d<^sciibe geographically, most conn- .: rhe* worhl, and to give a historical ac- 'id of {^^everal of them, they know little or VIII INTRODUCTION. nothing of that one in which they were born and bred. There is in the history of Ceylon, mncli that is calculated to kindle the flame of pa- triotism, and to stir up its children to exertion. At a time when England was unknown to the greater part of Europe, and when the savages who inlmbited it, painted on their bodies the figures ofthe sun, moon, and stars, Ceylon was the seat of civilization, the nursery of art, and the centre of commerce in the East. The ships of Rome, Arabia, Persia, India, and China floated in her waters, — the products of those various countries glittered in lier marts. Her stupendous monu.ments, her agricultural works, the splendor of her courts, the wealth of her princes, the mild- ness of their sway, were the themes with which foreign ambassadors delighted the ears of their masters on tlieirreturn. Should the reader, however, turn with longing eye to the days of old, and think of ''the degeneracy ol modern times," we would remind him thatsuch structures as the dagobas of Anuradhapura and PoUonnarua, the pyramids of Egypt, thi teocalis of Mexico, belong to a period of the world's history, far removed from this practic- al age :— that the construction of works for the irrigation of rice fields would not be the best mode of investing labor and capital in INTRODUCTION. ^"^ the present day ; and that the undertakings stable to our tmies are our bridges, and our •ds, — those arteries that convey between e centre of our system and its remotest iremities, the products that are as our life ood. We would bid him remember too, that subjugated racenow toils as the Yakkos of 1, that their masters may enjoy themselves ; o ail classes alike is acceded the r,i ; V ! J do what they will, provided they in- fere not with the equal rights of others. itte is little pretence to originahty in 3se pages. The writer has freely made use the labors of those who Jiave gone before ?h 8!idhas freely acknowledged the sources o^li^^}tion. Constant reference has ,i; ii^^.de to Sir Emerscm Tennent's book, •1.1 -'mrp^ i^<^ it does.aJlthat waskno wn pre- ; well as muc that his extended re- d uniaiHng ac ivity have brought to Fhc writer has not however blindly '■M)}. hut has constantly, where the vefeiTed U tlnCe vvliicii Bii E, Teuiient wa?^ himself m:, ibr his ia&rmati n ; and in some ;,o |:o ^ ■ -Tfd it ncces ary to differ some- .ccompiished author of the nijicli hns been so much • ^ j^^^tly ^ ■"' quoted of late. ibje con^Men. 3 that this endeav- INTRODUCTION* or to place within the reach of every educa- ted person in the island, a compendious ac- count of Ceylon, will be favorably received, the writer sends forth this littte bopk ; and it will not perhaps diminish any feeling of interest which may be excited by it to add, that it has been printed and bound by natives of Jaffna, who for some years past have had in their own hands, the press and binding establishments which formerly be- longed to the American Mission, and who carry on their business, independently of foreign aid. vS ^COTED OR COKaCLTt:D BY THS WRITICR. f ent's Ceylon. Christiaixity in ¥. Ferrival, Tract Socifcty's 13« Ceylon Almanac. 14. Local Ordinances. 15. Sir Henry Ward's Mintites 16 Messrs. Bailey, Churclihill, and Adam's report. 17. Mullen's Hindu Philosophy u 18. Hardy's Eastern rnonach- isra 19. Mahawanee. 20. Rajawali, 21. Kyla'sa Malai. j22. Cogerly'a paper** ja Bud- ERIEE ACCOUNT OE CEYLON. CHAPTER I. Geographical position^ Clunatej Scenery ^ S^c. of Ceylon, Ceylon js an island, lying at the south-eastern extre alty of the Peninsula of Hindustan, from which it is opaiated by Palk's Straits and the Gulf of Manaar. 1 of shoals culled " Adam's Bridge," extend- • he Island of Manaar on the Ce5don side, to le I'oknd of Ramesuram on the Indian side, prevents i:e of vessels; and it is only by incessant ■iat a !^.i *ov/ channel between Paumben and is kept open for ships of light rr IV) ".lerly point of Ceylon is Vt Palmyra, and the most southerly is Dondera .ulu- o 5\ 55', northof the equator. Its most. Int 18 Sangemankande, in longitude 8 i'^, 54', est westerly is Colombo, in longitude 79°, of Greenwich* Its extreme length is d its greatest breadth, 137J nules. Its islands on xin north-western coast, i? i 4iUk ' GEOGRAPHY, CLIftlATE, Among the many names by which Ceylon has been known, are Taprobane, Zerendib, and Zielan. It is called by the Singhalese, Singhale Dwipe, and Lanka; and by the Tamuls, Elankai. The scenery, climate, and vegetation of Ceylon, vary considerably. In the north, the country is flat, the air dry, the soil light, and spontaneous vegetation compar- atively scanty. Along the south-western and southern sea boards, the view is diversified, the air humid, and the foliage dense. On the east coast, about Trincomalie, hill and valley, wood and water, are mingled in a manner picturesque beyond description. As we advance farther into the interior, the undulations of the coast swell into mountains of considerable size. Here the traveller enters the regions of forests and running water ; mist and rain alternate with bursts of glowing sunshine ; the air is keen and bracing ; the scenery bold and striking. The highest mountains in Ceylon are : Pethuru Tallegalle, in height - 8,280 Eng, feet. KirigalPotte - '* . 7,810 « Tottapelle - " - 7,720 Adam's Peak . *^ - 7,420 NamoneKoole - " . 6,740 Almost the whole of the Central province however, is a succession of ranges of hills, covering in all, an area of 4,212 square miles. Where there are mountains, we naturally expect to find rivers. Of these, thp three largest are : The Mahawelligang£^ 134 miles in length. The Kalaniganga 84 " The Kaluganga 72 *' SCENERT> (kC OF CKYLON. These three rivers take their rise near Adam^s Peak in the SafTragam district. Tiie Mahawelligaaga passes by Kandy, meanders through the jungles of Bintenoe^ and empties itself into the sea near Trincomaiie. The Kalaniganga discharges itself at Mutwal, a few miles north of Colombo. It is navigable for boats to the foot (the mountains at Ambegamoa. The Kaluganga flows by Caltura, and is navigable for boats to Ratnapoora. Next to these three, are the following : Name of river. Length, Place where it eiiters the sea. The Dideroo Oya 70 miles Near Cliilavv. The Welleway 69 " Near Hambantatte. The Maha Oya 68 *' Near Negombo. The Kirinde 62 '* Near Mahagam. The Gindiira 59 *' Near Galle. The Nievalle 42 '' Near Matura. The Bintereganga , . . jNear Beniotte, these rivers take their riso amongst the moufttaine the hrienofj but there are others, which as Sir Em- ^^■-■■-' Ter.uent says, belong to the plains of the north- ed south-eastern portions of the island, and are, ■'d, of formidable size. Of these, the principal 'i,«dregam and the Aruvy, which flow into the rciar \ the Kaiu Oya and the Kandalady, which • Bay of Cj5lpentyn ; the Kattregam, and .. .arp opposite the little Bass rocks ; and the ihe Patipal Aar, the Chadawak, and Arook- i\ of Batticaloa. ifong tha seaboard of the island, the tra- fh lakes, wliich are generally speaking GEOGRAPHY, CLIMATE, formed by the waters from the interior spreading them- selves over the low ground near the sea, from which a bar of sand usually separates them. Over this, the fresh waters at certain periods force their way, and flow into the ocean : at other times the sea has the mastery, washes over the bar, and renders the lake more or less salt. Such was probably at one time, the case with the Colombo lake ; but means having been adopted to prevent the entrance of the sea, it is now always fresh. Between Colombo and Galle several sheets of water are to be met with, of the nature described. What is commonly called the Jaffna Jake, is however of a dif- ferent character. It is properly speaking, a lagoon or shallow inlet of the sea, subject to the influences of the tides, and entirely independent of any addition to its vol- ume from rivers, of which indeed there are none in the Peninsula. The Island of Ceylon has been artificially divided in- to six provinces ;— the Western, the North-western, the Northern, the Eastern, the Southern, and the Central. The principal places in each will be described in the following pages. Colombo, the capital of the island, is situated in the Western Province, on the sea coast, a little below the 7th degree of north latitude. It enjoys the benefit of a de- lightful sea-breeze, during the prevalence of the south- western monsoon. The temperature varies from 76° to 86J° Faht., but ihe winds considerably mitigate the heat. Frequent showers maintain a constant verdure, except during the months of February, March and April, when those Europeans who can do so, betake themselves to the mountain regions. i SCKNERY, r> i.-i land, projecting into the sea. •i sU^;:itiou of Galle marks it at once as the na- ':r the steamers which ply bc- >-^u z, lio.iiDay, Calcutta, China, and Australia. v. !;SLn lently a place of much resort. The na- hborhood are expert in the manufacture v.iv -vii^ik hox^a inlaid with ivory and the various ';W- wood -5 for Tvbi *h the Island is celebrated, as well jisc shell coinbs, bracelets, &c. &;c., which ^ '^' a'>oat Gaile is picturesque, and the cli- A disease of a very di^jtressing nat'ue prevails there, called elephantiasis. The main sytnp^ torn is the swelling of one or both legs to an enormous size. The natives attribute it, rightly or wrongly, to the quality of the water. The investigations of Sir Emerson Tennent have led him to believe that Galle was the Tarshish of Scripture^ whence the ships of Solomon carried ivory, apes, and peacocks. The reasons assigned if nqt conclusive, are in favor of the supposition. Trincon^alie, the capital of the Eastern Province, is situated on the east coast. Its harbor is one of the fin^ est in the world. It is land locked ; and so deep is the water even close to the shore, that vessels of the largest tonnage may lie close alongside the naval yard, which has there been constructed for the use of Her Majesty** ships in the Indian seas. Its name is thought by some to be a corruption of Terukonatha malai or the moun- tain of the sacred Konather, in whose honor a temple, celebrated throughout India, onoe stood within the limits of what is now called Fort Frederick ; but its name is in reality derived from Tirikona malai, or the three coned mountain. Fort Frederick, which commands the Back and Dutch bays, is protected on the side facing the open sea, by a projecting cliif, on which a flag staff and light house are erected. From the verge of this eminence, the eye looks down a declivity of several hundred feet, sheer into the boiling surf below. There is a monument on its summit, to the memory of a Dutch girl called Francina van Reede ; and tradition s?iys, that the hapless damsel threw herself over this fear- ful precipice, in sight of her faithless lover, as he sailed from the harbor at her fpct, on bi^ way to other lauds. SCENERY, SlC'^ or CEYLON. The coast about Trincomalie is indented by numerou* bays. The Inner harbor, comn^anded by Fort Ostenberg, is studded with islands, one of which is called Sober Island, where there is a pleasantly situated bungalow, Jcept up by the nayal officers on the station. The geological features of Trincomalie are romarkr able. The jungle in its neighborhood is dense, and ex* tends to the very water's edge ; and wild animals in- cluding elephants and cheetas, are to be met with close to the town. The scenery is beautiful ; but the beat for a great part of the year, is intense ; for the town is shut }n by hills, and the soil consists qf quart?, each particle of which acts as a minute n^irror, in reflecting the rays of the sun. During the prevalence of the north-east monsoon, which, on this coast is the sea breeze, as the south west is on the opposite side of the island, the climate is delightr ful ; and the loveliness of the country and the facili- ties for water excursions, offer inducements for pleas-? ure parties such 9s no other part of the low country affords. About seven miles from Fort Frederick at a placo called Kannia, are six hot springs which though varying in temperature from 98° to 160° Faht., are evidently connected with each other. The town of Jaffna, the principal station in the Norths ern Province, is 221 niiles ngrth of Colornbo, on the southern side of the peninsula of the same name, and on the shore of the lagoon called the Jaffna lake. Ow-^ ing to the shallowness of the water, vessels usually unload their cargoes at the other ports in the district. The fort is a neat and compact structure, built by the Putoh after a plan of Vauban. The outer facings are GEOGRAPHY, CLIMATE^ constructed of square blocks of coral, a substance which Is abundant in the peninsula. It admits of being cut into any required shape, with the saw and adze, and hardens on exposure to the air. The peninsula of Jaffna is intersected by excellent roads, and the f^iciiities for making them are great- er than in any other part of the Island, on account of the comparative cheapness of labor, the abundance of material, and the absence of engineering difiiculties. We may observe parenthetically hare, that the excel- lence of the roads throughout the Island is always a subject of remark with strangers, and is highly credita- ble to the Government, and the department of publLci works. The scenery about Jaffna differs considerably fiom that of the rest of the Island. The diversity of hill and dale is entirely wanting ; rivers and streams a ve un- knov^^n. It has however beauties of its own. No whcr»3 else in Cevlon has agriculture been carried to vsuch perfection. Viewed through a crystal atmosphere, iv.l^h- boring objects stand out In relief with a clearness, of • '^* line remarkable even, in the tropics. Th.e islands headlands seen acrjussthe smooth lagQPivat times •>(; to hang in air, so imperceptibly do !. breeze, soaks to the skin in a few seconds, those \v.t have just before been sweltering beneath a blazing sur Situated moreover in a hollow, the vapors of evenir accumulate and hang over the town, whilst the hili about it are clear. The consequence is, that fever an dysentery are at certainseasons prevalent, and the clima* thonghnnore bracing, is more insidious than that of th sen coast. As most of .the towns in the interior a? "built in valleys amidst tracts of paddy field, the sair r^^mark applies equally to them. The coffe^j estat'^ however, which are almost invariably situated g*> «• sides of the hills, are far more healthy, and m them can boast of a climate equal to any in Kandy is the heart of the coffee distrir*1^ sequently a place of much resort and act Gampola is a thriving little place withm .» Kandy on the Newera Ellia road ; a handsome bridge has recently been erected over ih'.- Ganga, which passes the town« Newera Ellia, is a sanitarium 6.27/.:^ ieoi level of the sea, at the foot of the rnonnl^v^rf thuru Tallegalle, the highest in the and the residences of the Europeans, ar' sunounded by thickly v/oodcd hills* T SCENERY, &C., OF CEYLON. 13 keen at this elevation, and ice and frost are formed dur- ing the night, at certain seasons of the year. Potatoes, <5auli-flowers, pease, strawberries, and various other European vegetables and fruits are cultivated with suc- cess, and fires are enjoyable for the greater part of the year. A scanty native population is located there, con- sisting chiefly of bazaar keepers ; but the cold and wet prevent more from coming ; some English settlers have adopted the place as their home, and cultivate the soil with profit and success. An attempt was made by two gentlemen, the Messrs. Baker, to carry on farming on a large scale ; but it proved a failure. European in- valid troops are quartered there, and the wealthier fam- ilies from the low country spend the hot months in this invigorating but expensive station. An assistant to the government agent of the Central Province, and a com- mandant, reside there. Its distance from Colombo is 111, and from Kandy, 47 miles. The thermometer ranges from 36° to 62°, and never rises above 70° in the shade. Badulla, once the capital of the principality of Uva, is 84J miles south-east of Kandy, and about 37 miles from Newera Ellia. It lies at the foot of the mountain called Namene Koole, amidst an extensive tract of paddy land. The view on approaching it is very beautiful, and indeed there are scenes in the district of Uva, unsurpassed by any in the Island. The natural features on the Kandy side of the Newera Ellia range are often grand and awe inspiring ; but on the Bad- ulla side, the sublime and the picturesque are united. Badulla is the head quarters of an assistant agent, a district judge and a commandant ; the coffee estates 2 H GEOGBiPHY, CLIMATE, in its vicinity promise to render it ere long, a place of feome importance. • Retracing our steps to Kandy, and proceeding in a northerly direction, we first reach Matele, a thriving town 16 miles from the Central capital, in the midst of a flourishing cofTee district ; an assistant agent resides there. Passing the police court station of Dambool, 45 miles from Kandy, the next place of note which the traveller reaches is Anuradhapura, of which more will be said licreafter. At present this once famous city is the resi- dence of a -single civil servant, who unites in himself tbo duties of the revenual and judicial departments. It. is 90 miles from Kandy, and eight miles west of tlie central road to Jaffna. Though a Singhalese District, it is revenually attached to the Northern Province. Kurnegalle lies at the foot of an immense ma^ rock, 26 miles to the north-east of Kandy. It is the place of residence of the government agent for the .Nor*)5 Western Province; a district judge, and a military eft- x with a small party of riflemen are stationed he Ratnf'.pura, or the city of gems, is situated ca banks oi the Kalaniganga, 56 miles from Coiorabo, ^ a south-easterly direction, in the vicinity of Adai''- t Peakc It is celebrated for the gems found m ilK noi;-'; l>orhood. It foniis part of the Wej^torn Provhice. an ' • a-5S!stant agent resides there. Avishavelle, a police magistrate s sui..o from Colombo, on the road to Ratnapuni. Kaigalle is an assistant agency attached to < tern Province, 49 miles from Colombo, on the n. to Kaiidv, SCENERY, &C., OF CEYLON. 15 Chavagacherry and Mallagam, are two magistrates' stations in the Northern Province; the first about 11 miles east, and the other about 8 miles north-west of tho town of Jaffna. With them, ends our sketch of the inland towns and stations. Among the designations of the Queen's representative, we meet whh the words, " Governor and Commander- in-Chief of the Island of Ceylon and its dependencies."* This latter term applies to Manaar, and tho islands north of Adam's bridge, adjacent to Ceylon. They are Mand- itiVu, Ve'lene, Karati'vu, Eluveiti'vu, Analei'ti'vu, Ny- nati'vu, Pungerti'vu, Iranati'vu, and Nedunti'vu or DelA, Besides these, there are several islets, too insignificant to mention particularly. 16 THE irrHABITAMTS AND CHArTER II. The Inhabitants and Residents of Ceylon. INHABITANTS. The Inhabitants of Ceylon belong to the following races-. 1. The Veddahs, 2. The Singhalese, 3. The Tamils, 4. The Moormen, 5. The Eurasians. The Veddahs are placed first, because there is good reason to believe they are the aborigines. They inhabit that part of the island called Bintenne, lying between Batticaloa and the mountain region. They live by the chase, and dislike a settled life. Their weapons are the bow and arrow ; and with these they destroy deer, monkeys, buffaloes, and even elephants. They are tol- erably expert marksmea within sixty yards, but an English archer with his superior implements would eeisll^ surpass them. Their stature is low, and their appear* ance squalid. They preserve their game in wild honey, with which the forests abound. The arts of t* ■■ are thoroughly understood by them. The rov-:'- shun unnecessary intercourse with strar. ,•■, have been made to reclaim some of them m I'l. ri borhood of Batticaloa, with partial success| the lov a nomadic life is however too strong ^>pfnn}i iho -. . settle down to agriculture. They have lc; re!* a fear of devils. They are decreasing iu nui will eventually die out. The attempts .nade r the village, as well- as the coast v^jildahs, r more successful; the latter live by fishin;i: r. timber. The Singhalese may be subdi\ : RESIDENTS OF CEYLON. 17 the maritime or low country Singhalese ; the Kandi- ans ; and the Rodias or outcastes. The low country Singhalese occupy the sea coast of the Western and Southern Provinces. They areahand^ some and well made race, and their appearance and character are gentle, rather than bold or hardy. Nature has been bountiful to them, and their wants are readily supplied. This very bounty however has been unfavor? able to the development of active habits and enterprise. The cultivation of the soil is the favorite pursuit of the Singhalese, and in landed property it is that they best love to invest their money. They are by no means defi- cient in quickness or talent, and when educated, make good scholars. The turn of their minds is metaphysical and speculative. They have naturally a great aptitude for figures, and readily acquire a knowledge of mathe- matics. Their national religion is Budhism ; though there are many converts to Christianity among them. The ordinary dress of the men is a white or colored cloth called a comboy, folded round the lower part of the body, and depending below the knee more or less, ac- cording to the caste of the wearer. The hair is allowed to grow, and is tied in a knot at the back of the head, where it is secured by a large tortoise shell comb similar to that worn by European ladies some thirty years ago ; a small semi-circular comb in front of the large one, com- pletes their head dress. The better orders assume the European coat, either of modern cut, or of the old Dutch pattern, with gold buttons and gold worked button holes ; and many of them have adopted the European costume, in toto ; but generally wear in addition, the comb and the tomboy. This union of costumes is incongruous in the THE INHABITANTS AND ^ives of foreigners ; but the Singhalese are reluctr' jeaounce these distinctive marks of their race. The highest rank amongst them is that of Modeliar. It Ls either borne ex-officio, or is conferred by the <; Lcwera, De Saram, Gomex, Fonsekfi \ )ias, 6io, These names ^ere assumed by their ancestor.^ ;.., tain and other trees, which retain their Herdare ( it-ntly long to produce a very beautiful elTctt, lighted by lamps symmetrir"'"' . -..,v, . The Budhist priests invariably wear. <*^ yoilcw and have their heads closely shorn,.ia whale v- tlie Island they may be. The Singhalese v**!. erariy 'vear a short jacket and a- ccmboy. •.: RES1T)ENTS OF CEYLON . 1 9 tliejr long an<3 glossy hair with gold or silver pin8, and somelimes a small preltily worked comb. The weahh- rr wear white slippers with high hceis, and a profu- en of jewelry, when they go abroad. No covering r the head is used by them. The Kandians ar':i as a body, hardier and more robust than their brethren of the low country, though of th« same race. Breathing the bracing air of the hills which they are constantly ascending and descending, their 1imbt> are wiry and their habits active. Their ordin- •y dress is a cloth round the loins. They never wear the comb, and their beards are allowed to grow. Their chiefs envelope themselves in an immense quan- iy of muslin, wound again and again around the wais' iviid nllowed to fall in folds to the ankle. When in Uih dress, they wear a jacket with wide giggot sleeves, a Tuti\ id a peculiarly shaped hat, somewhat resembling two iucers laid one on the other, with the rims meeting, ;ade either of white or black cloth, and ornamented . >ih silver or gold ornaments. The dress of the women s of a cloth, which they fold gracefully about • th^ir hair is tied in a knot honking down rather rhe back of the head, and they are fond of jeweliy. -osteads of the Kundians are often substantial i quadrangle which faces inwards, ;;atchcd with strau, sheltered by uni- •n a nook of the valley, and surrounded vi-^ (J are land, terraced up the neighbouring '}\v\ ivTipUed by streams which flow into them ; » ds of small black cattle and buffaloes ;v -lopHk In some districts, especially In 20 THE INHABITANTS AND in channels for miles along the sides of the hills, to irri. gate the fields which are remote from streams. The spirit of independence is strongly developed in the Kandians, and their attachment to their hereditary lands is extraordinary. Nothing will induce a Kandian to sell his patrimony ; and he will spend pounds willing- 1}^ in law-suits, to secure a slip worth a few pence. This characteristic is not to be 'lost sight of, in forming an opinion of the people. It is one strongly developed in most Asiatics, but peculiarly so in the Kandians. They lire averse to servile employment, and though they might secure high wages on the European coffee estates, they prefer earning a subsistence by cultivating their own patches of land. The only occupation they will undertake is felling forest, at which they are very ex- pert. The coffee estates are consequently worked by coolies from the Malabar coast. They have very little practical acquaintance with the arts and manufactures ; enough of carpentry and blacksmith's work is understood among them, to enable their workmen to mend a plough or prepare the timber for a house ; but they readily buy European articles, and money is by no means scarce with many of them. They are fond of burying what substance they possess under the earth in chatties. The spot is often known only to the head of the house, and there are instances where he has come to an untimely t»nd, and the secret has died with him. f education has not made the same progress amon<: the Kandians that it has in the maritime districts. The villagers are consequently very superstitious and ver\ credulous. Polygamy and polyandry were till lately toler- ated ; but to the credit of the chiefs and influential pco RESIDi:NT3 OF CKVLOTt. '21 pie be it said that they have themselves petitioned the Government to pass a law depriving this practice of legal recognition for the future. A state of feudal tenure still, prevails, resembling in some respects that which existeii in Europe of old. There are chiefs who own tracts ot country, and whole villages, the inhabitants of which are hound to do certain services for their tenures. In the neighborhood of Kandy and in the town itself, the influ- ences of European civilization extend to the natives, and there are Kandian gentlemen whose manners and habits are entirely English The Rodias are included amongst the Singhalese, for want of better information about them, Knox, svas a captive among the Kandians for nearly ;.vt:nty years, says that they were persons whose •uty it was to supply the king with game ; and that orf e occasion they produced human flesh, which Hi^ •u josry enjoyed so much that he directed them to procure more of what he supposed was part of a wild • ilmaL The deception became known however to the ' ' -r, who acquainted the king with it. The ) king may be imagined ; and, as the direst aierAi he could inflict on the ofTenderts, hs de- ihat henceforth they, as well as all their tribe, be outcastes from other society; that they be allowed to pursue any calling, but beg v; (mm door to door, and be shunned by ^rs. Thi? order of things being once established, >i'al practice for the king to punish no- . . V utiien Vv ho incurred his displeasure^ by con- ■ q them ta join the Rodias with their whole fami- ^'ortse than death. This fact may ae- !^2 THE INHABITANTS AND count for the beauty of form peculiar to this class, in spite of the abject demeanor which their degraded posi- tion superinduces. It is thought by some that they were originally a separate race^ in fact, the aborigines. Knox wiio must no doubt have had many opportunities of learning about them, gives in his truthful and quaint way, the traditions common in his time. He says they were originally " Dodda Veddahs, which signifies hun* ters.'' Now Dodda is probably Knox's mode of pronounc- ing the Singhalese name for game : they were called '* Game Veddahs.'''' If then a branch of the Veddah tribe, most probably they were the descendants of the aborigines ; and whereas the other Veddahs, occu- pying the feverish jungles of Bintenne^ and carrying ou a hard struggle with privation and hunger, have become more squalid in appearance, these being recruited by noble families, and living in a healthier part of the Island, have improved rather than deteriorated in form. The Rodias live in villages of their own, and obtain their subsistence by begging 5 their importunity and the aver- sion with which they are regarded being in their favor ; for people are glad to purchase their departure by a gratuity. They have the credit moreover of being ex- pert thieves, and on that account too, the fact of a Rodia locating himself near a Singhalese village, which under the present Government there is nothing to prevent his doing, occasions considerable excitement and indignation. Having formerly been debarred from tilling the soil, they have learnt to make articles of handicraft, such as grass ropes, baskets, and mats. They also make strong hide ropes for securing cattle and wild elephants. This wa- ft service they were obliged to render the Kandian kings ; RfcSIDFKTS OF CttlLON. 23^ ^nsequontly they claimed the carcases of all the cattle uit died ; and it is said that this is their favorite food, pecially when in a high condition. From the fibre * a species of aloe they also manufactured whips which re carried before the great in processions, -and eked with a noise like the report of a pistol. The women are expert at such feats as spinning brass plates an one finger, tossing balls in the air and catching fbem, &c. At the great festivals in Badulla, when thous- ids of persons both men and women, are assembled, ihe Rodias v*ho come as spectators can always be dis* hoguished at a glance. The Singhalese women ontheso x^asions go hand in hand, some four or five being thus strung together ; and the reason assigned is that they i^rs afraid of being kidnapped by the Rodias. Their hab. its of life are said to be unnatural and immoral. In former ys the women were only allowed to cover the lower • rt of the person, hut this prohibition no longer exists, -d they generally wear qi colored silk handkerchief tied the neck and waist. Their figures are erect as , >, One can hardly view a vace so fine in a phys-^ oj point pf view,-~-rSQ degraded in ^ moral aspect, with- : rsity, and a desire lo see them raised. It will be ^•- ^(aiatheKandians learn to regard them witU her than their present feelings, The men might mentor; the public roads, but they are averse h .v. «ve words in use among them not alese geuoraliy. Mr. Simon Casie- ii iia uiie it .s?ing article on these people in the *^ ' journal, gives upwards of 100 word* ., It would be interesting tp enquire ^4 THE INHABITANTS AND whether any of these words are also in use among the Veddahs. The Tamils occupy all the Northern Province except the district of Newerekalawa, and all the Eastern, with the exception of the Veddah country and the southern part of the Batticaloe district. They originally came over from the eastern part of India. They retain the Tamil language and the Hindu religion. They differ from the Singhalese in appearance, manners, and dress, and though they assimilate to the Tamils of India, a practised eye can at once detect a difference. They do not as a rule cultivate the beard and moustache, and their frames are more robust and thickset than their lithe and jaunty looking cousins over the sea. The seamen are a remarkably well made class, with broad chests, fearless bearing, and muscular limbs. A cloth round the waist and a turban, are the ordinary dress of the poorer classes, and the latter is often dispensed with. The hair is worn long, and fastened in a knot, which bachelor dandies love to adjust over one ear. An oleander flower or rose stuck behind the ear is also a mark of attention to appearance. The school boys often encircle the head with the strip of ola on which their lesson is written. The highest official office is that of Mania- gar, and the second that of Odiar. These officers are for the most part distinguished by a turban iron- ed smooth instead of being folded loosely, and ar- ranged in a peculiar form somewhat like a cross. It is said that this practice was introduced by the Portuguese as a mark of the conversion of the wearers to Christiani- ty. If so, the dress has survived the religion. The richer classes are accustomed to wear several sets of massive RESIDENTS OF CEYLON- 25 gold ear-rings, and occasionally an amulet curiously wrought, on the arm ; gold contrasts well with the dark Asiatic skin. They sometimes rub scented sandal wood on their chests ; a^hes applied to the forehead, chest and armSj as well as the caste mark on the forehead, are essentially marks of heathenism ; and to say of one Blpho was a convert to Christianity that he has " rubbed ^^^Kkshes,^' is equivalent to saying he has relapsed. ^^H:; The Brahmins or priestly caste, shave the head, with I^H^he exception of a long tuft on the crown, and invaria- bly wear a cotton string across th^ shoulder in a parti- cular and distinctive manner. The tuft has however been cultivated of late by many not of the Brahmin caste. The color of the Brahmins is lighter than that of the people generally. They do not in Ceylon as in India, engage in secular employment as a general rule. The educated classes and those employed in Govern- f, ment offices, wear a neat and tasteful dress, consisting L of a curiously folded turban, a short bodied and full skirt- I ;^ ed white coat and white trousers, with a silk handkerchief ^ or a scarf round their necks. The women of the higher orders envelope themselves in a muslin or silk cloth, gracefully arranged over the head and shoulders. Their hair is secured by gold or silver pins, their arms and ankles are encircled by bangles, their fingers and toes by rings and their necks by necklaces of various kinds. Their ears are adorned with ear-rings or ear-pins, and the nose is often perforated to admit of a jewelled pendant- The poorer women wear a piece of white cloth wound round them, thrown over the shoulder and kept in its place by a heavy key dangling behind. The married women wear a necklace called a thaly which corresponds with 3 26 THE INHABITANTS AN!> the English wedding ring and is even more Scvredl- guarded. The Tamils are industrious and enterprising, and their seaports carry on a brisk trade wiih India. Considerable progress has been made in education, and their minds are capable of receivmgany kind of knon ledge with readiness. The cultivators pay much attentio to their iields and gardens. Constant irrigation and mar;- uring are essential, and they possess a very fair amount of practical acquaintance with agriculture and hortlculturf III a country where running water is unknown, the people are dependent on wells; and their mode of irrigation 'v simple and curious. A long wooden "sweep" is sus- pended over the well, with a rope and basket attached to one end, and this basket is lowered by a man who alternately advances and recedes, standing on the " sweep.'' Another man below, empties the water into ft channel which is carried among the plants in th: garden. The ** sweep'^ is so adjusted that one end i:^ heavier than the other, and when the basket is full o- water the sv/eep is nearly balanced. In the remoter }■ . .: of the Jaffna district, tfie supply of water for the yer ■■ ■ collected in tanks during the rainy season. The Eurasians or Burghers are either dcscenclofl « pure Dutch parents who made the island their hem- are the offspring of European and native al!iaric''< torm " Burgher" signifies in Dutch a citiEen, < titled to the freedom of the borough. At present ed getierally to all having any Europeaabit " '■ born in the island of colonial parents. *1 ally a very great diversity in a class falling ^ general a designation, and its members range retired district judge or sitting magistri U;, whc RESIDENTS OF CEYJLON. 27 tains the recollection of his former position and that of his ancestors, and who has not forgotten their language, to the humble artizanor mechanic, who only knows that he is descended from the Portuguese, because he speaks the language and bears a name of that race. It has often been a source of much enjoyment to the wriier to con- verse in their own language with some of the old Dutch gentlemen, the relics of a bygone age ; to observe how many of the national characteristics they still retain j to listen to the traditions and anecdotes of which they arc the sole custodians ; and to sympathise with the mingled feeling of pleasure and regret, with which they look bacic upon a time when they occupied a position of eminence and superiority as the governing body in the island. The younger branches have become more assimilated in thought and feeling with the English. They only know ©f the past by tradition. Their education has been re- ceived in English, in some instances in England ; and with the youthful eye of hope they look forward to dis- tinction under the existing regime. It is unquestiona- ble that they have much talent among them ; that with equal opportunhies they are second to none in sharps ness and readiness, though not perhaps as a rule in depth or solidity; and t!iat in every walk of life in which any of their members have trodden, whether on the bench or at the bar, in the church or in medicine, they have acquitted themselves well. As clerks they are unrivalled in neatness and accuracy. The dress and habits of life of the better classes resemble those of Eu- ropeans. The Dutch language is spoken by but few of the burghers, while strange to say the Portuguese has survived, and is still commonly used in their houses. 28 THE INHABITANTS. AND The Moormen as they were called by the Portuguese, Dutch, and English successively, have been so long locat- ed here as to have lost all connection with the country frorn whence they originally came, and to justify their being regarded now, as sons of the soil. They are probably the descendants of Arabs who settled in Ceylon and the Indian continent, and intermarried w^ith the native races. Their spoken language is Tamil, although Arabic is taught in all their schools ; their religion is Mohamedajjism and their occupation trade and barter. They are the most speculative, enterprising and money rnakujg of all tht^ natives of the island, and have been called not inaptly, the Jews of the east. In the to^vns they are hawkers anti shop-keepers, and few are the articles tl.ey cannot produce or procure for a purchaser. In the interior they pene- irate to the remotest villages, carrying with them salt, knives, looking glasses, cloth, brass ware, beads, iScC. a'l i bartering them for horns, skins, cotton > grain yCoflee, cas tie, &c. Their goods are carried about eitlier on llif^ heads or shoulders of men, or on the hacks of locks in pack saddles. Their habitations are t; itilipot leaves, their food a simple meal of ricr ard Thus they wander fr them ready lo proceed, and the woods r . *' hu hu'- as Ihey drive along their r- whose tinkling brass hells falls pleasa;:i they move slowly on. They also avail the bright moon-light nights of Ceyl f'or travel. The Encrjishman shaves his benrd RESIDENTS OF CEYLON. 29 of his head to grow ; he uncovers his head to salute a friend and smiles. The moorman shaves his head and lets his beard grow ; he uncovers his feet and looks grave when he meets an acquaintance. Moormen generally wear on the head a white cloth cone-shaped skull cap, affording but little protection against the sun for their shaven crowns, which nevertheless they expose w^ith im- punity to its rays. They are finely made, and their fea- tures delicately chiselled. They are inimitable traders, and generally succeed in gettmg the best side of a bargain. RESIDENTS. The residents in Ceylon as distinguished from the in- habitants, are the Malabar Coolies, the Na'ttucotta chitties, the Parsees, the Caffres, the Malays, and the Europeans. The Tamil coolies come over from the eastern or Coro- mandal coast, principally from the district of Madura. By them, all the work on the coffee estates is done, ex- cept the felling of forest. They are induced to leave their country by the high wages they receive here. They periodically revisit their own land and when they have saved enough they usually cease to return here. Their habits are simple and their wants few. They are much better treated, and enjoy more liberty here than under the company's government. But now that India belongs to the crown, matters will mend in that respect. Their religion is Hinduism. The Na'ttucotta chitties are a very interesting class of people. They are brokers from India and are engaged actively in trade. Their fidelity in their transactions used iO be proverbial, and while thousands of rupees pass through their hands their mode of life is simple in ilie extreme. The Parsees are by no means numerous in 30 THB INHABITANTS AND Ceylon. They are generally connected with mercantile houses in Bombay, whither their ancestors fled to es- cape the persecution they underwent in Persia from tboir own countrymen. They arc disciples of Zoroaster and are fire worshippers. Their dress is white, with a glazed elevated turban. They are a fine race, and their manners are very pleasing and gentlemanly. They live in great style in Bombay , ond generally drive the finest horses. One of their immber the late Sir Jamsejee Jijeebhoy of Bombay was created a baronet by the Queciu Here they only remain on account of the de- mands of business. The C'diTreu are the descendants of recruits from the west coast of Africa, many of whom were once slaves under the Portuguese at Goa. They are woolly head- ed, and have all the characteristics of the Negro. They are either soldiers or pioueerfc in the road department. The' Malays originally came Irom the straits of Malac- ca, and were enrolled in the Ceylon Rifle Begiments. Their descendants are mostly to be found engaged in the mil- itary service. They are in religion Mahomedans. Their stature is low, but they are compactly and powerfully made, very brave, and fond of war. Their fav,prh|^^ weapon is a poisoned kris which they use when at c!o^^ quarters. They are however drilled and drcased in Eii^ ropean style, and on parade mancEuvre as ^vcU a- Europeans. The children are educated lo ibi- '.;'". language and trained to the art of war asear' ble, and they grow up smart intelligent mea. The Europeans are either civil or militaiy ^ Government, or else merchants, plaatera and *r men. Most of them look forvvar-: to qujttinvj, ' RESIDENTS OF cEYLON. 31 on securing a competency ; though this hope too often proves futile. The climate is not unfavorable to health with ordinary prudence and attention to food and drink. '>nd the mountain regions produce specimens of stalwart ^nen, with ruddy countenances and free step, that would do credit to any country. The missionaries are both Europeans and Americans. They have devoted themselves to the noblest objorJ v'ithin the scope of man, — the elevation and salvation of their ignorant brethren. Many of them are located in the peninsula of JatTna, where several have attained to a good old age ; willing to live and die amongst the sons of their adoption, for whose sake many of them have part- ed for li^e with those of their own race most dear tc them. The subject of missionary labor will however b« treated of separately hereafter. 32 THE ANIMALS, VEGETABLES, AND CHAPTER, III. The Animals^ Vegetables^ and Minerals of Ceylon. In a country where the climate, soil, and scenery- vary so much as they do in Ceylon, we are prepared to find an equal variety in its animal, vegetable, and min- eral productions ; and such is indeed the case. ANIMALS. The natural history of Ceylon affords a wide field of research for the student. Its vast forests, seldom dis- turbed save by the hunter, abound with every form of life from the stately elephant, to the blood thirsty mus- quito. Its seas and rivers team with fish of the most ex- quisite beauty and the most grotesque form, their colors often rivaling those of the birds and insects that swarm upon its shores. The principal quadrupeds are the elephant, the buffa- lo, the elk, the cheeta, the bear, the wild hog, the deer, the porcupine, the monkey, the jackall, the wild cat, the hare, the mongoos, the squirrel, the jerboa, the house rat, and the m;Usk rat. The principal birds are the eagle, the kite, the hawk, the owl, the devil bird, the crow, the pea fowl^ the jungle fowl, the pelican, the flamingo^ the crane, the heron, the curlew, the duck, the partridge, the quail, the snipe, the pigeon, the parrot, the woodpecker, the myna, &;c. Amongst sea fish there are the shark, the dolphin, tho soa-pig, the porpoise, the seer fish, the mullet, the sole, the sardine, and the rock cod, besides crabs lobsters, shrimps, turtle, (Sjc, (fee. In the fresh waters are alii- MINERALS OF CEtLON. 33 gators, eels, water tortoises, and various kinds of ll^h. The principal reptiles are iguanas, lizards, snakes, frogs, toads, tarantulas, and centipeti^:^?/ ()(■ insects there are bultei ' loetles, grass- jioppcrs, glow-worms, ants, ticu^, liiaSHiuios, &c , e]f, or been separated by n their company ; and tjenceforth his hand i:, against every one, and every one's hand .. Elephants are i)eriodically captured in liieures, called Kraals, a Dutch vv'ord, signify- The Moormen also capture them individn- ' )ri to India. When caught, the legs and 84 THE ANIMALS, VEGETABLES, AND trunks of the elephants are secured lo large trees by strong ropes, when hunger and fatigue soon subdue them, after which they are employed in dragging or lifting heavy burdens, or in adding dignity and grandeur to pro* cessions. By their capture, and by the assaults of sport* men who seek them in the remotest jungles, their num- bers are diminishing in many parts of the island. The buffalo, though a denizen of the forest, has been domesticated, and is commonly used by the natives to plough their fields. At some seasons of the year, they are turned loose, often mixing with their untamed brethren. They however, knowthe voice of their owner, and though sometimes dangerous to strangers, submit to his rule. The bear and cheeta roam the forests, and when wt)unded or apprehensive of being attacked, are some- times dangerous to man. They are however seldom the aggressors. The peafowl is a shy and wary bird remarkable for the beautiful plumage of the male ; it is to be met with most commonly in the northern and eastern districts. The jungle fowl resemble our domestic fowl. They are very numerous on the central road leading from Kandy to Jaffna. On seeing man approaching, they retire into the jungle, and reappear when he has passed. The devil bird is so called from the appalling shriek w^hich it often utters in the jungle at night. Crows are the scavengers of towns ; wherever man takes up his abode, these useful though often annoying birds follow, and jj company with the pariah dogs, re- move from his vicinity all those impurities which woulJ otherwise breed disease. During the heavy rains which occur towards the MINERALS OF CEYLON. 35 end of the year, the low grounds in the northern and eastern provinces are converted into sheets of shallow water. These hecome the haunts of innumerable birds of the wading and swimming order. The pelicans are peculiarly note- worthy, from their remarkable bills which have a capacious pouch attached to them. They live mainly on fish, whi^h they are able to swallow whole. Ttie alligators which frequent the rivers and lakes, are formidable and dangerous to man. Those wliich literally swarm in the tanks, are properly crocoUles, and are only dangerous to deer and smaller animals. Snarks are tht^ terror of bathers, and abound all rounij ■ he island. The sea pig or dugong, is found in the neighborhood of Manaar and bears some fancied resem- . >lance to the mermaid of fable. Of shells^ the varieties are very numerous and beau- tiful ; one species found in the Batticaloe lake is called lie musical shell, from thecircumstancethaton still nights 0. sound which it is supposed to emit, is heard beneath the irface of the water, resembling the vibrations of a finger when the moistened finger is passed round its rim, earl oyster is found in largest numbers on the west on banks Iv'n:-'' c(i\^ri!K) ro the south of Manaar. :e prxlactions of Ccyion are as numer- as the animal. The principal trees of , are the ebony, calamander, satin, jack, /.iuo, uitiiille, Iwena, mendora, del, tulip, teak, and ce. ^vhich latter is however a palm. J principal trees yielding fruit or seed of value to 36 THE ANIMALS, VEGETABLES, AND man either as food or otherwise, are the tamarind, man- go, orange, margosa, elipe, cotton, cashew, bilembe, almond, pumelo, lime, pomegranate, wood apple, lowey lowey, rambotan, gurka, bullock's heart, guava, mul- berry, cinnamon, and coffee. Among trees yielding shade, and of little other value, the various kinds of banyan are prominent. In the Central Province as we ascend to the higher regions the rhododendrons and tree ferns are among the most strik- ing objects of interest. Of palms, the talipot, the palmyra, the cocoanut, the arecanut, the kitul, and the sago, are the principal. Of vegetables, the most common are, the brinjal, pumpkin, bandikai, cucumber, bean, spinach, tomataj sweet potato, yam, &c. The hills produce cauliflowers, cabbages, pease and potatoes, besides various English fruits including the peach and strawberry. In some parts of the low country, and especially in Jaffna, some Eu* ropean vegetables have been cultivated with success, during the cold season. MINERALS. Ceylon has always been famous for its mineral pro- ductions : its *' sapphires, topazes, amethysts, garnets, tmd other costly stones" were the theme of travellers, who told moreover of a ruby, belonging to royalty, '' -x span in length, without a flaw, and brilliant beyond de- scription," (Marco Polo.) The principal gems of Ceylon, are the amethyst, gar^ net, ruby, chrysoberyl, sapphire, cinnamon stone, cat's eye, moon stone, and opal. They are sought for with most success, in the neighborhood of Ballangodde, and ttINERA«.S OF CEtLON. 3t Jlatnapura, or the city of gems; and are also found at Newexa Ellia, in Uva, near Kandy, Matele, and Newera Ellia. Of metals, gold has been met with, as well as nickel, cobalt, and tellurium,* but in quantities too small to remunerate the search after them. Iron of a very fine quality is plentiful, and nitre and plumbago are abun- dant in the district^f SafTragam, where tin has also been discovered. Rock crystal, hornblende, mica, hyperstene, feld- spar, calcspar, bitterspar, &c. are abundant : iron quartz, manganese, &c. are found in SafFragamand else where.t •* Sir E. Tennant. t Asiatic Society's journal for 1847. 38 HISTORICAL SKETCH. CHAPTER IV. Historical Sketch, The history of Ceylon under its ancient kings is con- tained in a work written in the Pali language in the fifth century after Christ, by Mahanamo, an uncle of Dha^tuSe? iia the reigning king. It is divided into two parts respec- rively dengrif^inaipd the Mahawanse, and the Suluwansc. The Mahawanse, or '* great dynasty," embraces the nmo(\ between B. C. ^3, and A. D. 301, and was com* .;iled from the annuls then existing, in the vernacular mguiige.* The Suluwansc, or '' lesser dynasty" carries -u the history to A. D. 1,7^8, the whole work compris- ig a peripd qf no less than twenty three centuries. , Its translation into English was pommenced by the Hon. G, Tumour, gsq. of thp Ceylon civil sprvicej and though death interrupted hi^ labors, he lived long enough > complete the first thirty-eight chapters of onp of the ;nost remarkable and authentic ancient records in ex'9> tence. In designating it an authentic record however, wc iuust be understood to speak in a modified sense. When we find it related for instance, that the island was origin- il!y inhabited by demons, we infer that the aborig-i - were devil worshippers. Again, when we — ^^^ ^ ^ amongst rnany other cures which a certain • he drew forth a snake from the r .omach ^ had long been incommoded by this troublesoh; by fastening a piece of moat to a string and . .^s«a bait ID the patient's throaty we come to th ;ton that the king devpted himself to the stut^y * Tumour's introduction tq the Mabawajise HISTORICAL SKEl'CH. 39 3ine and surgery, and was a successful practitioner. On fhe. other hand, the wars in which the island was engag- ed, the public works undejrtalten, the dates assigned to their construction^ &g., (fee.; these as recorded in this wurk, appear worthy of all credit.* It would be t)f little practical use, and far beyond our limits to dweHon the history of each individual sovereign who has in turn ap- peared upon the stage of life. Somfe there were who left lasting memenros— either, for good or ill,— of their existence ; of these we shall speak more pavtictilarl} others thfere were whose lives were unmarked by any acts worthy of note ; these we shall but briefly alUuie to, or pass by in silerice; A complete list of the one hundred and sixty^fiVe sovereigns who successively filled the throne will be fdimd anne.Ved^ framed on the basis of the one originally drawn out by Tumour : od those who are desirous of more minute particulars han this little work affords, are referred to the Maha- vanse, the "Hajaratnacari, and the Eajavali, as well as to he Tamil epic poem called thb Kamayana^ Our subject will be divided in these pages, into three ;'.*Tts; — the Mahawanse, or great dynasty ; the Sulu- vanse^or lesser dynasty ; the Tamils ■; and the European \ftei the most minute examination of the portion of the -',. ■ ' '-^'piied by Mtihananio, T am fully, prepare-'l to • d not met with any other passage in the work, U roliirion and its «upor8titionB, than those ji- ould by the most sv-eptical be consider- i historical authenticity.*' (Tumour s in- Jlchaiochnse,) The exceptions made ' by Tur- .ice to the date assigned for the landing of Wi- ! : it is believed !)y some that it took place .dofB. C. 543. L. L. 40 THE GREAT DVNASTY. THE MAHAWANSE, OR GREAT DYNASTY. In the sixth century before Christ, there reigned in La'la, a principaUty of Magadha, or as it is now called Bahar, in the valley of the Ganges, a king named Sing- ha, or Siha bahu, who was said to have been descended from a lion. He was also of the illustrious race of Su- riavas who claimed as their progenitor a beneficent Be- ing, who came down from the sun, and taught mankind the arts of civilized life. Wijayo the eldest son of this- king, was so lawless and unruly a character that his father was eventually compelled to dismiss him from his court. Collecting together a band of kindred spirits, "Wijayo set sail in search of adventure, and ultimately reached Ceylon and landed on its shores in the neigh- borhood of what is now called Putlam. He found the island inhabited by a rude uncivilized people, whose origin is involved in obscurity, and who worshipped snakes aad devils, and were consequently called Na'gas, and Yakkos. Marrying a Yakko Princess, Wijayo established him- self at Tamena Newera, not far from the place of his landing; and having by the aid of his wife obtained tho mastery of the island, he repudiated the alliance, dis- missed her and her children, married the daughter of an Indian Prince, invited over from the Continent, mer- chants and artizans ; located his followers in different parts of the country, the better to develop its resources ; and laid the foundation, of its future greatness, giving to it the name of his father, Singha. Dying without issue, his nephew Panduwa'sa succeed- ed him, and pursued the same iine of policy as his pre- decessor. He married a relative of Gotama Budha, and THE GREAT DYNASTy- 41 in order to spread civilization encouraged the brothers )f his queen, who came over jvith her from the conti- nent, to found subordinate principalities, which were how- ever subject to himself and his successors as the para- mount sovereigns of the whole island; a fact it will be well to bear in mind in perusing this work. It was during this reign, that Ceylon was subdivided into three parts- "All to the north of the Mahawelli- >;anga was comprised in the denomination Pihiti, or the Raja-ratta, froni its containing the ancient capital and the residence of royalty ; south of this was Rahano or Rohuna, bounded on the east and south by the sea, and by the Mahawelliganga and Kaluganga on the north and west : a portion of this division near Tangallo still re- •ains the name of Roona- The third was the Maya-ratta \yhich lay between the mountains, the two great rivers nd the sea, having the Dedera Oya to the north, and the Kaluganga as its southern limit."* Panduwa'sa established himself at Anuradhapura, so c/illed from Anuradha its founder, and there constructed • rst of those vast tanks which subsequently became merous, and which testify to this day to the efforts .-—and as it appears with so much success, to de- s the lich agricultural resources of a country which " '^ aborigines had laid uncultivated. For the ' C-' following two hundred years, more atten- ' have been devoted to agriculture and im- ' religion. The succession to the crown 1 other passages in the same work on It both Adam's Peiik and Kandy were in- , it h tijerefore scarcely correct to say that : .'/i. vwuntainsj the two great ris'crs, and the 4„2 THE GREAT DYNASTY. was on the death of Panduwa'sa, the subject of dispute^ and ultimately Pandukabhayo, by the aid of the abori- gines or Yakkos, succeeded in placing himself upon the throne. He built several tanks and divided the island into village settlements. In the year B. G. 307 King Tisso, or as he is called De' wa'nan pia tisso or '' Tisso, the delight of the Deities/' ascended the throne. Having dispatched an embassy en- trusted with valuable gifts, to Dharmmaso'ka,the king of Magadha, that sovereign in return sent his son Mahindo» to inculcate the doctrines of Budhism in Ceylon ; which with the aid of his sister Sanghamitta, he succeeded in doing, (B. C. 267.) At the urgent request of the Singha- lose king, a branch of the Bo tree under which Gotama attained the Budhaship, was with much pomp brought over from Magadha, and planted at Anuradhapura, where it continues to flourish to this, day, after the lapse of 2,000 years. The energy which had heretofore been ex- pended mainly on agricultural works, now took a new di- rection, though not entirely diverted from its former chan- nel ; and from this period dates the erection of those stu- pendous masses of masonry about Anuradhapura and other ancient cities, which Singhalese kings vied with each other in constructing. The earliest of these Dagobas, as they are called, were erected by king Tisso, whose name has consequently been handed down to posterity amidst the plaudits of the historian. The three cousins of the king who successively filled the throne, followed in his foot-steps, and during the century immediately en- suing on his death, the number of Wiharis and Dagobas rapidly increased, though it is but just to add, that the number of tanks increased also. THE GREAT DYNASTY. 43 During the reign of Suratissa, the last of the three cousins, two Malabar adventures, Sena and Gootika by name, who had been"^respectively entrusted with milita- ry and naval command, turned their arms against the sovereign to whom they had pledged thejuselves and usurped his throne. (B. C. 237.) After a reign of twen- ty-two years, they were deposed and killed by Asela, a member of the royal family, and the crown reverted to its rightful owners. It would have been well had they taken warning by this event ; but the people being better suited to an agricultural, than to a military life, it had become customary to employ Tamil mercenaries in the military service ; and in course of time the superior energy and bravery of that people proved highly dangerous to the supremacy of the Singhalese race. . Ten years after the restoration of that dynasty Elala a prince of Tanjore in- vaded the island, slew the reigning king, and ascended the vacant throne ; it is however due to the usurper to add, that on the testimony of his enemies he is said to have " administered justice with impartiality to friends and foes." A bell was suspended by his bed side, which all those who had any grievances to redress, and desir- ed an audience, were at liberty to ring. At the end of forty-four years, Dutugaimunu, a de- scendant of the deposed king, encountered Elala oa the field of battle and engaged hiai in single com- bat. After a conflict in which equal bravery was dis- played on both sides, the elephants on which the rival princes were mounted closed with each other, and that of Elala falling in the charge, crushed his rider to death. The generous conqueror caused a monument to be erected on the spot where his brave adversary had fallen 44 THE GREAT DYNASTIT. !h1 decreed that in future even royalty itself should not Mss the locality without testifying its respect for his -emory . The Mahawanse records that ^^ on reaching the quarter of the city in which it stands, it has been the cus- torn for the monarchs of Lanka to silence their music, whatsoever procession they may be heading;" and it is related on the authority of Forbes, that when the pro- tender to the throne was escaping from pursuit after the rebellion of 1818, he descended from his palanquin on ai'proachingthe plac^, *' and although weary and almost incapable of tixertionj not knowing the precise spot, he continued on foot till assured that he had parsed far be- yond the ancient memorial."* On bis accession to the throne after the death ofElala, Dutugaimunu commenced the construction of the great E-uanwelli dagoba at Anuradhapura, the rerp.ains of which exist lo this day. A large number of the aborigines or Yakkos, who were employed in its construction, are uuid to have been converted toBudhism during their so* journ in the capital.: Dutugaimunu, amongst many other acts of liberality, constructed and embellished the famo^wMf brazen palace, as a residence for the priests. His name has consequently been blazoned on the scroll o£ hur . in the annals of his country. He died B. C. ' - " on his decease disputes cjrose about the order -o- sion, during which the priesthood succeeded t*- considerably to their importance by throwing fJu ^■■-r-- of their influence into the one scale or the othei. Vp the year B. C, 104, Walagambahu 1st ascended Uk hut he ha(jl scarcely done so before a success ti; vho followed, were no longer of the unmi:^.ed blood, but the oifspring ^f parents, pnly onp of whom was descend- pd from the sun, and thp pther froni the bringer of thq Bo-tree, or the sacred tooth ; on that account, because the god Sakkraia had ceas.ed to watch over Ceylon, because piety had disappcaj'ed, and the city pf Anuradhapura was in ruins, and because the fertility of the land was di- minished, the kings who succeeded Mahasen were no longer reverenced as of old. "^ TtlE SULUWAN§iE OR LESSF.R DYNASTY. '* The §tory of the kings of Ceylon of the Suluicanse r lower line, i^ but a narrative of the decline of the ower and prosperity which had matured under the 'engal conquerors, and of the rise of the Malabar ma- auders, whose ceaseless forays and incursions eventual- -1 authority to feebleness, and the island to de- Thc vapid biogrAphy of the royal imbeciles throne from the third to the thirteenth tfi .'.J , '••''•„' ely embodies an incident of sufficient in- -'te^t V: ihorsify the monotonous repetition of temples igobas repaired, of tanks constructed and d with lands reclaimed and fertilize^ by ADor'' of the subjugatpd races. Civil dis- . . u r. y <, , v,> 1 i ,19 quoted by Sir E Tennen ? . 48 LESSER DYNASTY. sjensions, jceligious schisms, royal intrigues and assassin- ations, contributed equally with foreign invasions to di- minish the influence of the monarchy and exhaust tl>e strength of the kingdom." " Of sixty-two sovereigns who reigned from the death pfMahasen, A. D. 301, to the accession of Prakrama 3ahu, A. D. 1 153, nine met a violent death ^a,t the hands of their relatives or subjects, two ended their days in ex- ile, one was slain by the Malabars, and four committed suicide. Of the lives of the larger number, the Budhist historians fail to furnish any important incidents ; they relate merely the merit which each acquired by his lib- erality to the national religion or the more substantial benefits conferred on the people by the formation of lakes for irrigation."* Such is the account given by the elo- quent writer to whom we have already so often refer- red, of the kings of the lesser dynasty. It was during the reign of Kitsiri Maiwan the first, the successor o/M?ihasen, that the relic supposed to be the right canine tooth of Gotama Budha was conveyed to the island by a Brahman princes of Kalinga A. L). 298, and deposited by the king himself '' in a casket of J great purity made of ' phalika stone, ^ and lodged in the edifice called the Dhammachakko, built by Dewa'na'npi- atisso" (Mahr^wanse, p. 241.) Budhadaso who ascended the throne, A. D. 339, is described as being " a mine of virtues g-ncj an ocean of riches." It was this monarch who is said to have performed the wonderful cure on the man who had a snake in his stomach. He composed the work Saratthasangaho, still consulted by Singhalese medical practitioners, and '' ordained that there shpultd * Sir E. Tenneut. THE LESSER DYNASTY* ^ 49 be a physician for every twice five villages on the main road, for the reception of the crippled, deformed, and destitute ; he built asylums in various places, provided withthe means of subsisting these objects." (Mahawanse.) About the middle of the fifth century after Christ, the marauders from the Malabar coast once more suc- ceeded in making themselves masters of the Singhalese capital. They were however expelled by Dhatu Sena a prince of the royal blood who ascended the throne A. D. 459, re-assembled the fugitive citizens, and direct- ed his energies to the restoration of agricultural works and the repair of the sacred buildings. He was depo- sed by his nephew, whose mother tho king had caused to be burnt, and prince Kasyapa was exalted to the throne. This unnatural son, after having subjected his father to a series of cruel indignities which he bore with the utmost magnanimity, put an end tp his life by embed- ding him within a wall of masonry. He next attempted to compass the destruction of his brother, who succeed- ed however in making his escape. The royal parricide sought, but sought in vain, to stifle the agonies of re- morse by deeds of charity and the erection of magnifi^ cent structures ; the ministers of religion refused to ac- cept his gifts, and he was forced to offer them in the name and by means of third parties. Apprehensive of retri- bution, he fortified the rock Sigiri in the district of Ma- tele, and thither he removed himself and his treasure. After an exile of eighteen years his brother Mogal- lano returned to the island from India, with an army he had succeeded in raising there, and the two brothers met m mortal conflict at Ambhatak^lo in the Seven Korles. The head of the usurper was struck offby the avengipg B 50 THE LESSER DYNASTY- vord of his brother, and the cpriqiierorat once marched upon the capital^ assumed the reins of government A. D. 495, and died after a reigii of eighteen years, during which he organized a naval force to repel the incursion? of the Tamils, and signalized his ride by many fvCts of beneficence. The murder of Phatu Sena forms the subject of the thirty-eighth chapter of the Mahawanse, the last one translated by the acconaplished Turnour ; Mahanamo, the writer of the original work, was the relative and per- sonal friend of the king whose death he has recorded ; and after relating how the usurper embe.dd,ed his father ••* exposing his face only to the east" he adds, — ^" what wise man after being informed of this, would covet riches^ life, or prosperity !'' and again, — " Thus the ten kings (mentioned in this chapter) who were pre-eminently endowed with prosperity, (nevcrt?ieless) appeared in the presence of death in a state of destitution. The wise man seeing that in the riches of the wealth v there is no stability, will cease to covet riches. Of the eight kings who reigned between A. D. T:! and 586, *' two died by suicide, three by murder -- one by grief occasioned 6y the treason of his son.* ring a period of such violence and anarchy pcaccrai ■ > dustry was suspended and extensive emigration t( placeto Bahar and Orissa."^ (Sir E. T.) Amo.igst o*- •icts of violence king Sanghatissa was murderov prime minister, who m his'turn fell by the •' people of Hohuna during a revolt which toe- time of famine. In the civil wars that prev- mercenaries were as usual employed on on. other. On one occasion however thev v>crc' THE LESSER DYNASTY. 51 a number made prisoners wha were distributed as slaves amongst the various temples in the island. We find nevertheless that the history of Ceylon between the 9th and 11th centuries is made up of the acts of the Malabars, more than of the native kings. '•'- They filled every office including that of prime minister; and they decided the claims of competing candidates for the crown.'' Finding at length that their exclusion from Anuradhapura, where they had located themselves in considerable numbers, was impossible, the reigning king Agrabodhi 4th in the 8th century removed the seat of government to Pollonnarua; " where tanks and palaces surpassing in beauty, and dagobas nearly equalling in size, those of the ancient capital, were constructed." (Sir E. Tennent.) In the year 858, we read of " the first foreign expedi- tion deliberately undertaken by Singhalese." Its object was to aid the son of the king of Pandia (or Madura) in a war against his father, who a few years previously had overrun both the ancient and modern capitals of the island, and been bought off by a heavy ransom. The expedition was successful and a large amount of plun- der was brought back from Madura. In 954, the Singha- lese and Pandian kings jointly engaged in a war with the king of Chola. (Tanjore.) The allies were defeated and the Pandian king was forced to take refuge in Cey- lon. Engaging in a conspiracy against his protector, he was expelled from the island without being permit- ted to carry away his regalia. These the Cholian king demanded, and on their being refused brought over an invading army to Ceylon, which was defeated by the uihabitants of Rohuna. 5Q THR LESSER DY.ikBTV^ In the year 997, king Mahindo married a princess of Kalinga, (the northern circarsof the Madras Presidency^) During the reign of his son who succeeded him, a re- beiiion broke out in which a Tamil army supported the royalists against the insurgents. *' The island was now reduced to the extreme of anarchy and insecurity ; * the foreign population' had increased to such an extent as to gain a complete ascendancy over ihe native inhabi- tants, and the sovereign had lost authority over both." "In A. D. 1023, the Cholians again invaded Ceylon, carried the king captive to the coast of India, (vv'hero he died in exile,) and established a Malabar viceroy at Pol- ionnaria, who had possession of ^the island for nearly thirty years, protected in his usurpations by a foreign army. Thus ' throughout the reign of nineteen kings^ says the Rajaratnacari, '• extending over eighty-six years? the Malabars kept up a continual war with :he Singha- lese, till they filled by degrees every xin.Mo-o 'n jIw. u> land." rSir E. Tennent.) Whilst this was the state of things at tiie capital, m<; ters were little better in the principality of .Rohuu^^., where the royal family still maintained the semblar.ic*^ of sovereignty. Four brothers contended for tlic ing throne, and each in succession fell from h ;. , after a brief reign; until in the year 1071, the mi?r'- Lokiswera assumed it, and held his Court at Katt on the borders of the Badulla and Ham' His name is only recorded on account progenitor of a prince who effected tho dcliver the island, restored order and industry, »nd ihi period recalled to mind the glories of Uiy '' Gr< nasty.'- THE LESSER DYNASTY. 53 On the death of Lokiswera, his son Wijayo Bahu wha succeeded him, followed by the mountaineers of Rohu- na, delivered the capital from the Tamils, organized a standing army to guard the coasts, and received depu- tations from beyond the seas. On his death a civil war for the succession ensued, which terminated in the ac- cession, by the choico of the people, of the young prince Prakrama, whose accomplishments were of the most varied as well as comprehensive character, many of them having been acquired at foreign courts. He was crown- ed king of Pihiti at PoUonnarua, A. D. 1153, and subse- quently on the subjugation of Rohuna which had for some- time continued refractory, " Sole king of Lanka." " There is no name in Singhalese history," says Sir E. Tennent, '^ which holds the same rank in the admi- ration of the people as that of Prakrama Bahu, since to the piety of Devinipiatissa he united the chivalry of Du- tugaim unu." He rebuilt the Budhist temples, " and cov- ered the face of the kingdom with works of irrigation to an extent that would seem incredible did not their ex- isting ruins corroborate the historical narrative of his stu- pendous labors." So great had been the decay of Bud- hism under the dominion of the Tamils that only five ordained priests were to be found in the island : an em- bassy was therefore sent to Arramana or Siam where the Budhist religion prevailed, for the ordination of addi- tional priests. While however the new king was devot- ing himself to the interests of Budhism, the restoration of order, and the arts of peace, he did not neglect those of war. Some merchants of Ceylon having been plun- dered by subjects of the king of Cambodia and Arramana in the Siamese peninsula, he sent forth an expedition 54 TAE LftSSEE DYNASTY' binder the command of a Tamil leader to punish the out. -Hge : which successfully accomplished its object. He i xt turned his arms against the Cholian and Pandian /viiigs who had assisted the Tamils against the island, whom he defeated, and made tributary to him ; annexed the island of Ramesuram and the adjacent coast of India to his kingdom ; founded a city in the Pandian dominions; .nd after commemorating his victory by the coining of money, returned in triumph to Ceylon . Prakrama Bahu died A. D. 1186, and with him enda the glory of Ceylon under its native rulers. For the thirty years that ensued, the island was a prey to the anarchy occasioned by the struggles of rival claimants, to the crown, who in rapid succession ascended it only to be hurled down again, their reigns being with two exceptions calculated by days and months instead of years. In the year 1211, an adventurer from the northern circars, Ma'gha by name, landed with a force of twenty four thousand men and made himself master of all Ceylon ; his government was signalized by cruelty, oppression, and wanton destruction ; and to use the wonis of the Mahawanse, ''^ the whole island was like a house? set on fire, the Demilos plundernig it from village to village." After the lapse of twenty years, a member q^ the royal family succeeded in recovering those parts o^ the island called Maya and Rohuna, and- established hiir^- self at Jambudronha or Dambedinia fifty miles uonh o- Colombo, where ho reigned under the dij>:^g'm.«f.i'tr: c\ Wijayo Bahu 3d. A. D. 1235, The invaders eoiit'; however to hold possession of the capital ai>d ih tricts about it, which they secured from attpr-i: h\- ■ of forts extending from Pollonnarua to ih the v/est. TtiE LESSEn DYWASTV Pandita Prakrama Bahu next ascended tb*:; throne A. D. 1266, and succeeded in wresting a further portion of the island from the invaders. He encouraged learning and improved the internal communication between dif- ferent places by the construction of roads and bridges. During his reign the island was successively invaded by the Malays and the Tamils ; but their incursions wero successfully repelled. It was by this king that the sacred tooth called the deiada relic was removed to Kandy, or as it was then called, Srlwardp.ncpurac On his death the repeated attacks of its Tamil enemies left Ceylon but little time for rest. In the year 1303^ the city of Yapaha in the Seven Korles became the capita! ; but the Pandian invaders soon followed, phmdered the city, and carried off the sacred tooth to India. The unhappy sovereigns transferred the seat of Government to Kurnegalle, then to Gampola, next to Peredinia, and eventually to Jaya« '/ardhanapura, or as it is now called, Kotta, the Singha- •■se word Kotuwe^ a fort, having probably been adopt- d by the Portuguese on their arrival as the name of the >lace, from ignorance of \U meaning. Five years pre- ious to this last removal of the capital, an event occur- rl w]■^\.A^ the Singhalese chronicles have passed over but which the diligence of Sir E. Tennent has light. So early as the foirlh century after ..;jndjy inlercousehad been established between no island of Ceylon and the empire of China, occasion- ed by iho de.'ire of the latter to extend its commerce, • i -^'i ned by the bond of a common religion, mbassadors sent to Ceylon, recorded on '^i-jK jfidim 10 their own country what things they had 56' THE LESSOR DYNASTT. valuable corroboration of the statements in the Maha- wanse. In the year 1410 however, a Chinese ambassa- dor entrusted with ofTerings to Bud ha, was treacherous- ly waylaid by Wijayo Bahu 6th, the reigning king of Ceylon, and escaped with difficulty to his ships. The position of Ceylon towards China, had previously been that of deference and recognition of superiority ; and the emperor, determined to avenge this indignity, dispatched a naval and military force to Ceylon, which seized the capital, and carried off the offending king a captive to China, along with the rest of the royal family. They were however jallowed to return to their own country on the condition of their paying an annual tribute to China : the emperor further ordaining that the offending king should be deposed and the wisest member of the family exalted to the throne in his stead. The .choice fell on Prakrama Bahu 6th, who with his successors con- tinued to be tributary to China until A. D. 1448. We have now reached that period in the histoj;y of Ceylon, when the European appears upon the stage. Be- fore proceeding further therefore we shall turn our atten- tion to that part of the island which is at present occu- pied by the Tamils, and enquire under what circumstan- ces they became located there, and what was the rela- tive position of the Singhalese and Tamil races in Ceylon at the period of which we are about to speak. THE TAMII^S. The materials for this part of our subject are far from being so copious as those from which the rest of this his- tory is compiled. The Mahawanse is essentially a court chronicle ; it dwells mainly on the annals of the Singha- lese kings ; and its writer, who evidently regarded the THE TAATlLb Tamils as a horde of ruthless marauders, passes by iheni and their doings in silence except when they force them- selves irresistibly and too often unpleasantly on his • otice. We have already seen how this actlv ; .uiu uneVgcttc i'Oople wedged themselves in amongst the Gangetic race, rendering themselves at the same time indispensable and dangerous. In the course of years they had permeated the whole community and secured a footing from which it was difficult, if not impossible to dispkce them. In the army and navy they filled the most important stations ; in the state their c«3unseis prevailed , and in trade and com- merce they were the moving spirits. If even at the "oat of royalty their presence had become so ineonveni- nt, and'their influence so powerful as to lead to the '>ai}donmentof the magnificent capital of Anuradhapura vv^ith all its splendid monuments and all its traditionary <:]^]ory, there is little difficulty in understanding how in lie remote and less wealthy northern peninsula the y Aould establish themselves without molestation, and how ■leir position there^ so near their own country, would af- uch facilities for strengthening their numbers, as to -. .ie them eventually, when the Singhalese power had ■come considerably impaired, to throw off even the sem- 'Uegiance and assume an independent position. s previously been shown that after the removal ■ capital from Pollanarua to Dambedinia all the dig- rS Pi!luti was filled with Tamils, who drew a line of r Is across their southern frontier behind which they iiouglit themselves secure ; and we have also seen how iuiiiy: the commotions which racked the island between id A D. 618, ** extensive emigratiortfs 58 THE TAMILS. took place to Bahar and Orissa.'' With the further dimuiution of the Singhalese, a large portion of whom doubtless followed the retiring footsteps of royalty i it is easy to understand how the ancix^nt works for irri- gation, the up-keep of which was so essential to agricul- tural prosperity, would fall into decay ; for the invaders had always manifested a disposition to appropriate the treasures which had already been amassed, rather than to provide for securing permanent benefits which being prospective they might not remain to enjoy. Thus by degrees the forest would again encroach upon the for- mer haunts of men ; sickness induced by rank vegetation and stagnant water would further reduce the numbers of those who remained in the neighborhood ; and the sur- vivors would be attracted to where larger and newly formed communities gave them a more congenial place of abode. In- the choice of their new residence, it is not unnatural to suppose that the Singhalese would direct their steps towards the south and west, whither their monarchs had proceeded them ; that the Tamils would draw off to the east and north, where a sovereign of their own nation already swayed an independent sceptre ; and that the remnant of the aborigines which still retain- ed their original characteristics and had not intermarried with the other races, would retire to the forests of Bin- tenne, where they could pursue unmolested that course of life they best enjoyed. Thus the once splendid capi- tals and the fertile regions which surrounded them would fall a prey to the silent and stealthy inroads of decay,— inroads, less obtrusive, but not less fatal than thost of the marauders who had periodically dispoiled them before. THE TAMILS. 5i^ The northern peninsula was in fornier times known .among the Tamils by the name of Manilka'du or the sandy jungle ; it was called JN^a'ga Dwi'pe by the Sin- ghalese because it was occupied by the Na'ga race ; and a temple dedicated to Na'ga Tambira'n the god of snakes^ still exists in the island of Nynati'vu, whore a number of cobras are it is said kept alive and fed by the Panda- rums, According to the Kyla'sama'lai (a Tamil poem com- posed by one Veiya of Naioor, about thr^ee hundred years ago,) a princess of the Chola race, who suffered from some disease or deformity, was .directed to proceed ' the northern peninsula of Ceylon, and to bathe in a sacred spring which there existed. Landing in the vicin- ity oi Kangeysontorre, she was met by a devotee wIk) had been born with the face of a mongoos, but had been cured of ihe defect by bathing in the holy spring, and v/hohad thereupon located hiinself ona neighboriiig hill > v/hich he gave the name of Keeremalai or the mon- oos mountain. Encouraged by this, the princess also ((thed and was cured ; and in grateful commemoration A the event she is said to have built the temple of Mavit- .i/uram which signifies *^ the town wKere the .horse '"d;" with which is connected the popular legend : e labored under the deformity of having a horse's id of *' the human face divine.'" The prin- !X! proceeded,'^ as the poem relate^, to bathe in an- s;:'/!red spring a^ a place it calls Kathera^mum near iiere one Narasingha raja, who is not identifi- i; any sovereign of Ceylon, led an army againjst •^•1 riftpr having made he^^ prisoner, married her. ,:s union were a son and daughter, and 60 THE TAMILS. eventually the grandson of the princess bestowed the peninsula of Jaffna upon a blind musician from Madura, Called Ya'lpa'naa, as a reward for his skill. The new- ly endowed prince gave the name of Ya'lpa'nam to hig territory, by which name it is known to this day among the natives, and of which Jaffna is a corruption ; he en- couraged his countrymen to come over and settle in it, and on his death a prince of Madura was invited to ac- cept the vacant throne, B. G. 101. This date, the first we find given, nearly corresponds with that of the inva- sion of the island by seven Tamil kings, which has al- ready been alluded to, when Waligam Bahu 1st was comr pelled to flee from his capital. Singha Ariyan, the new king of Jaffna, generally called Koolankai Chakravarte or the " deformed armed emperor," erected a palace at Naloor, the site of which is still pointed out where ^n ancient gate-way faces the high road from Jaffna to Point Pedro, between the second and third mile-stones. He availed himself of the troubled state of the island to extend his authority over the Wanny, Manaar, and Man- totte, strengthened his position by fortifying his fron- tiers, and encouraged immigration from India. Little is known of the state of things in the north from this period to the thirteenth century ; it is however believed by many that during that period Mantotte, or as it was call- ed by the Singhalese, Mahatotte '* the great ferry," near the island of Manaar, was the renowned emporium of the extensive trade carried on between Greece, Rome, Persia, Arabia, Hindustan, and China, where merchants from those various countries displayed their wares, and exchanged them for those not to be procured nearer home. This opinion is however discountenanced by THE TAMILS. 61 Sir E. Tenncut who believes Galle to have been the far iaiTied mart cf Ceylon : be that as it may, there are grounds for supposing that Mantotte was an important, if not the most important place of commerce ; and it is said that Ro- man coins of the reigns of Claudius and the Antonines^, and the foundations of what appears to have been a Ro- man building, have in modern times been discovered there. hi the year of our Lord 1303, we find the king of Jaff- na in command of an army composed of his own forces and those which his ally the king of Madura had sent over to attack the Singhalese king then i-eigning at Ya- pahoo in the Seven Korles. The expedition was success- ful, and the delada relic was taken by the victors and sent to India. In 1371, another army under the com- mand of /' the king of the Coylonese Malabars,^' (Ma- hawanse,) succeeded in taking possession of, and build- ing forts at, Colombo, Negotnbo, and Chilaw, and '* col- lected tribute from the high and low countries and like- vise from the nine ports."* In the year 1410, the Sin- halese king, then reigning at Kotta, sent an army against ' '^'i, commanded by his son Sapoomal Kuma're, who ^^d much damage on the Tamil territories. Repeat- vack not long after, the young prince, mount- er)'' charger, advanced upon the northern capi- ?r a desperate conflict, the streets running with 3d in capturing the king, whom he de his family was carried captive tc the osting article on the history of Jaffna by the ^, Esq., in tlie Asiatic Society's journa?, from the facts above recoi'ded have .been drawn . ^^r one or two discrepancies between what i« ia'saraa'la!, and what that gentieii'.:m has relai N J \vi i'.:!i hu'.x- been rectified in th«&e pages, 6 62 THE EUROPEAN OCCUPATION. south, and the prince was appointed ruler of the con- quered provinces as a reward for his prowess. Before the arrival of the Portuguese however, the Tamils appear to have regained their liberty ; and a treaty of amity cemented by inter-marriage, had for some time been in existence between the kings of thr' two races. From this period the chronicles of both will ])e found intermingled with the narrative of the Europe- ans and their doings. THE EUROPEAN OCCUPATION. The. Portuguese. *' x\nd now it came to pass that in the Christian year 1552 in the month of April, a ship from Portugal arriv- ed at Colombo, and information wm brought to the king, (Dharma Prakrama 9th,) that there were in the harbor a race of very white and beautiful people, who wear boots and hats of iron, and never stop in one place. They eat a sort of white stone, and drink blood : and if they get a fish they give two or three ride in gold for it : and besides, they have guns whha noise louder than thunder, and a ball shot from one of them, after traversing a league, will break a castle of marble."* Such were the terms in which the arrival of the Portuguese was announced to the king of Ceylon. The hats and boots of iron were part of the armor in which soldiers were in those days clad, and the stone and blood they were said to eat and drink were ship biscuit and wine. The Portuguese Captain Vasco de Gama having in the year 1498 doubled the Cape of Good Hope, eventu- "^ The Rajavali as quoted by Sir E. TennenU THIS PORTUGUESE. 63 Illy landed and formed a settlement at Calicut on the V estern coast of India. Seven years Jater, Lorenzo de ilnieyda sailed from that place and touched at Point de n was under the Government of a Tamil sovereign: the chiefs of Uva, Peredinia, Mahagam, &c , ruled m tlieir respective provinces as independent princes, their recognition of the once paramount king being merely ominal: the districts of Newerekalawa and the Wanriy vere held by petty governors professing allegiance either > the Tamil or the ^nghalese king, but virtually doing s they pleased : and the '"Moormen,'' who had estab- rshed themselves in formidable numbers on the sea coasts, .ad who were the most active and enterprising people : 1 the island, exercised a very important influence over !u3 hi tlie spice country of Malacca. Their lie there they founded on a promise which iifgcd to have been made to Almeyda at Galle, Dv^^aii^^ehad subsequently been ratified by a letter r Kotta, though in the first instance giv» u 64 THE EUROPEAN OCCUPATION. without his sanction. Alarmed however at the military character of the new settlement, the king demurred to the proceedings of the foreigners, but was gained over by the tempting promises of pecuniary advantage to be derived from trade, and the hope of military aid against his domestic enemies : the fort was built, — and the fate of the island was sealed. The more astute Moormen succeeded however in re-awakening the apprehensions of the king, who encouraged them to make an at- tack upon the interlopers ; but timely succours arriving from India, the seige was raised, and the king compel- led to acknowledge himself a vassal of Portugal, and to pay an annual tribute to that power. In 1520 however, the Portuguese again provoked an attack by the attempt to strengthen their position still further, and for some time their condition was one of extreme danger ; but re- inforcements from India once more turned the scales in their favor ; and the unhappy king, constantly menaced with attacks from the petty princes in the interior, and living almost within reach of the Portuguese guns at Colombo, saw no alternative but to propitiate the foreign ers he found himself too weak to expel, and to avail him self of their aid to subdue the unruly spirit of his own vassals. An alliance, offensive and defensive, was accord ingly entered into between the king and the Portuguese but this measure at once roused the angry feelings of the hardy Kandians, always jealous of foreign intrusion and Maaya Dunnai, the youngest son of the king, already displeased at an attempt made by his father to alter the line of succession to the crown, was so disgusted at what he regarded an act of pusillanimity, that he raised the standard of revolt, and after causing the king to be as- THE POHTUGUESE. 65 • -sinated, placed the next legitimate heir upon the throne, reserving to himself the principality of Setavvak- ka, and securing for his brother that of Baygam, But the new king manifested a spirit as subservient as that of his father; and a series of conflicts ensued, in which the intrepid Maaya Dunnai aided by the McK^rmen, ever the bitter foes of the Portuguese, and by succours from the Zamoran of Calicut, was always foremost in the field, w^iile the king of Kotta was strenuously supported by the Europeans ; and to ensure their recognition of the ■iaims of his son to the tottering throne, Bhuwaneka the Uh, the reigning sovereign, consented to send a golden eiFigy of his intended successor to Portugal, together with a richly jewelled crown, which was with much cere- mony placed on the head of the image at Lisbon, A. D i^l ; and the name of Don Juan was at the same time •iven to the prince, who had previously been known. by hat of Dharmapaia Bahu. A party of Franciscans accompanied the Singhalese ambassadors to Ceylon, vhere licence was given them to preach throngh- :>ut the island. On this being known, Maaya Dunnai, who by the death of his brother had succeeded to the ^uverninent of Ray gam also, once more took up arms, '''■^^ king of Kotta was however accidentally shot by a ignesfl gentleman, while at a party of pleasure ou ^a ; his death v/as regarded by his people i'A ^ .i.iu I on him for having sacrificed his country iis interests to the foreigners. On his death, his son Juari iioiKiinally embracing Christianity along with • i.uinher of his followers, was raised to the throne, t'Vr ?h wT«rs followed, in which the Portuguese took a ondering themselves by their rapacity, ty- 66 THE EUROPEAN OCCUPATION- ranny, and cruelly, as great a scourge to friend as to foe. In these wars the name of Maaya Dunnai is ever promin- ent, and his son, a mere lad, on his first expedition with his father, displayed such intrepidity as to obtain the by-name of Raja Singha, or the *' Lion king." In these engixgements the foreigners were not always successful and on more than one occasion we read of their churches and settlements on the coast having been destroyed, and their converts massacred. During an attack on Kotta A. D. 1563, such was the closeness of the seige, that the Portuguese commander caused the flesh of the slain to be salted lest provisions should fail ; and being convinced that the place could never be maintained ef- fectually as a fortress, he caused it to be dismantled, and induced the king to take shelter at Colombo, where he was both the tool and the victim of his nominal protec- tors. The Portuguese now sought to excite the apprehen- sions of the minor chiefs of the interior, at the increasing power of Maaya Dunnai, urging them to embrace Chris- tianity and form an alliance with themselves. So early as 1547, Jayaweira, the reigning king of Kandy,had intima- ted his wish to adopt the Roman Catholic faith, and at his request 120 men were sent towards Kandy from Batticaloa to protect him from the effects of the indignation of his subjects ; but ere they reached their destination, the king, who had already changed his mind, caused them to be waylaid and slain. In 1550, his successor to the Kandian throne made a similar request ; and in spite of the warning they had already had, a second force was dispatched by the Portuguese, which was attacked when within three miles of Kandy, defeated, and forced to retire with a los? of 700 men,half of whom were Europeans. THE PORTUGUESE. 67 On the death of Maaya Dunnai in 1571, his son Raja Singha succeeded him. He contrived to reduce most of the minor princes to obedience, and made himself master of Kandy, the king escaping to Manaar, where he and his daughter were baptised, the king by the name of Don Philip, the princess by that of Donna Catheri- na ; her name will appear again in the course of this history. As soon as Raja Singha's arrangements were com- pleted, he invested Colombo with a formidable force ; but the Portuguese remained masters of the sea, and sent naval armaments to destroy and ravage the cities on the coasts. They even proceeded so far as the extreme south of the island, where they pillaged the magnificent temple of Dondera, and returned laden with spoil, after having inflicted indescribable sufferings on the wretched and innocent victims of their wrath. Discouraged by these disasters, by the intelligence that fresh re-inforce- ments were arriving to the aid of his enemies, and that his own subjects were in revolt, the grim old lion king raised the seige and retired to Setawakka. There he was roused from his lair by a formidable revolt of the Kan- dians, who, instigated by the Portuguese, and command- _ed by a Singhalese prince of Peredinia, who had been ■|^ftt)aptized by the name of Don Juan, poured down upon "the dominions of Raja Singha and laid them waste " to the walls of his palace.*" But Don Juan, intoxicated by success, and indignant at the Portuguese for proposing to bestow the hand of Donna Catherina on another than himself, turned against his allies, drove them from Kandy, %|p>oisoned his rival, and once more marched against Ra- ja Singha, whom he defeated near Kaduganava pass- 68 THE EUROPE Arf OCCUPATION. The old chief, the hero of a hundred fights, unable to etidure these disasters, refused surgical aid and retired to his den at Setawakka, where he died at an advanc- ed age, A. D. 1592. Don Juan now ascended the throne by the name of Wimala Dharma. The delada relic had in 1560 been carried off to Goa and there publiciy destroyed, by the ifch-bishop, who with his own hand, in the presence of the viceroy and his court and in spite of the offer of a fabulous price for its possession by the king of Pegu, re- duced it to powder in a mortar and then burnt it in a brazier of charcoal, after which the ashes were cast into the river. Though there can be no reasonable doubt that the delada relic was thus destroyed, Don Juan succeeded in inducing the priests to believe that it had been pre- served, and he produced an imitation of it which is at the present day enshrined at Kandy, and revered ac^ genuine. Don Philip having died at Manaar, his daughter Don- na Catherina, a ward of the Portuguese, became the I'wv- ful successor to the throne. Her guardians sent an army to repel the usurper, and an engagement ensued hi which they were at first successful ; but VVimala Dharma re- turning to the charge routed the Portuguese, carried oi' and married the queen, and for twenty year over the Kandian country. Resolved however to chastise him, Jer i "v^ was sent by the Portuguese to take the con Ceylon, a captain, of whom a countryman ]m> the belief that his subsequent misfortui; ::,— -( r prison at Lisbon,) were a judgment on him for THE PORTlTGUESlii. 69 ties to the Singhalese. He was known to compel mothers to caste their infants between mill-stones, previous to their own execution. At Galle he caused his soldiers to take up children on the points of their spears, that they might hear how the young cocks ( Gallas) crowed. *' He caused many men to be cast off the bridge at Mai- wane, for the troops to see the crocodiles devour them, and these creatures grew so used to the food, that at a whistle they would lift their heads above the water."* And now succeeded a series of conflicts attended with varied success; the Singhalese maddened by their suifer- ings and the atrocities of their enemies, for once made common cause against them ; the Portuguese troops be- came mutinous ; and the interference of the viceroy of Goa was necessary to preserve the settlements in Cey- lon from ruin. At this period, A. D. 1597, died at Col- ombo, Don Juan Dharmapola, the nominal, and Inst legitimate king of Ceylon, bequeathing to the Portuguese by will that which he had never virtually possessed, — - the sovereignt)^ of the island. Those chiefs who were not under the authority of Kandy or Jaffna now took the oaths of allegiance to their new masters, on the understanding that their cus- toms and religion should be ensured to them, while the ministers of Christianity should be free to exercise un- molested the influences of persuasion. A proposal was made to introduce the Portuguese laws, but was respect- fully declined and abandoned. Thus all the maritime provinces, save Jafljia, passed over to the Portuguese, A. D. 1597. But from their * Faria y Souza as quoted by Sir £. Teiinent. TO THE EUROPEAN OCCUPATION. mountain fastnesses the hardy Kandians so keenly har- assed the interlopers, that they were compelled to main- tain an army of 20,000 men of whom 1,000 were Euro- peans; and the possession of their newly acquired do- minion proved a burden, rather than that source ofbound- 'ess wealth they had pictured to themselves, when the :mnamon trade first allured them to seek iis acquisition. We shall now go back a little, and briefly trace the his- tory of Jaffna, to its final subjugation by the Portuguese* In 1544, Francis Xavier, a iloumn Catholic Missionary sommonly called the apostle of the east by those of his own persuasion, preached at Manaar with such suc- cess that numbers embraced Christianity. The Raja of JatTna incensed at their apostacy from their own religion, caused 600 of the converts to be impaled. But as usual with persecution, the faith he sought to destroy only became more widely spread. His sons embracing it, the eldest was executed, and the second escaped to Goa. The Portuguese had shortly previous to this, visit- ed the peninsula with an armed force, and extorted the promise of an annual tribute from the Raja Tficy now resolved to reduce him to obedience, though several years elapsed before they executed their purpose. '. 1548, Xavier visited the Jaf!ha Court, where he met wi/r- a flattering reception, the king professing his witlii!*:- ness to embrace Christianity, thoufrh it doe the expression of the Dutch historian Bald- {Eus '^ had drunk once more than was proper,"* made use of some coarse and insulting expressions about the Kandian queen. Fired with indignation, Wimala Dharma ordered the Dutch commander to be seized. The order was misunderstood, anxi de Weert was after some resistance dispatched by the followers of tlie king. Hav- ing thus compromised himself, atfti perceiving that all hope of conciliating the Dutch was nt an end, Wimala Dharma directed that the iittendants of de Weert should , .be likewise killed, w ith the exception of a youth whom Sie took under his protection, A few escaped by ag to the. ships : the rest were massacred. The a returned to Kandy, whence he dispatched owing brief epistle to the Dutch officer the command." " Que bebem vinho, nao he o- ^'. ^ize justicia. Se quesieres pas, pas; so " W^ho drinks wine is of no good. God you desire'peace, peace ; if war, war.'' . , .. .■a dica not lonaj after, of an excruciat::;/: aid cens meer als behoort gedronken hebbende 7 74 THE EUROPEAN OCCUPATION. ]y painful disease, and Donna Catherina held the reins of governnnent alone. But her position was a painful and difficult one. The prince of Uva, the most powerful of the Kandian nobles, aspired to the throne, and as a step towards gaining it, claimed the guardianship of the late king's minor children. This claim was however disputed by their uncle Senerat, a Budhist priest, who contrived to murder his rival by stabbing him in the back within the precincts of the royal palace, as both were on their way to have an audience with the queen. In justice to the murderer it should be added that he only forestalled his victim in a similar design against his own life. He succeeded in persuading the queen that his real motive was regard for her safety and that of her child- ren, and in inducing her to bestow her hand upon, and share her throne with him, A. D. 1604. Such was the desire of the Dutch to conciliate the Singhalese, that they took no steps to avenge the slaugh- ter of their countrymen. In 1609, a treaty offensive and defensive was drawn up between the two powers* The right to a monopoly of the trade in cinnamon, gems, and pearls, was granted them ; they were per-| mitted to build a fort at Kottiar near Trincomalie ; and Marcellus de Boschhouwer, the Dutch — ambassador, was detained at the Kandian court and treated with the most marked distinction. In 1612, a Portuguese force, conducted across the island by an unfrequented route, surprised and destroy- ed the fort recently built by the Dutch at Kottiar, and after putting the garrison to death, retired by way of the Seven Korlcs. Here however they were overtaken by a powerful force sent by the king of Kandy in THE DUTCH. 75 pursait of them, which fell unexpectedly upon their rear, and at first put them to flight ; but rallying again, they turned on their assailants, and succeeded in defeat- ing them and making themselves masters of the princi- pality of Migone, which had been bestowed on the Dutch ambassador. On two subsequent occasions they ad- vanced within a short distance of Kandy, and were repulsed with some difficulty. About this time Donna Catherina died, broken hearted at the loss of her eldest son, the heir apparent to the throne, whom Senerat was suspected of having poisoned. The king find- ing himself unable to make head against the Portuguese, dispatched Boschhouwer to the continent of India, in order to procure re-inforcements. Failing in his endeavors in that quarter, Boschhouwer proceeded to Holland ; but the states general, dissatisfied with his demeanor, and the position he assumed as an ambassador from a foreign court, rather than as a subject solicitous of advancing the interests of his own country, received him coldly, and refused their aid. Thereupon he proceeded to Co- penhagen, and induced the Danes to send out a fleet to the help of the Kandian king. With this fleet Boschhou- wer set sail, accompanied by his wife, and a military force levied for service in Ceylon. But Boschhouwer was not permitted to reach his destination ; he died on the voyage ; and on the arrival of the Danes in Ceylou, the king refused to ratify the treaty entered into with them by Boschhouwer. In 1624, the Portuguese succeeded in inducing the king to enter into a treaty of amity with them ; but as they proceeded, in violation of it, to build a fort at Batti- caloa, he resolved on attempting their destruction, with- 76 THE EUROPEAN OCCUPATION- GUI soliciting foreign aid. By means of his intrigues, the flames of revolt were kindled amongst tiie Singhalese subjects of the Portuguese, while the king held himself in readiness to turn to account the difficulties of his ene- mies. At length, in 1630, the Portuguese governor Don Constantino de Saa y Norona, misled by the insidious promises of some Kandian nobles, resolved to take the initiative, and to march, with all the forces he could col- lect, upon the province of Uva, the inhabitants of which, he was assured, were ready to rise in his favor. Ho was allowed to advance unmolested into the heart of that district, and to plunder and burn the town of Baduila : but on his return, the bulk of his Singhalese auxilfej deserted him in a body at a given point, in conformity with an arrangement previously made between them and the enemy. Only 150 of them recaained lakhfwl ; the Portuguese were surrounded on every side, and though they fought with the courage of despair, and succeeded in maintaining the unequal conflict till night, the torrents of rain which fell, prevented repose, damaged tb ammunition, and rendered their arms onservieeab^ Conscious of their approaching fate, the Portuguese tro' entreated their commander to save hinrxself under of the darkness; but this he nobly ref; ' The fallowing morning witnessed his desti. that of his little band. His head was severed t) . body and conveyed on a drum to the kmg, who \^:^.,^ the time bathing in the neighborhood. A* D, J()HO. The Kandians followed up this vict on Colombo, which, but for the arrivai t/. ments from Goa, would in all probability have but thus strengthened^ the beseiged becamf THE DUTCH. ants ; the king was defeated in the open field, and even compelled to purchase safety by the promise of paying an annual tribute of two elephants to the Por- tuguese. In 1632 king Senerat died, and was succeeded by his son Raja Singha 2d. The Portuguese availing themselves of the occasion of the kiog^s death to make an inroad on the ivandiandom'mions, Raja Singha sought a renew- al of friendly intercourse with the Dutch. His overtures were joyfully accepted, and in January 1638, the Dutch aduiiral, Adam Wester wold, after defeating a Portuguese fleet In the neighborhood of Goa, dispatch^^d two vessels, the pendent sovereign. His designs were however discov- ered, and he was carried to Batavia, wherf. his body, after having been broken on the wheel, was burnt, and his ashes thrown into the sea. He ^vas ducceeded by Stepha^us Versluys, an extortionate and cruel tyrant. War having broken out between Louis the 14th of France, ancl^he Netherlands, A. I). 1672, a French fleet took possession of Trincomalie ; and the Dutch there- upon hastily evacuated the forts of Kottiar and Battica- lov^ ; the French departed hovvever, shortly after, being unable to maintain their position in ti c island, and the Dutch rc-occupied the places they had lost. On their arrival, the French had sent an embassy to the king of Kandy, who hailed their advent, with great joy, hoping they would aid him against the Dutch, as th^- Dutch had aided his predecessor, against the Portuguese, but their ambassador, unacquainted with, or indifferent to the haughty character of the king, violated tlie rules uf etiquette laid dowTj Fit his court, by passing the royal palace on horseback, on his first arrival in Kandy. He iiiibsequently testified his annoyance at being detained s^nie tin>e before being admitted to an audience, by ab- ruptly quitting the precincts of the palace, and drawing bis sword on some of the officers of the king who attempt- ed to stop him. For this indignity the king caused the -imb'^^s^^'Piyn' and his suite to be flogged and put in chains, lion of two envoys who had preceeded 8*2 THE EUROPEAN OCCUPATION. him. The ambassador was kept thus imprisoned for six months ; though his companions were soon released from confinement, on satisfying the king that they were not ac- tive parties to the affront offered him. They were how- ever all detained in the Kandian country, as prisoners. Kaja Singlm 2d, died in 1687. His two successors, in turn maintained peace with the Dutch, who on their part materially assisted them in obtaining from Arracan a chapter of Budhist priests, the national religion having fallen into such decay as to render this measure ne- cessary. The Singhalese royal race became extinct in the per- son of Koondesala, who died in 1739. A Tamulian, a brother of the Queen Dowager was accordingly raised to the throne with the title of Sri Wijayo Raja. It had long been customary for the kings of Ceylon to marry Tamil wives, thus preparing the way for a total transfer of the crown to that race, the blood of which already flowed so largely in the veins of the royal family : no Sing- halese king ever again ascended the throne of Ceylon. During Wijayo's reign, the Kandians prevailed on the low country Singhalese to attempt the expulsion of the Dutch. But the latter not only defeated their opponents, but marched on Kandy, which they took, and held for some time, the king having retired on their approach. In 1766, Governor Iman Willem Falck, a man of enlar- ged mind, who had already inaugurated a more enlight- ened policy within the dominions of the Dutch in the island, concluded an advantageous treaty with the Kan- dians, whereby a considerable extent of territory was secured to the Netherlands, and conditions favorable to the extension of trade between the coast and the interior THE BRITISH. 83 were entered into. The results of the liberal policy of the new governor soon became apparent in the improv- ed condition of the trade and revenue of the Dutch pos- The British, In 1782, war was declared between the Dutch and the English ; and the latter, who had by this time es- tablished themselves at Calcutta, Madras, Bombay, and other places on the coast of India, directed their efforts against Trincomalie ; and having taken possession of it, Mr. Hugh Boyd, a civil servant of the E. I. Company, was dispatched to Kandy as an ambassador. Commu- nications of a friendly nature had been opened between the Madras government and the Kandian court so early as 1763 ; but the British had failed to avail themselves of the arrangements for an alliance then made, and in consequence of this slight, Mr. Boyd's overtures were rejected ; and on his return to Trincomalie he had the further mortification of finding that during his ab- sence the French had surprised the fort and carried off the English garrison. They restored the place to the Dutch, with whom they were on friendly terms, the fol- lowing year. In 1795, war broke out afresh between the Dutch and the Kandians, on which the latter solicited from the Brit- ish that aid they had previously rejected. An armament was accordingly dispatched to their help from Madras, which took possession in rapid succession, of Trinco- malie, Jaffna, Calpentyn, and Negombo. Colombo ca- pitulated with scarce the show of resistance ; and the Dutch possessions in the island, which had not yet fallen S4 THE EUROPEAN OCCUPATION. into the hands of the English, were ceded to them, in- cluding the fortresses of Galle, Caltura, and Matura ; their respective garrisons being allowed to vacate them with all the honors of war.^ The public buildings, records. and treasure, were made over to the victors, and the pub« 5 ic servants and residents were allowed the option of remaining or leaving as they saw fit. Most of the judi< cial office'rs and clergymen chose to remain, retaining their appointments and emoluments as before. Much has been said of the pusillanimity of the Dutch in thus surrendering all they held in the island, almost without striking a blow. But there is reason for sus- pecting that treachery on the part of their commander, not cowardice on that of their soldiers, was the real cause. It is known that previous to the advance of the British on Colombo by land after the taking of Negom* bo, an English otlicer landed from the fleet, which was at the time hovering off the coast, and after conferring with the Dutch governor, re-embarked. Ou his departure, some Swiss mercenaries in the service of the Dutch were allowed unmolested to transfer their allegiance to the English. Van Angelbeek then concealed his val.i abies, and calmly awaiting the advance of the attack;. ' army, at once capitulated on its arrival : but such v the indignation of his troops at the surrender of Colojn that they spat at, and attempted to strike i' '^ they marched Into the fort, and nothing but < of the English saved Vuft Angelbeek from the efi'ect'^ the resentment of his owncountrymen : he n( the land of his birth, but remained a resideni . until his death, which is said by some to have be caused by his own hand. Thus ended the THE BRITISH. S5 Du^ch ia Ceylon ; a rule, which though marked by fv u er atrocities than that of the Portuguese, had also its dark spots. The object of the Dutch, though better concealed, was in realit;y the same ; they aimed at the entire subjugation of the island ; arid wherever they suc- ceeded in fixing their yoke, its wearers found it a heavy one. The maritime districts of the island having been thus transferred to the British, they were placed under the government of Madras, and Mr. Andrews, a civil servant of that presidency, who had previously been appointed am- ^^ssador to the Kandian court, was entrusted with the 'justment of the financial system to be pursu€d in the ricwly acquired possessions. The course adopted by him was unfortunate. Re- -rdless of local differences, he introduced into the island at system which prevailed in Madras, swept away the iO previously existing, and instead of employing the live of^clals and headmen of the island to carry out •) scheme, supplied their places by rapacious du- .shes from India, intent on extortion and oppression. 'te dissatisfaction caused by these measures led to a vvas soon suppressed, but the necesshy fc different course from that prevalent in India. jjparent to the home government; the Hon. rederick North, subsequently E^rl of Guildford, v/a:i in 4 9S, appointed governor; and in 1S02, when by the •:i< / 0-' Amiens the Dutch possessions in Ceylon were ■msferred to the British, ail connection with adiat, was severed; an arrangement to which Ceylon r -r-! p*^ rnrasure owes her subscquent prosperity. after the occupation of the maritime 8 86 THE EUROPEAN OCCUPATION. provinces by the British, Rajadhi Raja Singha, the king of Kandy, died A. D. 1798, leaving no issue. It devolv- ed therefore on the adigar, or prime minister, accord^ ing to the laws and usages of the country, to nominate his successor. Pileme Talavve, who at this time held that office, an ambitious, designing, and unscrupulous man, now con- ceived the idea of overthrowing the Tamil dynasty, and placing himself upon the throne. With this end in view, he selected for the crown, a brother of the queen, a Ta- mulian youth about eighteen years of age ; who was ac- cordingly crowned with the title of Wikreme Raja Sin- gha : he was the last king of Kandy, The adigar next turned his eyes towards the Brhish^ with the hope of enlisting their services in his favor. He opened communications with the Governor, Mr. North, who did not consider it unworthy of the English name, to countenance the designs of the traitor, and even to promise him his assistance. It was accordingly arranged between them that an embassy should be gent to Kandy, and that the ambas- sador to be selected should be the principal military • officer in the island ; that his escort should in reality consist of a strong military force, well provided with cannon and munition of war; that when the plan was- ripe for execution, the king should on some pretence o other be deposed and conveyed to Jaffna, that the adi- gar should be raised to the throne, nominally recognised as king, and supported in his position by a British force to be paid out of the Kandian treasury. Accordingly general Mac Dowall proceeded towani Kandy with a powerful and well appointed *' escort'' ef THE BRITISH' 81 rtiliery and infuntry. But the suspicions of the king regarding the real character of the *' embassy" were aroused by some of his officers. The king according- ly caused the party to be guided by a circuitous route, which was impassable for cannon ; and the ambassador was consequently obliged to leave them, as w^ell as the greater part of his force, at Euanwelie, and to proceed to Kandy, with a diminished party ; and after having been delayed for some time on various pretences, ae proposals for a treaty made by him were rejected, and he was obliged to return to Colombo without having accomplished his purpose. But the quiver of the treacherous adigar contnmed more arrows than one. He stirred up the mind of the king against the British, and induced him to molest their borders andtheir subjects, with a view to embroil him ith the English^ and so to atibrd them a pretext for war. party of traders who proceeded to the interior, having en robbed and ill treatqd, compensation was demand- I by the British government, and refused. Upon this '3ncral Mac Dowall advanced on Kandy with a force 3,000 nien, (A. D. 1803.) On his approach, the king tired to llanguranketty, after having fired the town. By secret suggestions of the adigar, who still kept up jmmanication with the invaders, one Muttuswamy, a iative of ihe king, a man of no moral character, and opisod bTT the people, was placed on the throne ; and • v/as induced to agree to the proposal that a Britisli "ce should remain to support hhn on the throne, and ^ > valuable tract of territory should he ceded to his ors, as a reward for their services. 1 he adigar next propo^d, — and the proposal was Use- 88 THE EUROPEAN OCCUPATION- ened to, that the newly crowned king should be depos. ed, that the fugitive king should be given up to the English ; and that the adigar himself should be raised to the chief authority under them, with the title of *' chief prince." The general, after promising his consent to these contemplated measures, quitted Kandy on the 1st April 1803, leaving behind him 300 European and 700 Malay soldiers, as the British contingent. The numbers of those who remained, were however soon thinned by sickness to such an extent as materially to weaken the efficiency of the force; and the adigar, false to the foreigners, as he had been to his own king, and mindful only of him- self, now formed the daring plan of making himself master of the person of Mr. North, destroying the con- tingent in Kandy, murdering both kings, and assuming the crown himself. The opportunity of which he hoped to avail himself for effecting the first of his designs, was at an interview agreed on between himself and the gov- ernor, in the Seven Korles. The meeting took place, but his purpose was frustrated by the opportune, and hu- manly speaking, accidental arrival of a detachment of Malays which at the time happened to be on the march. Foiled in this, he resolved to attempt the second of his designs. On the 24th June, the palace in Kandy^ in which the British troops were quartered, was attacked by a strong body of Kandians. At this time there were but twenty Europeans fit for duty, so much had sickness reduced their numbers. Accordingly, after an attempt ;it resistance, Major Davie, the officer in command, was induced to listen to a proposal that he should evacuate the town, in favor of the deposed king ; that he should take with him the puppet Muttuswamy ; that he should THE BRITISH. S9 be allowed to retire unmolested to Colombo, with arm^ and baggage ; that facilities should be afforded for his progress thither ; and that the sick should remain in tli'- hospitals and be tended and carefully watched. The terras of the capitulation having been signed by the ad- igar on behalf of the king, Major Davie marched out of the town the same eveniiig, with fourteen European ofli- cers, 20 European soldiers, 250 Malays, and the ex king Muttuswamy. At a distance of about three miles from the town they reached the banks of the Mahawille ^^anga, which, swollen by the floods, rolled turbulently y , and forbad passage save by boats. No arrangements appeared however to have been made for their crossing, and they were consequently compelled to halt until the following day, in this unfavorable situation. The njorning came, but no boats or rafts appeared ; \he. Kandians began to assemble around them in force, > J at length a message was brought to the effect that \e king was much enraged at Muttuswamy's having •en permitted to accompany them, and that it would ') necessary to give him up immediately. This, Major avie refused to do ; on whicii a second message^ more Tcmpiory than the first, was sent to him, with promises raid in the event of compliance, and threats of ven- eance in case of refusal* After a consultation with the iher officers, Major Davie consented to give him up ; wo's rr-rrip 1 back to Kandy and there executed alon^ - relations. Several of his followers were iiiiy mutilated, and a few of them subsequently V jjv.'d CO the sea coast and were provided for by the. ; I . itish govern rnent. [ ': Tragedy now draws towards its close. After a de- 90 . THE EUROPEAN OCCUPATION. tention 6f two days on the banks of the river, the British troops were ordered to lay dc • n their arms and fieturn to Kandy, with the assurancp-tl^at their lives would be spared. They complied with the first part of the order. The English were then led away two at a time, and when out of sight of their comrades, ruthlessly butch- ered, and their bodies thrown into a hollow. Major Da- vie and Captain Rumley were thej^nly ones intentionally spared ; they were taken back to Kandy, and ended their days in captiv=ity, though allowed a certain amount of liberty. Duung the massacre, an officer of the Bengal artillery' Captain Humphreys by name, and a medical assistant, a native of Colombo, contrived to throw them- selvc s amongst the slain as if dead, and when darkness s t in, concealed themselves as they best could. The 'uedical assistant escaped to Colombo ; the officer was jventualfy made prisoner and detained in Kandy for the rest of his life. A corporal, called Barnsley, was wounded and left for dead, but he recovered and made his way to Fort Mac Dowall, where a detachment of the British was stationed. Before passing judgment on the officer who commandi^ • ed this ill-fated party, it should be remembered that he *never had the opportunity affi^rded him of vindicating himself. It should also be remembered that it was at the urgent entreaty of his brother officers that the capitulation was agreed to by him; that it was aftei consultation with them that he surrendered the unhappy Muttuswamy, and then only, when refusal appeai'ed useless ; and that it was with the concurrence of the majority that the fatal step was taken of laying down their arms. During the late Indian mutiny, instan'^c- THE BRITISH. 91 of misplaced confidence, as striking, are on nicord, where the part^es*principally concerned were men of known and acknowledged bravery* Let us endeavor toreg,lize the effects of sickness, hunger, and fatigue, upon the strongest constitutions ; the influences of physical debility on the mind ; the hopeless position of.the party, with a swollen river before them, a hostile city behind them, and a pow- erful force around them, — and we shall be the better able to understand how they were induced to give ear to the blandishments of a heartless and deceitful villain, who had hitherto pretended to be their friend, and who spoke of repose to the weary, and safety to the imperilled. It would have been well, as the event proved, to have tried to hold their ground within the city until reinforcements could be obtained : it would have been better, when they found themselves betrayed, to have died where they stood, with arms in their hands : but it is easy to be wise after the act. They were British officers and British soldiers, and with such, bravery is the rule not the ex^ ception ; doubtless under more favorable circumstances they would have shewn themselves worthy of their coun- try and their service. Those who believe that a super- intending providence guides the affairs of men, and sometimes allows them to suffer, in this world, the pun. ishment of national sins, will perhaps regard this tempo- rary humiliation of the British arms as a chastisement from above : for we cannot disguise from ourselves the fact that it was not creditable to those concerned therein, to connive at the villany of the adigar, whatever might be the ulteror objects to be gained by so doing. On the arrival of Corporal Barhsley with the sad atelligence, at Fort Mac Dowall, eighteen miles east of 9*2 THE EUROPEAN OCCUPATION. Karidy, Captain Madge, the officer in command, abandon- ed the position, and though obliged to leave most of the sick behiad him* succeeded in fighting his way toTrin- eomalie : he was miicli molested during the first part oi his retreat, but falling in, happily, with a party on the march to Kandy, the dribe. E. Tennent remarks that he has verified the accou* on record by the testimony of .persons still alive^ " wr- were spectators of a scene that after the lapse bf fort years is still spoken of with a shudder ;" and itisf^aid th . for two days the whole city, with the exeopMou of tl. royal palace, was as one house of mourningj no iSr vv' re lighted, and no food dressed. One dissavc hu fainted at the sight of the executions. ;5nd ihk ni^in^f'^s ation of feeling cost him his office. But the family of Eheylapola were noi the on' v TITE BRITISH. 97 dms of the tyrant's resentment ; others followed ; and the chiefs and people, uncertain who wonld be the next sulferer, looked around for deliverance, and turned their eyes towards the British, to aid them in throwing otl ^'.'^ thraldom of their oppressor. Circumstances ere lono occurred which rendered the necessity for his chastise- ment imperative. In 1814, a party of native traders, British subjects, proceeded to the interior ; and the king, suspecting them to be spies, caused their noses, ears, and arms to be cut off. Those who survived the mutilation returned to Colombo, and on the circumstances being made known, war was declared by the British, (July 10th 1S15,) with the announcement however, that it would be waged " not against the Kandians" as o nation, but against that tyrannical powen which h«^d provoked by aggravated outrages and indignities the just resentment of the British nation ] which had cut off the most ancient -nd noble families in the kingdom, deluged the land with blood of its subjects, and by the violation of every iigious and moral law, become an object of abhorrence mankind.'* (Proclamation as quoted by Philalethes.) The British forces were formed into eight divisions, and were ordered to concentrate themselves upon the •vr.ndian capital, proceeding thither by different routes. ,0 di vision which advanced from Colombo, marched Ly Euanwelie, encountered, and defeated a large force ent to oppose it, commanded by Molligodde in person, Vo narrowly escaped capture by plunging mto the :igle, his palanquin falling into the hands of the vie- ;3. But although Molligodde had assumed an attitude . mrr^lrdy hostile to the British, his sympathies were ' so soon as his family had succeeded in * 9 98 THE EUROPEAN OCCUPATION. escaping from the reach of the king's resentment, he openly threw up his allegiance, and went over to the invaders, accompanied by most of the other chiefs. The meeting between Eheylepola and Molligodde has been described by Philalethes. The remembrance of their mu- tual sorrows excited the most painful feelings, and they both burst into tears. As the British force closed in upon the capital, the king, who is described as having hitherto continued *' in a state of torpid inactivity,'' began to awaken to a sense of the dangers that surrounded him, and to be con- scious of the dissatisfaction of his subjects. The only ef- fect however that it appeared to have on him was an in- creased desire of gratifying his vindictive spirit, and it became dangerous in the. extreme to communicate to him any intelligence of a disastrous nature ; of two mes- sengers who were charged with the news of a defeat, he caused one to be beheaded, and the other to be im- paled. On the 14th February 1815, the British entered Kan- dy : the king and two of his wives had fled to Medema- hanewera, whither he was pursued by a party of Ehey- lepola's retainers, commanded by a chief called Eknel- ligodde. The place of the king's concealment having been pointed out to them, the door was shattered, when the glare of torches revealed the tyrant to the gaze of his exulting subjects, who " bound him hand and foot, re. viled him, spat on him, and dragged him to the next vil- lage with every species of insult and indignity" (Phila- lethes.) Mean spirited in the hour of adversity, as he had been arrogant in the day of power, he supplicated THEr BRITISH* 99 at the hands of Eheylepola's retainers that mercy he had refused their master's family. His life was spared, but he was conveyed a prisoner to Colombo, and thence re^ moved to Vellore in the Madras presidency, where ho died A. D. 1832, of dropsy. We extract the following interesting passage from Sir Emerson Pennent's work. '' On the 2d March 1815, a solemn convention of the chiefs assembled in the audi- ence hall, of the palace of Kandy, at which a treaty was concluded formally deposing the king and vesting his dominions in the British crown ; on condition that the na- tional religion should be maintained and protected, jus- tice inpartially administered to the people, and the chiefs guarranteed in their ancient privileges and powers. Ehey- lepola, who had cherished the expectation that the crown would have descended to his own head, bore the disap- :'atment with dignity, declined the offers of high office, and retired with the declaration that his am.bition was satisfied by being re?o '^* nor is assisted by, and presides over an executive oil consisting of the officer commanding the forces, il colonial secretary, the queen's advocate, the treasure and the audits^ general. The legislative council presided over '^y the governor, and is composed ■ the members of the executive council, the gove^mnt \ agents for the Western and Central Provittce.s, tl THE BRITISH. 109 surveyor general, the collector of sea customs, n./i five unofficial gentlemen, who respectively represent the Singhalese, Tamil, Burgher, plantifig, and mercantile in- terests. The assistant colonial secretary officiates as clerk to both councils. The six provinces into which the island is divided, are severally presided over by officers called govern- ment agents, who, with the help of younger members of the civil service, called assistant agents, carry on the financial administration of theii provinces, 1 The native headmen under their control, are their valuable and in- dispensable auxiliaries. Tlie judicial administration is entrusted to a supreme court, composed of a chief justice and two puisne judges ; and to district judges and magistrates, who are distr- h'jted ovt3r the island. The supreme court has original /isdiction over crimes of a serious nature, which are j'dghi before it periodically at Colo-fubo, and on circuit, the queen's advocate or his deputy ; it also exercises ; appellate jurisdiction over all the minor courts. The trict courts have unlimited civil, and limited criminal isdiction^ subject however to appeal ; the magistrates ve civil and criminal jurisdiction in minor caseSj and ^.> justices of the peace, take depositions in cases of a f ave nature, for the queen's advocate. The colonial retary, auditor general, and treasurer, have offices Colombo. The sea customs^, civil engineer's, survey- 's, and post master's departments, are each presided er by one head with a siaff ^^I's, who act ore or less under his control, at c^dations. The jistrar's office is an appendage of the supreme court commisariat is partly a military and partly a civii 110 THE EUROPEAN OCCUPATION. department. The school commission, master atten- dant's department, steamer agency, botanical garden, loan office, savmg's bank, medical department, and imi- gration labor commission, make up the total of the dif. ferent branches of the public service, with the exception of the ecclesiastical, which is composed of an Anglican bishop and clergy, besides two Scotch and two Dutch Presbyterian chaplains. THE ANTIQUITIES OF CEYLON. Ill CHAPTER, V. The Antiquities of Ceylon. The descriptions of the public edifices and agricul- ural works of Ceylon in the olden times, are substanti- ated by the ruins tiiat to this day remain, enveloped frequently, within the dense foliage of forests that be- neath a tropic sun have sprung up around them ; and after making all due allowance for oriental hyperbole, there is evidence amply sufficient to satisfy the traveller iliat the now solitary and unhealthy regions about Anu- radhapura and Pollonnarua were once instinct with hu- man life ; that the sovereigns who successively swayed the sceptre were keenly alive to the importance of dev- eloping the resources of a grateful soil ; and that the labor expended on their stupendous agricultural works ought back a return, not only sufficient to supply the ■mis of a teeming population, but also to enable them, die maintaining a court, the splendor of which was the <^me of foreign priuces, and the incentive to foreign jacity, to spend countless sums on structures, in deslgn- .^ which, the idea of utility was utterly discarded, and ;t of grandeur alone entertained. aUINS or EDIFICES. We begin with those of the more ancient capital. ■ er)' where about Anuradhapura, the sculptured re- rds ofits former splendor exist. Selected by Panduwa'sa hiy capital, in the sixth century before Christ, his im- :*diate successors vied with each other in embellishing and according to Tumour, it. was eventually enclosed * ".'all, sixteen gowsj or sixty four miles round, em- 1 12 THE ANTIQUITIES OF CEYLON. bracing an area of 244 square miles ; including doubtless, gardens as well as buildings within its compass. The most venerable monument of antiquity is the en- closure within which stands the " Jaya Sri Maha Bodin Wahanse" — the celebrated bo tree which was brought from the kingdom of Magadha, the modern Bahar, in the third century before Christ, during the reign of the Singhalese king, Devenepiatissa, and plan-ted where it now stands. According to the Mahawanse, Dharmasoka king of Magadha having with a vermillion pencil mark- ed the desired place of severance on the parent tree, which was said to be that one under which Gotama at- tained the Budhaship, the branch spontaneously disuni- ted itself, and was carried to Ceylon with the utmost solemnity and reverence ; numberless miracles are al- leged to have been performed during its transit and sub- sequent planting where it now stands. Rejecting the supernatural parts of the narrative, there is every reason for believing that the antiquity of the tree has been correctly stated : though now upwards of two thousand years old, it is still fresh and healthy. Sue- ceeding sovereigns adorned the spot where it was plant- ed, and it stands at the present day, a silent but most in- teresting witness of ages gone by. Among the dagobas about Anuradhapura, deserving of special notice, the first in point of antiquity is the ■ Thuparamaya, a monument enclosing as it is said, the right jaw bone of Gotama. It was built by Devenepia- tissa in the third century before Christ, and is 70 feet in height. Some of the classic stone pillars, with elegant- ly chiselled capitals, which surrounded it, are still in ex- istence. EDIFICES. I lo Next in antiquity, and far superior in size and mo«:,i licence, was the Kuanwelli dagoba, commenced by Ih- tugaimunu, B. C. 160, and completed by his successor. It sustained much injury during a Tamil inroad, A. D. 1214. it is DOW 150 feet high, and is built of briclv ; ;. subterranean passage formerly led to the interior. Not far from the sacred bo tr«e, the eye is arrested by a mimber of stone pillars, some standing, others fallen, ov as if about to fail. These are the pillars oi the famous Lovva Maha Paya, or brazen palace of Dutugaimunu, so called, because the roof was covered with that ■ metal It was built in the second centur> before Christ, as a residence for the priests, and wa? jpported by sixteen hundred pillars. In their pr<^'- ?nt rough condition, these pillars fail to spggest r\y idea of beauty ; particularly when compared with ■he graceful columns of Mehintalai or the Thupara- laya. It is however more than probable that they were ; former times covered with cement, and adorned witl' recious substances, h is related in the Mahawanse -go 163, that the king ''caused a gilt hail to be •nstructed in the middle of the palace.'' *' The hall f\.s supported on golden pillars representing lions and (her animals, as well as the de'wata's. At the extrem- '"■' of the hall it was ornamented with festoons of pearls, :j around with beads." •^ m this supreme palace there were nine stones, id in each of them one hundred apartments. All tl est ;>artments were highly embellished ; they had festoons t beads resplendant like gems. The flower ornament?. nppertaining thereto were also set with gems, and the kling festoons were of gold. In that palace there were 114 THE ANTIQ,UiTIES OF CEYLOX. a thousand dormitories having windows with ornaments (like unto) jewels, which were bright as eyes." Such is part of the description of the fannous brazen palace, a testimony both of the munificence of its erecter and his reverence for the priesthood* It is specially re- corded that the laborers employed in its construction were remunerated; the king being of opinion that " on this occasion it was not fitting to exact unpaid labor ;" froni which it may fairly be inferred that it was gener- ^^liy the practice to employ compulsory labor, probably that of the aborigines ; and this may account for the satisfaction with which the Gangetic race regarded the construction of public edifices — a feeling that would probably not have existed had their own efforts been taxed. The Abha'yagiri dagoba was erected by Walagam Bahu lst» B. C 87, on his rescuing the throne from tl. ^isurpation of the Tamils. It was originally no less thar* ISO cubits in height, but is now reduced to 240 feet. The Suwana ra'maya dagoba was erected by the san king. The Jaytawana'ra'ma dagoba was built by Ma- hasen in the third century after Christ. It was 210 feet in height, and its circumference is still 1080 feet. It is 4 surrounded by a spacious court paved with stone, and it has been estimated, (according to Sir E. Tennent,) that the whole mass contains twenty millions of cubic feet. About eight miles from Anuradhapura, in an easterly direction, a hill suddenly rises above the plain. A flight of a thousand steps, partly built, partly cut out of tht solid rock, leads to a stone dagoba ; and ascending still farther, the traveller finds himself at the base of a second dagoba of brick. This remarkable hill is call EDIFICES. 115 M^ihintalai, in honor of Mahindo, the founder of Budhism in Ceylon. The lower, or Ambustulla dagoba is sup- posed to mark the exact spot where the meeting took place between Mahindo, and king Devenepiatissa. The upper dagoba, called the Ambhalato, is said to enshrine a single hair from the forehead of Budha. Between Mahintalai and Kandy, at a distance of forty- five miles from the latter place, is a huge mass of gneiss which towers above the level country to the height of 350 feet. The name of the place is Dambool, and the caves in the side of the rock have been converted into Budhist temples, and at the present day glow with all the brightness of coloring the painter's art can be- stow. On entering a richly carved gateway, an image of Budha is discovered in a sitting position, and within, is a figure *' in a reclining posture 40 feet in length." (Sir E. Tennent.) This temple was first endowed by Wal- agam Bahu, B. C. 86. It is still a place of much resort, and when in 1855, the writer inspected it on his w^ay from Anuradhapura, in company with one of the few Europe- an ladies vVho have ever visited these spots, crowds of. pilgrims of both sexes, dressed in their gayest attire, were swarming up and down the sides of the well wora rock. We next proceed to PoUonnarua, the more recent cap- ital of the island, situated on the banks of an extensive tank. No scene '' (says Sir Emerson Tennent)" can be conceived more impressive than this beautiful city must have been in its pristine splendor ; the stately bu. jdings stretching along the shore of the lake, their gilded cupolas reflected on its still expanse, and embowered in the dense foliage of the surrounding forests. At THE ANTIQUITIES OF CETLON- the present day it is by far the most remarkable asst blage of ruins in Ceylon, not alone from the numb aird dimensions, but from the architectural superic ily of its buiidibgs.'* Pollonnarua had been a favorite residence of royalty mgiSiYly as A. D. 718. It was however Mahindo 1st w: about the year 775 abandoi:ied the ancient capiial and adopted it as the seal of government. It was here.tliat Prakrama Bahu the magnificent was crowned A. 0.115^ and he it w^as that raised it to the height of its splend^ According to the Mahawanse it was seven gows or 28 mil long, and 4 gows broad, the whok t^urrounded by awu Trs.krama enkirged the lake, erected numerous edific* and planted gcirdeijs. The Rankot dagoba was built i- his queen. It is 558 feef in circumference and 186 height. The main street of the city, which formed t' approach to this monument, may (according to Sir 1 Tennent,) be still traced by the foundations of the houf- that lined it on either side. Farther up the street is the Jay ta Wana Rama te pie, built by the king, on a model it is said, of one erec ea at Kapilewasta by Golamr. himself. It "^ differs oli'j racier from Singhalese structures generally, and Aorkmcn employed on it were brought over from Indi It contains a gigantic image of Budha, Not far fro: It IS the Kir. ,d'rg(>])a/so called from its milklike wh'^ ness. It V Us surmounted by a golden spire, p built A. 1). llSi'. Near it are '•ome stone pillar: mark the site whore th-? ^^jit? sahawe or to'vn c v/as vont to assemble. The Galwi;t2|#i is said to be one o. v .- . . , the only tempi > If the island, whi'ih is sculpturee the living rocl;. EDIFICES 117 The remains of the royal palace testify to its having been a splendid speci/nen of art. It appears to have been built at a period later than that of Prakrama Bahu, and is supposed to owe its existence to Wijayo Bahu 3d, on the restoration of Pollonnarua after a Malabar inva- sion, in the 13th century. *. The Sat Mahal Pasada, or seven storied house, still exists; and in front of it is the Galpota, or stone book, shaped to resemble an ola book. It is 26 feet long, 44 broad, and 2 thick ; and it bears an inscription to the effect that king Nissanga's strong men brought it from Mahintelai, a distance of 80 miles. Near it is the Delade^ Maligawa, which held the sacred tooth. In a former part of this work, allusion was made tQ king Kasyappa, who after the murder of his father, fort- ified himself within the rock Sigiri, a contraction of Si- ha-giri, or the lion rock. This remarkable hill shoots up perpendicularly 400 feet from the plain ; it was sur- rounded with a rampart by the parricide, and a flight of stone steps led to his place of retreat. Tradition says that on the summit a tank existed ; but no one has in later times ventured to test the truth of the story. The last, though- by no means the least ancien^t or in- teresting dagoba we shall speak of, is the one at Binten- ne, in the Badulla district. The city itself was of extreme antiquity ; according to Sir E. Tennent, it was he Maa- grammum of Ptolemy, and a ^ "^^ity of the Ifakkos ; and it was here that Gotama .« .o have first set foot in Ceylon. Its ancient name wHs Maha^'angana, and it was built on the banks of the Mahavilleganga. So late its 1602 the city was still in a flourishing conditioa ; and the Dutch Admiral Spelbergen passed through it on his 118 THE ANTIQ^UITIES OF CETLON. way to Kandy. Tlie dagoba was built three hundred years before Christ, by the brother of king Devene- piatissa. '* It is a huge semi-circalar mound of brick work, three hundred and sixty feet in circumference, and still one hundred feet high, but so much decayed at the top that its original outline is no longer ascertain- able," Sir E. Tennent. Such are the principal edifices to be met with amon^ the ruined cities of Ceylon. Space will net permit us to dwell at greater length on the elaborate carvings and sculpturings still in existence, though manifesting as they do, considerable acquaintance with the fine arts. The feelings of the spectator in contemplating these relics of a by-gone age, are of a mingled character. Calculated apparently to resist for ever the ravages of decay, they have crumbled away beneath the insidious influences • a foe, from which danger would scarcely have beei; expected. The tiny seed dropped between the crevi- ces of the masonry by some bird, as it rested for while in its course, has germinated — it has insinuated ;' roots within the structure — increasing in size it has re; the mass asunder, and the work of destruction once b gun, has advanced more and more rapidly with each su oeedihg year. As vegetation has encroached on tl; once thickly peopled city, sickness has followed in 1 train: 8 heavy oppressive air broods overall — a rai ' undergrowth spring^^ 4round. The already scan; population becomet ss — the feeble succumb, tl. yurvivers fiee— the wiiabeasts roam amidst the desert^ balls of princes — the elephant browses at will beside tii- giant statue of Budha. Silence and desolation reign s\>- preme; and a few sickly, fever strick'- :.i>"i. -- WORKS OF IRRIGATION. 119 scattered here and there in hamlets, and an ignorant priest or two, gliding, in yellow robes amidst the colossal monuments of the past, are all that remain to represent the ancient grandeur of the spot. WORKS OF IRRIGATION, In one of the earliest of his minutes, Sir Henry Ward aays, that branching off from the main road to Trincoma- lie, about six miles from Dambool, he met with no less than nine tanks within a distance of sixty miles. In the course of his investigation he found that they were con- structed '*with great labor, considerable engineering skill, and of such solidity, that their embankments seemed to defy the hand of time. North of these again, about forty miles, is Paduvil colum, the most gigantic work of all, for the bund, which is in perfect repair except at the one Spot where in the course of ages the waters have forced a passage between it and the natural hills which it united, is eleven miles long, thirty feet broad at the summit, one hundred and sixty feet at the base, and seventy feet high : and that to the westward of Pa- duvil colum again, lie the tank of Anuradhapura and the giant's tank, the dimensions of which I cannot give, as the work was never completed according to the original design." " Paduvil colum great part of which I walked or rode over, was formed by the water*^ <'the rivers Morra oya and Moongamo oya, confinef ^ plain by the enor- mous bund which I have just t^^jscribed. Its construc- tion must have occupied a million of people for 10 or 15 years." " The tank when full is said to have irrigated the whole 120 THE ANTIQUITIES OF CETLON. space between the bund and the sea, in the direction of Kokeki, A vast breach is now open, the depth of which is said to be unfathomable ; and what was once the basin ofthetanlr is covered with magnificent timber, except in those parts which are still under water during the rainy season. These are overgrown with a coarse rank grass ; for miles around, there is not a vestige of man, and the temporary building erected for our reception had the ef- fect of frightening away all the game in the country, so unaccustomed were the deerand buffaloes which frequent the tank to any intrusion upon their solitudes," (Sir Henry Ward.) The nine tanks between Dambool and Trincomalie, alluded to abova^are those of Sigiri, Kondruwewe, An- goulassa, Dimitelle, ^oUonnarua or Topari, Giritelle, Minere, Kowdelle, and Kandelle or Gantalawe. There can be no doubt that a perfect net work of ca- nals connected the different tanks ; that every river or stream that could be turned to account was intercepted, its waters diverted into these huge reservoirs, and there husbanded, by the aid of artificial embankments, gener- ally stretched between two hills, and constructed,- where such a measure appeared necessary, of massn blocks of stone, artistically bevilled in such a manne that pressure only consolidated them the more firmly furnished with sluices and spill waters for the irrigatio of the surrounding f and the escape of the surpli water. At the time these works were commo throughout the island, tlie art of irrigation was in Eu rone in its rudest state ; and no oriental Cotton had jr- S[^anned the Kavery and Colleroon by anicuts, and coii verted Tanjore into a garden of unceasing fertility. I WORKS OP' IRRIGATION. 1^1 The work to which we first propose directing our attci: tion, is the EHahara- canal, which Messrs Bailf v Churchill, and Adams, succeeded in tracing from thi Matele district to the neighborhood of Trinconrialie. The Eilahara caifel was commenced by king Mahaseu A. D. 275. It was fed by the waters of the Karaganga, a river which the gentlemen before named have identi- fied witlt the Ambanganga of Matele, TW^I-iver fed the various tanks in its course, including those of Mlneri and Kowdelle, the first of which is 21 miles in circumfer ence : the second, though now in ruins, its bed being covered by forest trees, is said to have been 37 miles round. Although the canal • was ocmmenced by Mahasen, the original design was extended and con- siderably improved by king Prakrama Bahu 2nd, A. D> 1153, By constructing a bund at Eilahara, he di- -'ted the waters of the Karaganga into what is called ■) '' sea of Prakrama,'- an expanse o^ water formed a series of extensive tanks connected with each other by canals. It would be difficidt to say wliat extent of country was thus converted into an inland *' sea ;" but •lie idea may be formed of the magnitude of the under- ling when it is stated that one of the embankments >vie, stretches along a^ distance of 24 miles, and varies height from 40, to 90 feet. To follow more at length interesting report of the explorers, and to repeat ;?ir description of the hewn stor "^ocks, masonry w^'rk , \\ waters, sluices, &lq. woi beyond our limits : - .Aifice it to say that they succeetied m tracing the Ella- .n;a canal to Kandelle near Trincomalie, where that .e pours its surplus waters into the sea at Tamblegam : sy which is itself believed to have at one time been II 122 THE ANTIQUITIES OF CEYLON. an extensive tank, into which the sea forced its way. The locality of the famed '^ sea of Prakrama," which had previously been a matter of uncertainty, has now been determined ; it has also been satisfactorily ascer- tained that in ancient times boats from the vicinity of Trincomalie navigated the Ellahara canal ; and a tree was pointed out by the natives as the '* tamarind tree to which the boats used to be tied." The Anuradhapura tank, though not the most impor- tant, is the oldest work of its kind. It was constructed by Panduwa'sa, in the fifth century before Christ. The giant's tank, in the Manaar district, is so called because the huge masses of rock forming the lower part of its dam, which are said to have sustained no injury by time, were supposed to have been hewn and carried to their places by giants. To whom the de- sign is due, of attempting to collect and confine a mass of water as extensive as the lake of Geneva, is unknown* In order to feed this tank, it was intended to divert from its course the Aripo river, the tributaries of which alone are often formidable streams. The attempt proved abortive, for, after all the vast expenditure of labor, the evidences of which continue to this day, it was found that the levels had been wrongly taken ; and the courtly chroniclers, unwilling to record royal failures have refrained from naming the sovereign in whose reign this work was under* n. The giant's tank now con- tains within its basi^. villages which have sprung up since its formation. A companion piece to the giant's tank, is that of Kal- eweva, between Anuradhapura and Dambool, which Tumour calls *' one of the rnost stupendous monuments i WORKS OF IRHIGATION. 123 ^ misapplier) human labor existing." It was improved i( not constructed by king Dbatu Sena, by drawing embankment across the Kalu Oya, A. D. 460. The bund is twelve miles long, and the spill water is of hewn granite. The waters thus confined were thrown back for twenty miles to the foot of theDambool rock, where a canal sixty miles long connected the lake with the city of Anuradhapura : but the waters burst the embank- nents, and rendered the work useless. The Horra-borra tank in Bintenne, is the last work of the kind, which we shall notice, on which no modern * ffort has been expended. An artificial embankment feet broad, has here been drawn across a river, at pot where two masses of rock rising from the bed of 0. stream add solidity to the work. These rocks, though x\y feet in thickness, have been tunnelled so as to al^ w the surplus water to escape through them ; they jie formerly fitted with sluice gates, and the waters rested by t\\e embankment were thrown back a distance eight or ten miles. The restoration of these uuc.^iiL sources of wealth has quently been the subject of speculation : we venture to le as our opinion that not only do the conditions under lich they were originally constructed, no longer exist, It also tliat any attempts to renesv them, except under cculiarly favorable circumstances and in particular lo- calities would be impracticable^. ;.r \that even under the most favorable circumstances iC -ccess of the experi- ment would he dubious. Although ihe Mahawanse is to a -cat degree silent on the subject, passages occur here id there to further the belief that however mild and be- nignant were the laws for the government of the donn- J 24 THE ANTIQ,UITIES OF CETLON. nant race,the aborigines held a subordinate,irnot a servile position. It would appear that they were the forced labor- ers by whose toil the public works were principally con- structed. Experience has in modern times amply shewn that not even the prospect of certain and immediate ad- vantage to their property, has been sufficient to overcome the reluctance of the Singhalese to repair or improve the channels which irrigate their lands ; and even under the pressure of the irrigation ordinance, passed to en- force their doing that, which self interest should have prompted them to do spontaneously, it has been found dif- ficult to rouse them to exertion. When in view of this, we consider the plaudits bestowed by the people in former times, on those kings who extended works of irrigation requiring a vast amount of time and labor, and when we remember how it is especially recorded that a king on one oc€asion paid for the labor of the Y^akkos, and further when we bear in mind how it was always the practice in olden times for the conquerors to make their conquer- ed subjects hewers of wood and drawers of water, the supposition we have hazarded is materially strengthen- ed. Such a condition of things we can never wish or f3xpect again to see : and without free labor, no govern, ment could undertake such works as the ancient tanks, at anytime, still less in the present day, when the cul- tivation of rice, under the most favorable circumstances is the least remunerf " ^ of any cultivation in the island. To all appearance, tlK^ lories of Anuradhapura and Pol- lonnarua, of Paduvil culum, the sea of Prakrama, and Mineri, are for ever departed ; or, if the forests that en- velop them shall again echo with the sound of the axe or the crash of falling timber, the Anglo Saxon must lead 'iVORKS OF IRRIGATION. 12^ the van, and his object must be other than the growth of grain. There are resources lying hidden in those- ''vify depths, worth more than paddy : there are produc- ous better able to bear taxation, which have already engaged the attention of the people ; and he who shaken the traditional belief in tiie advantages of sinking monc> in jewels, stone houses, and paddy fields, and direct* the energies of the native in the remoter parts of the islanri towards coffee, tobacco, cotton, cocoanuts, &c. will do a good work, and one that will bring its own reward. Wlierc men already hold iiucestral fields, and where thc-y can find no other outlet for their labor, there, it is desira- ble to encourage the growth of rice, and even to aid and rect them in husbanding the v/ater on which they mu^t ( fjly for a return. But it is folly for ])eople to pay forty and fifty pounds per acre for paddy fields, which under the most favorable ci/cumstances. cannot 3/ield any thing like "e percentage that might have been derived by simply ying out, the money on interest. During the administration of Sir Henry Ward, the nks of Errecamum and Ambare, in the Eastern Pro- ice, and that of Oroobokka, in the Southern have en restored. 126 RELIGION, LITERATURE, EDUCATIOtC- CHAPTER, VI. Religion^ Literaturey Education, HELIGION. Concerning the religion of the ancient inhabitants of Ceylon little is known. They are supposed to have worshipped snakes and demons ; and it is probable that the devil dances, which, though not in accordance with Budhism, are prevalent amongst the Singhalese, and which at present are the only approach to religious wor- ship amongst the Veddahs, have been perpetuated since their time. The religion of the mass of Singhalese is Budhism : of the Tamils, '^ Hinduism," a word which we are compell- ed to force into our service, for want of a better. With both, Christianity has made more or less progress. The Moormen are almost without exception Mohamedans. Gotama Budha, w^ho revived, if he did not found Bud- hism, was born of royal parents at Patna in the kingdom of Magadha, or as it is now called, Bahar, B. C. 624. Wonderful instances of precocity are related of him. When only 5 months old, he is said to have sat in the air with- out support, and the soothsayers predicted his future emi- nence. At sixteen he married, and in time became the father of a son. It had been foretold that the sight of four things would intj *e the coming Budha to renounce the world. They w6x, ; decrepitude, sickness, death, and a recluse. His father in vain sought to guard Go- tama from coming into proximity with these : and the sight of the last having inspired him with an unconquer- able desire to adopt a similar mode of existence, he bad RELIGION. BUDHI&M. 127 adieu to the charms of wedded life, and after one glance at his infant while sleeping in the arms of its mother? quitted his regal home and retired into solitude. Prac- ticing the most austere asceticism, after having reduced his daily allowance of food to the quantity containable in a pepper pod, he sank exhausted at the foot of a spread- ing bo tree, and there attained the supreme Budhaship. All the efforts of malignant demons to disturb his serenity proved abortive,and before his reproving look they vanish- ed as the clouds from before the moon : henceforth he pos- sessed a power that could accomplish, and a wisdom that could understand all things. He now commenced his minis- trations, visiting various parts of India as well as Cey- lon ; he also occasionally betook himself to other worlds. After many proofs of his greatness he died at the age of eighty. The place of his death is uncertain, some alleg- ing it was Delhi and others Assam : his remains were burnt and such relics as were preserved, or supposed to have been preserved, are adored by his followers. According to the tenets of Budha, wisdom and virtue are the two objects to be sought after. Sup,reme excel- lence consists in the extinction of all desire. Those who fail to attain this, continue to pass from one state of ex- istence to another. As one lamp is kindled from ano- ther, so is it with the successive conditions of the individ- ual. If so fortunate as eventually to overcome all de- sire, the lamp burns out and existence ceases. This con- dition is called Nirioana^ or the absence of desire ; and this is all that Budhism can offer its followers as the re- ward of the most rigid asceticism. To he^ is to suffer-, to cease to ie, is to cease to suffer. According to this doctrine, Gotama Budha, is not. He has ceased to ex- 128 RELIGION, LITERATURE, EDUCATION. 1st. His doctrines remain, bis memory is revered, hi example followed, his image adored. But he is not wor- shipped as a Divine Being, controlling the affairs of the world, and capable of rewarding and punishing. Th' Budliist has literally no God. Merit and demerit, ar cording to his philosophy, necessarily produce fruit afti iheir kind. There is norecognition ofpropitiation,pardo)" or atonement. Cause and effect are absolute, but th effect may follow after the individual has passed througi several ages of being, and he may be perfectly ignor- ant of the cause. It Is by no means uncommon for ; Budhist on being plunged into misfortune, to say *' tlii must be on accoimt of some sin committed by me in . former birth.** As a natural consequence of the belici — not of transmigration exactly, but rather of the renev al of existence under various forms, the destruction v animal life is forbidden. Even the priests however wi: partake of meat if the animal was not killed by therr selves or at their instigation.* Gotama was nc^ the only Budha ; many existed be fore him, and he specially alludes to six, Budha are persons who in each successive stage of existcrn have gone on ocquiring more and more mevir, more and iViOre lost desire of every kind. Pieasur An amusing ta4e is lehited ii]i»«trath'e of this. Currhe vvjld pig was a favorite dish of on« of the Kandian king^ Whenever it aj^peared on the board however, his rnnjesty pro fessed great indignatioii at this violation of Budhistical ten«ts, until assured that it had been recovered from the claws of a cheeta, which had seized and killed it. The royal scruples hav- ing been thus satisfied, the king was accustomed to fall to, witli the g4Jsloofa« ordinary individutil. RELIGION. — BUDHISM. 129 and pain, the social relations, the appetites, the emotions of the mind have lost all influence over them ; they be- come indifferent to all things sublunary, and are wrap- ped in meditation. Their last condition is always that of man ; on attaining the Budhaship they manifest its ac- quisition by miracles, until existence ceases. Those per- sons who do not become Budhas, but subdue their passions and extmguish their desires, are called Rahats. Budhism. has been embraced by no less than one-third of the hu- man race. It extends over Thibet, Nepal, China, Bur- ma, Siam, and Japan. It was introduced into Ceylon in the fourth century before Christ. Altliough Budhism, according to the teaching of its founder, is what has been described above, many innovations have crept in. There is in the heart of man, a disposition to worship some Being; and this disposition is apt to degenerate inio the worship of more than one. The abstract, refinements of Budhism are not understood by the vulgar ; and the learned find it useless to endeavor to enlighten them. Having no god of their "t)wn, they adopt those of others ; and the Hindu deities, Vishnu and Shiva, are generally to be found side by side with the placid image of Budha. As virtue and wisdom are the objects of their rever- iice, they even give Christianity, whose founder they admit to have possessed these qualities in a preeminent 'legree, a place in their system. - The Budhist priests professedly devote themselves to a life of abstinence. If married, the neophyte quits his family, assumes the yellow robe, causes his head, beard, and eye-brows to be shorn, and directs his attention to the subjugation of self, and the study of the sacred books. ]30 RELIGION, LITERATURE, EDUCATION* If he fiiid this self imposed task too diffic;«ll, he is at liberty to renounce the robes and return to so- ciety. The priests generally reside in buildings in tlie vicin- ity of the temple, or Wihari, in which the images of Budha are erected. The character of these residences which r ested spectator, taking an 4?nlarged and liberal viev of education as a whole, cannot but see with pleasur- that there is progress, social, inieileetual, and religious and, if a true friend of the people, will wish well to thoj^r who Jpire bringing western science to bear on easter: mind. He will also find that in aptitude for acquirin,: knowledge, the youth of Ceylon are in no respect be hind the very best of Saxon kds ; while as a rule, tho) are much more desirous of knwvledge, and anxious i- improve. For mathematics and arithmetic they have :• wonderful aptitude. Education fe generally yalued, main- ly as a stepping stone to promotion, but some there ^rt who love learning from learning'^s sakev It is in Jaffna where education has most permeatei the masses;' in f^ict there are more edu€ated men ii need of employment than can find it. This evil wil however be greatly corrected by the system now preva- leni:, of dumundirig payment for instruction in the high- er schools ; by which means the social balance will be T^2Stored. Besides supplying the government o1!ices, m clerks and -surveyors, several of tho Tamil young mei: LITERATURE. 145 iiave acquired considerable proficiency in medicine and surgery, under the instructions, first, of Ur. Ward, and then of Dr. Green, both of the American Mission. Two Tamil dispensers are attached to tiio Jaff\ia hospital, an institution which is a model of its kind ; which has bestow-^ ed inestimable benefit on the community ; and which re- flects the greatest credit on those entrusted with its man- agement. Several Tamil doctors are employed iu the public service, and are engaged in private practice, overcoming more and more popular prejudices against European treatment. Many young men are likewise -{engaged in the civil engineer's department. What for- merly were the American Mission press and bookbind- ing establishments, have, since 1855, been entirely in the hands of natives, and this little work will testify to their skill. Many Tamils likewise fill ofiices iri the banks, or are emph^yed in coflTee estates in the Central Province, and many have been called to the bar; shewing that however speculative may be their philosophy, they are quite capable of taking a practical turn, when properly directed and encouraged. • LITERATURE. As each Protestant mission has either the command or the use of a press, numerous publications are from time time issued by them, calculated both to interest and struct. The Bible has l>een prmted m both of the vernac- ar languages, and in Indo Portuguese ; tracts are freely istributed ; a monthly periodical in Singhalese, called Uie Lanka Nidha'na, and a Tamil newspaper called the Morning Star, have an extensive circulation, and a child's 3wspaper has been printed for some time past at Mane- pY ne'di' Jaffna, and has met with muck success. 13 146 RELIGION, LITERATURE, EDUCATION- As to English literature, there are three newspapers published in Colombo ; the Observer, the Examiner and the Times. Each appears twice a w^eek. At Galle, a fort- nightly Intelligencer is published, and a debating society in Colombo has recently issued a little magazine. At- tempts have at various times been made at literary peri- odicals, but they have been but short lived. A detailed account of all the works published in the island since its occupation by the Portuguese, would be interesting ; but our limits will not admit of giving one. It must not however be supposed that the Singhalese of old were without a literature of their own. They possess- ed works on astronomy, astrology, medicine, and surgery, and had some acquaintance with botany, geometry, and electricity. The Rev. M. Hardy gives, in the Asiatic Society's journal for 1847, a list of 467 works in the Sin- ghalese and Pali languages. Their writings were graven with a style on the leaf of the talipot or palmyra tree, a practice common at the present day. The Mahawanse, the Rajavali, and the Rajaratnacari are the most celebrat- ed "historical works of the Singhalese. Though the scene of the Ra'ma'yana, the great epic poem of the Hindus, is laid principally in Ceylon, the work itself was composed in India. There are however some writers in Ceylon who have contributed both prose and poetry, to the litera- ture of the north. In religion, education, and literature then, we may fair- ly pronounce the island to be progressive. There are natives with whom the European of cultivated taste may converse with advantage on any of these three subjects, and he will find ere he has done so long, that the ad- vantage in point of information does not always rest with LITERATURE. \ 47 himself. Were the British to retire from Ceylon tomorrow, they might point not only to bridges, roads, and other structures, as evidences of their sojourn, but to minds built on a European foundation, and stored with Eu- ropean science. With such facts before us, we may cheerfully hail the future of Ceylon. NoTK. — Under the head, *' Christianity," we omitted to no- ce the coolie mission, Kandy, connected with the Church N'sission, which, under the superintewdence of the Rev. ^'. lobbs, is doing much good among the coolies from India, em- l>)ved on the CofFee estates. 148 TRADE AND REVENUE OF CEYLON. CHAPTER, VII. Trade and Revenue of Ceylon. There is perhaps no British dependency where the state of the revenue is more satisfactory than in Ceylon ; nor is there, it may safely be added, any place in the east, where the condition of the people is so comfortable, — where their rights are so much regarded, — where the imposts are so light, — and where property is so equally distributed. Compared with the continent of India, how great is the contrast. If on the one hand we meet with few native milUonaries, on the other hand we fail to en- counter, to any thing like a similar extent, thatabject pen- ury, — that daily struggle for existence, so common there, where splendor and l)eggary jostle each other, and *^ pale death" need take but one short stride from the *'pal- aces of princes to the hovels of the poor." When the lower orders in South India fail to find the means of sub- sistence at home, they seek them and rarely seek them in vain, in Ceylon. We annex, below, two tables extracted from the Ceylon Almanac for this year, shewing in a compendious form, the estimated revenue and expenditure for 1861. From the first of these tables it will be seen that the customs is the principal source of revenue. The du- ties on goods imported and exported are estimated at £200,000. Of the articles imported, the prin- cipal are, From Great Britain ; — apparel, cotton goods, liquor, and metals. From India ; — grain, curry stuffs, earthen ware, xjotton goods, and brass ware. TraBE AND REVENUE OF CEYLON. 149 The total amount of duty so obtained, may be estima ted above, rather than below .£150,000 The principal exports are, To Great Britain ; — coffee, cocoanut oil; coir, and cinnamon.* To India ; — arrack, tniibcr, copperah, jaggery, an* tobacco. The total amount of duty so collected may be esthrui- ted under <£50,C00. Th« land revenue, the sale of stamps and licences, and of government property ar<; the items next in in- portanee ; the knd revenue is estimated at .£85,000 the right to retail arrack, rum, and toddy, will yiel about .£77,000, and the sale of salt £66,000. The revenue derived from the pearl fishery is ffuctu. ating and uncertain. The highest amount realized sine 1826, was m the year 1859, when above <£48,000 wev -collected ; this year nothing is expected from this sourecv The payment of the diiferent establishments of gov- ernment, and the construction of public works, are thf principal items of disbursement. * Coffee IS grown F^rincipally in the Central province ; the co- coanut in tli« maritime districts ; and cinnamon in the vicmitv nf Negombo, Colombo, and Galle. In the Peninsula of Jaffna, aorl in the district of Batticaloa, Europeans have engaged in the systematic cultivation cf th<: coconnut ; but a vast quantity of produce is collected from Iht trees in the gardens of natives, who also compete largely wit! ih^. Europeans in the growth of coffee. '4? -^ oo CO o CO ^ CO o Mt^ o ^ o oo il ^ CO vOOO o" s o i 5 — » o t^ o -- o ^ ^ Si f 1^ ^ o o O 00 o X uo O CO (M »': t.o rs -» O O O O CO o 00 'O Trp o C^ CJ 0)^0 r>. i^ o t5 ^ t^ .$ ^ z'. «3 U K ? S S s S c ^"=^ ^ — • J£ -55 ,C5 » ID ~ j; -^ ' = s *- a> -S X) — C ^ g OJ _ ' 0) 15 3 3 « ?? '-= "^ S c c ^ 2 iS^^ ss •- - - O 72 >-. 1 1 .1 5 - cj o -^ ii "o .2 o '-3 ^ ^ Si ^ o; oooooooooooo!:^J OOi'SOOOOOOOOOO irt^ O^ 7>^ G?^ O^ G>^ O^ O^ Lt^ f^)^ Lt^ O^ O^ o" o" i/f o" vff -^^ uo" •>© o ^-T o" '^'" o O OJ CX) O — Tf o '7? -* ;-• o o o o o o o o o o o o CO O L-O o o o '^ o o o fT^ C^ Cf) O •a>! »«-; b^ s: a ?i r ^ 3 9j oj ■ Q Oh 2 S 03 O ..i^ =: c 5 aj o .- 5 s o .= - n '"^ Jua^UyjHa,;jN;:;72eg 2 S S ^ .2 S * < « c : 33^ c CONCLUDING CHAPTER. 151 CHAPTER, VIII. Conclusion. In bringing this book to an end, \vc shall add but a few words. About the year, 1679, an Englishman of the name of Knox, who had for a length of time been a captive m the Kandian country, effected his escape to the sea-coast, and, eventually succeeded in return- ing to England, where he published in a simple, yet truthful manner, a narrative of his adventures, and a description of the land of his captivity. Amongst other things, he drew a picture of the abject condition of the people under the despotism of an unfeeling king, and the oppression of rapacious nobles. The punishments inflicted on those who offended the sovereign, were cruel in the extreme. Mutilation, dismemberment by elephants, and impalement were among those most common. It was a capital offence for a man to whitewash his house, this being a royal prerogative ; and none of the humbler classes could venture to manifest the appearance of wealth, lest their so doing should provoke spoliation by the more powerful. If we compare this state of things with the freedom now enjoyed alike by all classes, it must be admitted that the condition of the people has been much improved ; and although in the more remote dis- tricts of the interior, where knowledge and civilization have yet made but little progress, there may be a yearn- ing after the days gone by, still it may be said, that, as a rule, the people of Ceylon are happy and contented. When in 1857 — ^8, the wave of rebellion swept over the greater part of the continent of India, threatening to carry every thing before it, in its headlong course, not a ripple io2 CONCLUDING CHAPTER. disturbed the smooth surface of events iu Ceylon, and the Governor, Sir Flenry Ward, had sufficient confidence in the loyahy of the inhabitants, to enable him to send re* infprcements to Bengal, reserving only our faithful regfment of Riflemen, and a handful of European troops. At a place called Peredinia, four miles from Kandy, where a bridge, constructed of satm wood, spans with -i single arch, the broad channel (ff the Mahawelli ga^ga, there is a garden, in which the indigenous produc- lions, of Ceylon grow side by side with exotics trans- ported from distant lands. Both classes of plants are alike the objects of the superintendent's care, who, discriminating between the wants of each, seeks the full development of both. What suits the consti- tution of the one, would prove fatal to the other; and in the right discernment of the requirements of each, lies the difficulty of his task. So is- it also, with thn government of a country like Ceylon, inhabited by a mixed community. To maintain harmony, — to adapt himself to the peculiar wants of each body, — to secure the simuUaneous development of the whole, — is a task whicli would tax the powders of the most able ruler. It is comparatively easy for a right thinking man of common sense and energy, to be the autrocrat of a people accus- tomed implicitly to obey. It is comparatively easy too, to be the chief magistrate of an enlightened republic. It is not so easy to hold the reins of government aright, when a nation is bursting into freedom, and shaking oir the shackles that enthralled it, and in the first impnli--- of a new felt power, is disposed to career onwards too rapidly, and to throw aside restraint of al^kind. Bui more difficult still is it, to hold the helm, where western CONCLUDING CHAPTER. 153 and eastern races are intermingled, — where, instead of freedom being born of the masses, and fostered by the government, it is bestowed on the people by their rulers, — unasked, — and sometimes even uncared for. It is no light task, to steer clearly through the complications arising from the pushing energy of the Saxon, and the conser- vative tenacity of the Asiatic ; — to maintain the rights of those who have staked their all in the land of their adoption, and have brought Britisli thouglit and feeling with them, and at the same time to consult the interests of the natives, who are equally entitled to the protection of Her Majesty's Government. If, in forming an estimate of the government of Ceylon, we bear these facts in mind, we shall be justified in say- ing that the system pursued is judicious, and well adapt- ed to the warjts of the country ; and it is our conviction that those entrusted with the framing of the laws, sin- cerely desire to do what they believe to be best for the welfare of the island. To conclude. — Let us remind our readers of the im- portant fact, that it is righteousness thai "exalteth a na- tion'' — that Britain owes her prosperity to her princi- ples ; and that it is her duty to maintain those princi- ples in all climes^ and to exemjjlify them amongst all classes. Convinced as the writer is, that the principles of THE BOOK OF GOD are the foundation of moral and of so- cial progress, he lays down his pen with the hope that its truths may be received and adopted by all who dwell in Ceylon, without distinction of race, sex, or degree. loi NATIVE SOVEREIGNS OF COLON. APPENDIX. !!^atiUe SoUrrtians of ©tfilon* Nam es, and relationship of each succe'>iHng Sovereign, VVejaya Fotiiider oflhe W^Jayah dynaslyj Accession. "~r B. C, 513 2. Oopatissa Ut.Minisler-^rejijent, " t( 505 3. Panduwaasa, Paternal nejihew of VVejayaj i( 504 4. Abhaya, son oT Panduwaaaa dethroned, ii 474 Interregnum, * „ . (( 454 5. Pandukaabhay^ Matern, Grandson of Pandu- waasa, u 437 6. Mootaseewa, Paternal grandson, t( 367 1^ Dcvenipeatissa, S-cond son, (( 307 b. Ootliya, fourth son of Mootascewd^ t( 267 9. Mahii-seewa. fifth do (( 257 10. Suratissa, (sixth do put to death a 247 3L Sena and Goottikaj foreign iisarper8---put to death, (t 237 12. Asela, ninth son oi Mootaseevva — deposed. (i 215 13. Elaalri, foreign usurpers-killed in b.atle, u 206 14. Dootoogaimoonon, son oi Kaawantissa^ *» 161 15. Saidaitisaai, Brother it 137 .16 Toohi or Thullathanaka, younger son- deposed^ . - - - (« 119 ir Laiminitisjia 1st or Lajjetissa, elder brother, u 119 H. Kaloonna or Khallaa:anaa(ra, brother — put to death, . . . - n. 109 J 9. Wabirtioihahoo 1st or VVatthgaamini, brother — 'deposed, t< :o4 f f?u!ahattha, ^ f " 103 j Baayiha, j 14.7 — Foreign usurpers 1 t( 100 20. -{ Panaymaaraa, )- — successively deposed-^ (( 98 j Peliyarnaaraa, j and put to death. { 14 01 (^ Daathiya, j (^ VVaiagfimbahoo I st reconqu*'red the kingdom, a ?)0 21. a 88 22. Mahuidailitis.sa or Mahacliooia, J^on it 76 23. Choora Naaga, Son— put t(j death, u 62 24. Kooda Tisy}i,yfc5on-— poisoned by his wife, (I %r> 2.5. Anoi V , widow, - * - Ik ■ 7 26. Maxalantissa or Kallakanni Tissa, second Mon of Koodatissa, iC 41 27. Baatiyalissa 4 6t or iiaatikanbhaya, Son, - '' 19 28. Maha Dailiya Maana or iJaathika, Brother, A. D. 9 i^' Adda^rainioono or Aamanda Gaaniini, Son — i put to death, (t 2.1 NATIVE SOVEHEIGNS OF CEYLON- 155 Names, and relationship of each succeeding Socereign. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 4!. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58, 59. 60 61 62 Kiuihirridaila or Kanijaani Tissa, Brother, Kooda Abhaa or Choolaabhaya, Son, Singhawaile or Seevvalli, Sister — put to death Interregnum, - - - Elloona or Ilia Naaga, Maternal nephew of Addagaimoonoo, Sanda IVJoohoona or Chanda Mukha Seewa Son, . - . . Yasa Silooor Yataalakatissa, Brother — put to death, .... Subha, Usurper — put to death, - VVahapp or VVasahba, descendant of Laimin- i tissa, - - - . . Waknais or Wanka Naasika, Son, - Gajaabahoo 1st or Gaaminee, Son, Mahaloomaana or Mallaka IVaaga, Maternal cousin, - - - , Baatiya Tissa 2d or Bhaatika Tissa, Son, Choola Tissa or Kanitthatissa, Brotiier, Kooboonaor Clioodda iNaagji, Son-murdered, Koodanaama or Kouda Naaga, Nephew — de- posed, - - - . Kooda Sirinaa or Siri Naaga 1 st brother-in-law WaiwahairatissaorWairatissa, Son-murdered Abba Sen or Ablia Tissa, Brother, Siri Naga 2d, Son, - . - Weja Indoo or Wijaya 2d, Son-put to deiath, Sangatissa 1st, desrvcndant of Laimiuitissa- poisoned, - - - . Dahama Sirisanga Boor Sirisanga Bodhi 1st Do. do. — deposed, Gooloo Abhaa, Gothaabhaya or Meghawarna Abliaya, Do. do., - « _ Makalan Detoo Tissa Ist, Son, Maha Sen, Brother, - , . KitsiriMaiwan 1st or Keertissree Megha war- na. Son, Detoo Tissa 2d, Brother, Bujas or Budha Daasa, Son, Oopatissa 2d, Son, - ^ - Maha Naama, Brother, - Senghot or Sotthi Sena, Son— poisoned, Laimini Tissa 2d, or Chatagaahaka, descen- dant of Laiminitissa, Mitta Sena or Karaisora, not specified— put to death, - - . . Accession. A. D. \o6 NATIVE SOVEREIGNS OF CEYLON. Names, and relationship ot each succeeding Sovereign. ! 24.9. — Foreign usurp- I ers, f Paandu, I Paavinta, Kooda, 63. <{ Khudda Paarinda, I Daattbiya, j I^Pitthiya, J 64. Daasenkelleya or Dhaatu Sena, descendant of the original royal family — put lo death, 6'>. Seegiri Kasoomboo or Kaasyapa ist, Son — ' committed suicide, 66. Moogallaana 1st, Brother, 67. Koornaara Daas or Koornaara Dhaatu Sena, — Son— inimohiled hiwjself, - 63. Kirti Sena, Son — murdered, 69. Maidee Seewoo or Seewaka, maternal uncle — murdered, - - . 70. Laimini Oopatissa 3d, brother-in-law, 71. Ambaherra Salaniaivvan or Silaakaala, son- in-law, .... 72. Daapuloo 1st or Daatthaapa Bhodhi, second son — cottirnitted suicide, 73. Dahimaoalan or Moogallaana 2d, t?lder brother 74. Kuda Kitsiri Maiwan 1st or Keertisree Meg- haw arna, Son— put to death, 75. Senewee or Maha INaaga, descendant of the Okaaka branch, 76. Aggrabodhi 1st or Akbo/ maternal nephew, 77. Aggrabodhi 2d or Soola Akbo, son-in-iaw, 78. Sanghatissa, Brother— decapitated, 79. Boona Moo^alan or Laimini Bonaaya, usur- per — put .0 death, - - . 80 Abhaseggaaheka or Asiggaaheka, maternal grandson. - - - - 81. Siri Sangabo 2d, Son — deposed, 82. Kaloona Deiootissa or L^iimina Katooreya, descendant of Laiminitissa — commiited suicide, , . - .. Sir"; Sangabo 2d, restored, and again deposed, 83 lialoopintissa 1st or Dhaithopatissa Laimini branch — killed in battle, 84. Paisooloo Kaso«mbo or Kaaaypa 2d, brother of Sirisaugabo, ... 85. I>apuloo 'id, Okaaka branch — deposed, 86- Daloopeatissa 2d or Kattha-Datthopatissa, son of Daloopeatissa 1st, ' Paisooloo Siri Sanga Bo 3d, or Aggrabodhi, Brother - A. D. 434 " 43!> NATIVB SOVEREIGNS OF CEYLON I :/; ^lifnes, andieiaiionship of each succeeding Hovcrci^n. 95. 93. 99. 100. 88. Walpitti W«isiclaU of DanUinaama, Okaaka branch, - . - ^ 89. Iloonoonaru Riandaia or Hatthadatha, ori- ginal royal family — decapitated, - 90. Mahaiaipaanooor Maanawamnia, do. do. do. 91. Kaariyappa 3d or Ka^oorabo, Son, - 92. Aggrabodhi 3d or Akbo, Nephew, 93. Aggrabodhi 4th or Kuda Akbo, Son, 94. Mihindoo Ist or Salaruaiwan, original royal family, ... Dappoola 2d, Son, Mihiudoo2dor Dharmlka-Seelaamaiga, Son, Aggrabodhi 5th or Akbo, Brother, Dappoola 3d or Kuda Dappoola, Son, Aggrabodhi 6th cousin, - Mitwella Sen or Selaamaiga, Son, - 101. Kaasiyappa4th or Maaganyiii Sena or Mihin- doo, Grandson, 103. Uday a 1st Brother^ J03. Udaya 2d, Son, J04. Kaasiyappa 5th nephew and son-uj 105. Kaasiyappa 6th, son-in-law, - 106. Dappoola 4th, Son, 107. Dappoola 5th, not specified, 3 08. Udaya, 3d; Brother, 109. Sena 2d, not specified. 110. Udaya 4tii, do> do. ~ in. Sena 3d, do. do. 112. Mihindoo 3d, do. do ^ 1 13. Sena 4th, Son — minor, 114. Mihindoo 4th, Brother — carried captive to India-— during the Soieean conquest, ■ Interregnum Soleean vice-royalty, - 115. Wejayabahoo 1st or Sirisangabo 4th Grand- son of Mihindoo 4th, 116. Jayabahoo 1st, Brother, - 117. Wikramabahoo lsl"j Manaaharana \ » 18. Gajaabahoo 2d, J- A disponed gucccs8ion. Siriwallaba or Kit- \ siri Maiwnn J ■■d. Prakramabaho Ist^ son of Maanaabarana, JO. Wijayabahoo 2d, nephew— murdered, '1 . Mihindo 5th or Kitsen Kiadaas, usurper- to death, - - . ■'■^ Kirti Nissanga, a prince of Kaalinga, ' Veorabahoo, son — put to death, 11 Accrr. A.TT •put 1187 11S7 1196 158 NATlVt: SOi^ERKIGNS OF CEYLON- Names, and relationship of each succeeding Sovereign. 123. Accessio7i. Wikramabahoo 2d, brother of Kirti Nissan- A. ga-— put to death, - - - 124. Chondakanga, nephew — deposed, - | 125. Leelawatee, widow of Prakramabahoo — de- posed, ... - 126. Saahasamallawa, Okaaka branch — deposed, 127. Kalyaanawati, sister of Kirti Nissanga, - 128. Dharmaasooka, not specified — a minor, 129. Nayaanga or Neekanga, minister, put to death Leelawatee, restored, and again deposed, 130. Lokaiswera 1st, usurper — deposed, Leelawatee, again restored and deposed third time, . - . . 131. Pandi Prakramabahoo 2d, usurper-^depoaed, 132. Maagha, foreign usurper, - [lst,| 133. VVejayabahoo3d, descendant of Sirisangabo, 134. Kalik Ua Sahitya Sargvvajnya or Paandita PraKramabahoo 3d, b^on, - 135. Bosat Wejayabahoo 4tb, Son, 136. Bhuwanekabahoo 1st, Brother, - [1st, 137. Prakramabahoo 3d, soil of Bosat Wejayabaho, 138. Bhuwanekabahoo 2d, son of Bhuwanekabaho 139. Pandita Prakramabahoo 4tli, not specified, 140. Wanny Bhuwanekabahoo 3d, do. 141. Wejayabahoo 5th, do. 142. Bhuwanekabahoo 4th, do. 143. Prakramabahoo 5th, do. 144. Wikramabahoo 3d, cousin, do. 145. Bhuwanekabahoo 5th, not specified, 146. Wejayabahoo 5th, or Weerabahoo, do 147. Sree Prakramabahoo 6th, do. 148. Jayaabahoo 2d, maternal grandson — put death, .... 149. Bhuwanekabahoo 6th, not specified, 150. Pandita Prakramabahoo 7th, adopted son, 151. Weera Prakramabahoo 8th brother of Bhu vvanekabal/oo 6th, 152. Dharma Prakramabahoo 9th, Son, 153. Wejayabahoo 7th Brother — murdered, - 154. Bhuwanekabahoo 7th, Son, - 155. Don Juan Dharmapaala, - 156. Raajasingha 1st, son of Maayaadunnai, 157. Wimala Dharma, original royal family, 158. Senaaratena or Senerat, Brother, 159 Kaajasingha 2d, Son, 160. WimaiaDharmaSuriya2d, eon of Rajaainga, 161. Srp^wcpra Prakrama JNarendrHsingha or Koondasaaln, Son. to 1196 1196 1197 1200 1202 1208 1209 1209 1210 1211 1211 1214 1235 1266 1301 1303 1314 1319 1347 1361 1371 1378 1398 1410 1462 1464 1471 1485 1505 1527 1534 1542 1581 1592 1604 1635 168.- 17 PORTUGUESE ANU DUTCH UOV'BRNORS. 159 Nantes, and relationship oj each succeeding Sovereign. 162. Sreewejaya Raajasinghaor Hanguranketta, brother-in-law, 163. Kirtisree Rajafiinglin,brother-in law, 364. Raajtiadhi Raajasingha, Brother, 165. Sree Wickrema Raajasingha, son of the late king's wile's sister, deposed by the English and died in captivity, Accession. A. D. 1739 1747 1781 '* 1798 ©aptafns (Kcncral anUiffioijernors oi Crslon- of the Portuguese. PhilHppe Mascarenhas, Manuel Mascarenhas Homen, Fraacois de Mello Castro, Antoine de S«;«i!$a Continho, vnder whose ^'\Mministration Colombo was surrendered to the Dutch, A. D. Merely Menezes last Captain General m command of Jaffna and Manaar. Widlst in possession Pedro Lopez de Souza, | Jerome de Azevedo, Fra/icois de Menezes, Manuel Mascarenhas Homen, Nanha Alvares Pereira, Constantin de Say Noranha, George d'Albuque, Constantin de Say Noranha, D. George d'Almeida, Diego de Melho, Antoine Mascarenhas, WITH THE DATES WHEN THEIR ADMINISTRATION COMMENCED. Whilst in possession of the Dutch, * Willem Jacobezen Coster, Commander atl the surrender of GalJe, . . - 13th March 164^. Jan Thuysz, President -and Governor at Galie, Joan Matsoyker, Ordinary Councillor and Governor at Galle, . . - - Jacob Van Kittenstein Governor at Galle, Adrian Van Der Meyden, Governor at Galle Adrian Van Der Meyden, Governor at Col- ombo, RyklofVan Goens, Governor — Adminis- tration commenced, Jacob Hustar, Extraordinary Councillor of pjpdia, and Governor, . . - * "'RyklofVan Goens, administered the Gov en I from, , . . . - Lourens Van Peil, Commander, President iernor^ and Extraordinary Councillor of 21st Aug. 1640. 24th May 25th Feb. 11th Oct. 12th May 12th May 27th Dec. 19th Nov. 1640. 1650. 1653. 1656. 1663. 1663. 1664 3d. Dec. 1680 160 DUTCH GOVERNORS. Thomas Van Rhee, Governor and Extraor dinary Couneillor of India, Paulus de Rhoo, appointed Governor and Director of Ceylon, - . - . Gerrit De Heer, Governor, The Members of Council, Mr. Cornelis Johannes Simonsz Governor. Hendrick Becker, Governor and Extraor dinary Councillor, - - . . Mr. Isaack Augustin Rumph, Governor and Extraordinary Councillor of India, Arnold Moll, Commander at Galle, - Johannes Hertenberg, Governor, Jan Paulus Schagen, Commander at Galle Petrus Vuyst, Governor and Extraordinary Councillor oi India, - - - . Stephanus Versluys, Governor and Extra ordinary Councillor of India, [pattam, Gualterus Woutersz, Commander of JafFna- Jacob Christian Pielaat, Extraordinary Councillor of India and Commissary, Dederic Van Donburg, Governor, Jan Maccara, Commander of Galle, - Gustaff Willem Baaron Van InhofT, Extra- ordinary Councillor of India and Governor, Willem Maurits Bruininck Governor, Daniel Overbeek Governor and Extraordi- nary Councillor of India, Julius Valentyn Stein Van Gollnesse, Ex traordinary Councillor of India and Governor, Gerard Van Vreeland, Extraordinary Coun- cillor of India and Governor, Jacob De Jong, Commander of Jaffnapattam, Joan Gideon Loten, Extraordinary Coun cillor of i dia and Governor, Jan Scii-euder, Extraoidinary Councillor of India and Governor, Lubbert Jan Baron Van Eck, Governor un- der whose administration Kandy was taken on the 9th February, 1763, - - [pattam, Anthony Mooyaart, Commander of Jaffna- Iman Willem Falck, Governor and Direct- or of India,. . . - . - Willem Jacob Van De Graaf, Extraordina- ry Councillor of India and Governor, - Joan Gerard Van Angelbeek, Ordinary Councillor of India and Governor, under whose administration Colombo surrendered to the arms of His Britannic Majesty on the, 10th Jan. 1693. 29th Jan. 1695 22d Feb. 1697 26th JNov. 1702 11th May 1703. 22d Dec. 1707. 7th Dec. 1716 11th June 1723 12th Jan, 1724 19th Oct. 1725 16th Sept. 1726. 27th Aug. 1729. 25th Aug. 1732. 21st Dec. 1732. 21st Jan. 1734. 7th June 1736. 23d July 1736. 12th March 1740. 3d Jan. 1742. 11th May 1743. 6th March 1751. 26th Feb. 1751. 30th Sept. 1752. 17th March 1757. 11th Nov. 1762. 13th May 1765. 9th August 1765, 7th Feb. 1785*..] 16th Feb. ENGLISH GOVERNORS. 16 i The Honorable the Governor of Madras Council, Hon. Frederick North, (late Earl of Guild- ford,) Lieutenant General Right Hon. Sir Thomas Maitland, g. c. b., - . - . Major General John Wilson, Lieutenant Governor, General Sir R. Brownrigg, Bart. g. c. b.. Major General Sir Edward Barnes, k.c.b., Lieutenant Governor, Lieut. Gen. The Hon. Sir E. Paget, k. c. b. Major Gen. Sir James Campbell, k. c. b., Lieutenant Governor, - - . Lieut. Gen. Sir Edward Barnes, k. €. b., Major General Sir John Wilson, k. c. b., Lieutenant Governor, The llight Hon. Sir Robert Wilmot Horton Bart. G. c. H., The Right Hon. James Alexander Stewart Mackenzie, Lieut. Gen. Sir Colin Campbell, k. c. b.. Sir J. E. Tennent, k. c. s. Lieut. Governor, The Right Hon. the Viscount Torrington, The Hon. C. J. MacCarthy, Esq. Lieute- nant Governor, - . . _ Sir Geo. W. Anderson, k. c. b.. The Hon. C. J. MacCarthy, Esq. Lieute nant Governor, .... Sir Henry George Ward, k. g. c. m. g , Major General Henry Frederic Lockyer,^ c. B., K. H., Lieutenant Governor, Colonel Charles Edmund Wilkinson, R. £. Lieutenant Governor, - - Sir Charles Justin MacCarthy, Kt. - IGth Feb. 1796, 12th Oct. 1798. 19th July 1805. 19th March 1811. Uth March 1812. 1st Feb. 2d Feb. 1820. 1822. 6th Nov. 18th Jan. 1822. 1824. 13th Oct. 1831. 23d Oct. 1831. 7th Nov. 5th April 19th April 29th May 1837. 1841. 1847. 184Z. 18th Oct. 27th Nov. 1850. 1850. 18th Jan. 11th May 1855. 1855. 30th June 1860. 30th Jul^ 22d Oct.' I860'. 186a )t\: ' «- c. oo c> -.o '^ir. o c c il -^ ot'X) ir i^ to '-0 'O ^^co^o^ i> -rg^ <>» 00 ao CO COOCOr-jOr-N C^ UO Qjunbs CO CO CO O ^ CO s^ ci oi UOl i.o ;o 'f T-i no lO ^» i> •sfuun - -{OD Su pda'djd :?5 O) Oll^ '^ "<3< O t^ i:-* 00 C£) •* ^ 00 ui popn] Ollj lOlT — . ;£) C5^C0 10 t>j^ rr :: :: 2 3 3 :: <• •* i" sj3§ueji s in3p sTic'r-T "^ ?f -isai pn e suai|y 1 CO O C? Tf ^ t>. O '^ C? rf 00 CO lO ^ t— 1 • C^ Ol GO C' TT rr OJ CO CO "T*. 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Tt^ l^ c:^ ^% "^^ r-4_ C5 COCO ^ rH IcO "cS of i>^(>ro ic^c^ ,.4* c^lco c ^ O O CO rji IC Tf u CO — ^ — — O c: 1 " rf !?* (» ao to X o 1— » l^ CO il ^^"'^ss??; s §fe ■ JO M H 5 ^ 1 »H cf oT • X "<«f 00 CO CO o lO 0-.OCi. — ""!»• O ^ CO^i-H Oi »-i CO (O GO a> ^rH (M TT^ CI •^ Oi -T tT ' * lO Ol t^ CO O I-* o 1 OCMt-CO i^ — ___ -^ o ' Oi 'C^ CO -^ O C^ C5 o 0» CO ^ ^ CM CS o o ** c et j*^ OO^CO^i-^ ^ '^^'^ r^ r^ l^ ^ "^ < cfco'ofTr'ufio" s coco^c^rTjTLo'io* s' s % 1"^^ .' . . i OT 2^2 &-1 p; rs -S I • • • » u (J c = s ^ 3 2 c 5 "5 ii 1, i d. ■^ ♦- ♦» *i ♦J w .^ s"^ w«-''t:2sw-*» 45 U. 3 ai »- C c r^ § a> *r :3 « i; Q^f^^^m -^ O Q rJ C 1) ^ ^4 OQ W 'rfC O Ch *i S ti. ® o «« ^ «: ■ ■ Finis. CORRECTIONS. Page. 3. We have been informed on the best " ' authority, that the Mahawelle ganga " ' takes its rise in Pethuru Tallegalle. " 4. In Colombo, the thermometer some- *' ' times rises so high as 90° 3' 0", in " ' April, and falls so low as 68° 4' 0", in *' ' January. *' 14. Kurnegalle, lies north west of Kandy. " " The highest offices of a ZocaZ character, *' *' are those of Maniagar and Odiar ; but the '* '* Modeliars of the Courts and Cutcheries, *' " would doubtless have the precedence. *' 39. For three parts, read/owr parts. I iM M 1 UC. BERKELEY LIBRARIES Mililiil C020177i37