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Title - journal of the ceylon branch of the royal asiatic society 1887-88 vol.10
Subject - societies, asia
Author -
Language - english
Pages - 448
Publication Year - 1888
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CEYLON BRANCH
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1887.
VOLUME X .
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No. 34.
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COLOMBO: ,
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1888.
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CONTENTS.
.,
PAG~ ---
Jottings from. a Jungle Diary.-By S. M. BURROWS,
ESQ., c.c.s. .. . . .. ... . .. 1
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JOURNAL
,
OF THE
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physical palate a change of diet may sometimes be accept-
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able, even though the change be from caviar to cabbage.
The schem.e of this Paper is simple alm.ost to crudeness. It
is to give some account of the more recent archreological
discoveries at Anuradhapura, and to describe one or two
places and inciclents which I have com.e across on circuit in
the less beaten tracks of the North-Central Province.
ANUR.!DHA.PURA.
It may be doubted whether there is anything m.uch more
exciting than the finding of a really fine archreologioal
treasure which has lain hid for many centuries. Mr. Wallace,
in his '' Malay Archipelago,'' has described the hysterical
48-88 J3
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ab old fresco of peculiar design, which ran along, and were '
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keyed into, the upper rim of the canopy. Finally, the site of
the building was found about two feet down. The sub-
sidence of the ground had displaced some of its pavement "
"
'f
stones, but the general shape and the measurements left no
doubt of its identity.
Now came the task of restoring the canopy as nearly as
...
J)OSsible to its former condition. The combined weight of the
three roof-stones may be put at about :fifteen tons ; the pillars
were ten feet high. We had no appliances whatsoever but an
I,
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stone pediment. Very little trace of the flooring of the , '' "
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b6mbu (Symplocos spicata), and the heart of the ahu tree "r
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thorny creeper; or (iv.), the heart of the milla (Vitex altis-
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si,ma), with ashes made by burning the wood of the k(}bella ~fl
" '
were found in one spot, about seven feet deep, and even the
offer of a reward has failed to elicit any more specimens.
From such authorities as I have been able to consult on the
subject of enamelled or glazed tiles, I gather that glazes
having the composition of good enamels were manufactured
at a very early date. Excellent glazes are still preserved on
some of the bricks which have been referred to the eighth or
seventh centuries B.C. Nor should we forget the glazed
slipper-shaped coffins which occur in great numbers at Warka,
-probably the ancient Ur of the Chaldees,-and are referred
to the Sassanian period. The glazes on the Babylonian
bricks were examinecl by Dr. Percy, who found that the
base was a soda glass or silicate of sodium, rendered opaque ,,
''
"
'',
coloured blue in others by means of silicate of copper asso-
ciated with the sodic silicate. Glazes of a similar character . ,,
were also manufactured by the Egyptians as early as the sixth
dynasty. Separate figures, &c., were produced in a substance
which has been miscalled porcelain, and which is in fact a
frit coated with various coloured glazes, of which the most
common is a fine celestial bll1e colour. This colour is due
to the presence of a double silicate of copper and sodium.
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12 ' JOlTRNAL, R.A.S. ( CEYLON). [VoL. X.
that l1as collected around the Kalaw~wa tanlr, and the tales
its villagers tell of the terrible exactions of the '' Aiyana
Dewiy6.''
But I may be allo,ved to add as a postscript two small
but interesting, discoveries made since this Paper was begun.
1. I have unearthed the stone ''sill'' of a doorway made
for folding doors, near tl1e Outer Circular road. T,vo shallow
holes are cut in it to receive the door-pins, and in each hole
there is a fragment of an iron door-pin firmly fixed in the
stone. It has always been supposed l1itherto that the
ancient doors were made entirely of wood, revolving on
wooden pins. This small discovery possibly proves that the
ancients were much more addicted to the use of iron, and
adept at working it, than we are generally inclined to admit.
Perhaps the iron gate which secured the primeval citadel of
Vij"itapura, and tl1e tall iron pillar which several people have
seen in the Anuradhapura jungles, but can never find again,
are not mere fables after all !
2. Very little has hitherto been known of the irrigation
system of ancient Anuradhapura. Former a.ncl recent
jungle clearings have laid bare a large number of long rows
of stone blocks, wl1ich have been generally taken for boun-
daries or enclosures. This week we have, in the course of
some excavations, come across a channel about two feet do,vn,
which runs up close to the side of the beautiful polcuria
north of the Public Works Depa,rtment yard. Here a stone
water-pipe meets the channel, passes through the side of the
pokur,,a, and projects into it. This channel exactly resembles
in formation the long rows of granite blocks referred to
above, ancl appears to prove two things: (1) that these
pokittt,u were not depende11t on tl1e clo11ds for their supply
of water, but were all carefully connected by elaborate
irrigation works with the larger tanks (for the newly-found
channel can be traced right up to Basawakkulam, a distance
of three quarters of a mile) ; and (2) that the long lines of
granite blocks are not merely enclosures, but were all con-
nected channels, bringing Virater past the various religious
No. 34.-1887.] J"OTTJNGS FROM A J.UNGL~ DIARY. 13
and secular buildings and into the several poku'f!.a, and
ultimately discharging themselves into the Halpan-~la or
Malwatte-oya.
In conclusion, I would venture respectfully to urge upon
this Society the advisability of encouraging in every possible
way excavations similar to those I have detailed in so
disjointed a fashion this evening. I only spealr from a year's
experience, but I am quite sure that an immense quantity of
inteIesting discoveries remain to be made by a careful and
intelligent use of the mamotie and pic~axe, and I can
conceive no better archreological investment than the graclual
acquisition of details concerning the two m.agnificent cities
which have been so long and shamefully neglected.. The
first great want is an accurate and complete survey of all that
has been discovered up to date ; and with that foundation to
work upon, with a regular supply of convict labour under
intelligent overseers, and an annual monetary grant, I feel
confident that these ruins would rank among the most
interesting and instructive to be found in the East.
14 JOTJltNAL, R.A.S. ( CEYLON). [Vot. X.
PEARL BANKS .
SERIES OF FISHERIES.
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iieenturies, fisl1.ed the pearl banks, though the Dutch did so
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.as far back as 1667, and with intervals up to 1768.
In 1796 a series of fisheries commenced under the English
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' Government, continuing with intervals of one and two years to
I
1~809 ; then 1814, 1816, 1820, 1828, 1833, 1835, and 1837 ; then,
.after a lapse of eighte<.111 years, anotl1er series from 1855 to
1860, yieldi11g i11 forty . .four 3rears over a million of revenue;
a11d fisl1e1-ies l1ave continued at intervals up to 1881, giving
large 1evenues.
I refer myself to the series fo1 1855-1860, because I was
,c~o1111ected tl1erewith, and as St1perintendent l1ad to conduct
them unde1. difficulties connected with the determination of
,,
the Gove1~nment not again to rent the right of fishing for a
su1n of money, or to allow tl1e claim, as the renters had, of
the Hindu temples of the Madras Presidency to fish on
their own account.
The renting system and Temple claims had given much
t1'ouble at former fisheries so conducted, and led to abuses
of the 1--ights of tl1e clivers and boatmen (also, as believed,
f
to the over-fishing of the banks), had interfered with a
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lrnowledge of the resources of each bank, and the real out-
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turn of each fishe1'1y, a11d hacl prevented the public at large
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' from speculating, as well as the renting clique.
I
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! The decision of Government to fish the banks, and to sell
t
tl1e o~ysters claily by public auction, led i11 1857 to strongly-
ormecl combinations on the part of the Ohetties, the former
renting class, to prevent legitimate sales at pt1blic auction,
and so to force on again the 1~enting system.
To sucl1 an extent did they carry proceedings, that I had
to assume tl1e serious responsibility of closing the fishery;
but the issue of notices to this effect, and for vessels to remove
the establishinents, broke up tl1e league, as the Chetties had
no wisl1 to lose the chance of making some money if they
co11ld 11ot make all they desired.
48-88 C
18 JOURNAL, R.A.S, (CEYLON). [VoL. X ..
I was thus relieved from a very grave responsibility, as the
Government Proclamation l1ad implied a :fishery of :fifteen
days, and the divers, boatmen, traders, and speculators had ,,
attended in this belief.
INSPECTION OF THE PEARL BANKS.
The pearl banks are annually visited by the Inspector to
see if oysters are forming, and when so, to note tl1eir progress.
If the oysters remain intact to the age of three or four years,
they generally afford a :fishery.
'
FISHING PROCEEDINGS.
E~rly i11 February, the Superintendent and Inspector of
the Banks,witl1 the 11eeded Establishments-Judicial, Medical,.
Police,and Olerical-assembleat Salapatturai, an arid, desolate,
sea-sl1ore village on the north-west coast of Ceylon, scarcely
inhabited, and so situated as to tl1e exact position from. which
* See Appendix.
No. 34.-1887.] PEARL FISFIERIES OF CEYLON, 23
the fishing boats can daily go to and from the pearl banks-
distant from the shore from eight to twelve miles.
This village affords space for all the needs of a fishery,
and is too far distant from any place for its results to be
the cause of annoyance to any but those whom duty or
inclination collect on the spot.
Before the end of February Salapatturai is thronged with
a population of many thousands,-pearl mercl1ants, buyers,
trade1s, beggars, divers, .boatmen, boat-owners, coolies, and
visitors,-brought thither by the varied interests of the fishery,
all combining to fo1m what may be calle<l an Eastern Fair.
There may be seen the ligl1t brown Si]Jhalese with
beautiful long black hair confinecl ,vith a large comb, effemi-
nate in appearance as compared witl1 the dark Tamil by
his side, and the generally burly, strong, shre,vd Moorman;
then the varied tribes of tl1e Ohetty caste, some with peculiar
hats and turbans, others in coats wit11 je,velled buttons an<l
large earrings, some only in simple white sarong around the
loins and loosely thrown over tl1e dark well-formec1 shoulders.
All these varied costumes, corresponding to country, caste,
and class, set forth the human form in the East in a manner
far more picturesque and characteristic than tl1e fashions of
the West can do.
Throughout Februar'j? boats arrive with the sea breeze, laden
with men, women, and children, and the materials for their
trades and habitations. It is wonderful, considering the long
distances these open boats come from the continent of India,
thart loss of life seldom occurs.
/ By the end of February the barren sand village of
Salapatturai is filled with five thousand or six thousand
persons, housed in lr:cva,;i buildings, according to the means
~- or caste of the resident.
' '
Ko<J,rf,us, or enclosed spaces, for the deposit and decomposi-
tion of the oysters bought at the Government public sales,
are erected on the seabeach to the south of the inl1abited
ground, and as the prevailing winds are from the north and
east, the stench of the decaying oysters is carried away from
24 JOURNAL, lt.A,S. ( OEYI,ON). [\7 OL. X.
all but the parties engaged at the ko<J,q,us in receiving,
stacking, guarding, and washing, but an occasio11al burst of
strong southerly wind disperses the aroma of the pearl
oyster over all parts ; and this is indeed a trial, for the
stench is intolerable and indescribable.
Then come flies-innumerable-of tl1e largest ki11cl; i11deed
flies are constant plagues, l111t a1e worse with a southerly wind,
everything being covered with a black mass,-a glass <)f wir1e
or water must be drunk as JJoured out, or it is filled ,vith
fl.ies,-but soutl1e1ly winds clo not last long, a,nd it seemti ~Ls
though providentially arranged that the prevailing
wincls
should aid the purposes ancl needs of a pearl fisl1ery. rr11e
land or night winds are from the east, fair ar1cl gentle, to
carry the boats 011t to the banks, ancl also to be::1,r tl1e effi.11via
of the oysters from the land out seaward, tl1t1.s gi'ving the
inhabitants a somewl1at sweetenell perioc1 at nigl1t for rest;
then the sea or midday breeze is from the nortl1ward,
and brings tb.e boats quickly from the ba,nks to the shore,
whilst carrying away most of the oyster ,1rorna from the
inhabitants of Salapatturai.
COMMENCEMENT OF FISRING.
The fishery commences on the first night. The boats go to
the banks, and this creates great interest and excitement.
Thousands assemble on the beach to see the start.
The tindals, wl10 carry on the rigI1t arm the ticket
number of that painted on the bows of each boat, assemble
with crew and divers, and as the beachmaster checks each,
they go to their boats and make l)reparation for getting under
weigh directly the signal is given. At midnight a gun is
fired; the ArJ,appanar, or senior headman, with a light at the
mast head of his boat, leads off. In a few minutes all the
boats-sometimes one hundred-are under press of sail, anr]
the sight is very interesting and exciting, as the crews cheer
and tI1e people on shore echo these, whilst the white sails
following the signal light of the Arf,appandr, may, on a fine
night, be seen for miles.
The Inspector's guard vessel, anchored close to the fishing
ground, carries a light at the main top mast head, and on dark
but forty to fifty is very good, and would give over twen.ty
thousand as a day's fishing. At the fishery of 1857, when the
total yield was over thirty-two million of oysters, and the
daily yield from one to one and a half million, some boats
brought loads of thirty to forty thousand.
At 12 or 1 o'clock, according as the sea breeze sets in, the
Inspector fires the signal gun to leave off fishing. Soon every
boat is under sail for Salapatturai, racing to be first in and
discharged at the Government koq,r!,11, as this is recorded,
and gives consideration for employment during extra days;
then the first discharged gets, of course, first sale and best
prices for the oysters tl1ey care to sell instead of wash.
Between 3 and 4 o'cloclr the boats are in, and clischarging
their oysters into the Government koi}i!,it-a very large space
on the beach, enclosed by a wall of thick sticks, within
whicp. are marked out matted s1Jaces bearing the number of
each boat. The crew deposit the loacls therein, arrd the divers
arrange and divide the oysters into four lots. Tl1e Govern-
ment officer in charge of the ko,J,iJu awards 011e of each four
divisions, and as the diver does not know which of the four
heaps may be assignecl, tl1ey very fairly divide the oysters.
They take their shares away, and the remaining three shares
are at once heaped together, and counted by men specially
paid for this very hard and trying work to the hands. When
the counting is finished, a return of the Government sl1are of
each boat, and the total of the day's fisl1ing for sale, is made
to the Superintendent.
----
The getting of wealth by pearls from the sea, like the
getting of gold from the earth, has, besides hard toil anci
anxieties, the attendant risks of sickness, as the congregatio11
of thousands too generally creates disease. Outbreaks of
cholera prematurely closed the pearl fisheries of 1858-59 ;
but for this the fishery of 1858 might have yielded 50,000
instead of 24,000, and that of 1859 70,000 instead of
48,000.
At these fisheries deaths from cholera amongst the divers
and boatmen and people caused panic, their rapid desertion of
Salapatturai, and the premature closing of fishing, whilst
oysters were in plenty on the banks.
In 1858, before the Establishments could be got away, cases
of cholera occurred amongst the troops and police, and
during a voyage to Colombo of twenty"four hours there were
five deaths.
I have never forgotten that night's passage. Sea sickness
was believed to be the commencement of cholera ; the calls on
the medical staff were incessant, and the anxieties of all 011
board very great; indeed, I believe another twenty-four hours
of passage would have frightened many more to death.
In 1859 the Establishments did not suffer, but before the
cholera outbreak I ,vas ill with dysentery, and as I could
No. 34.-1887.] PEARL FISHERIES OF CEYLON. 31
not, and would not, leave my duties so long as fishing lasted,
the cholera outbreak in stopping the fishery was possibly, in
a sense, providential to myself, as I might have died at
Salapatturai from dysentery, for the illness got worse, and
obliged me to leave Ceylon for the recovery of health. The
Almighty, in His great mercy, restored my health, enabling
me to return to Ceylon, and serve tl1ere until 1882, when I
retired from the office of Treasurer, after a public service of
over fifty years.
A large Pearl Fishery is expected in 1888, and I say to those
who have the time and inclination for travel: '' Go and see
this most interesting proceeding and the beauties of Ceylon.''
The voyage is a pleasure trip : Gibraltar, Malta, Perim, and
Aden, instructive in themselves, and gratifying to see as
salient points of Engla11d's Em1Jire.
If you make Colombo in the early morn of the north-east
monsoon, when the sun is lighting up nature, you will see the
mountains looming in the distance, especially Adam's Peak,
wonderful in sight and legend; the shore, lined to the sea
edge with the cocoanut and other palms-a wondrous, soft,
,enchanting sight, that clings to memory, as in my case,
for now over fifty years, when I first saw the sl1ores of
Ceylon on entering Trincomalee harbour.
The Colombo Breakwater, a great engineering work, lately
-0ompleted (under the Government of our Chairman, Sir James
Longden), giving easy access and safe anchorage to the
largest class of steamers, and now entered by vessels of all
nations ; then the Town of Colombo, the Cinnamon Gardens,
.and the Lake, are full of interest.
The Railway, wonderfully constructed around mountain
heights to a summit of over five thousand feet, will convey
you first to Kandy, a beautiful place, and once the capital of
the Kandyan kings ; from thence through the Tea, Coffee, and
Cinchona districts to Nuwara Eliya, the sanitarium of Ceylon.
Then there are the interesting Ruins of Anuradhapura,
testifying to the former greatness of Ceylon under her very
.ancient native dynasty.
32
If you see all tl1is with tl1e mind as ,vell as tl1e eye, you will
be mentally improvAd, and I hope acquire the feelings that
bring Oeylonites together in tl1eir regard and admiratio11
for their lovely Island-The Pearl, indeed, of England's
Colonial Diadem.
APPENDIX.
i.-Sizing, or arranging all the given pearls into ten different sizes>
from the largest to the smallest.
ii.-Olassing, or sub-dividing according to shape and lustre each of
these ten di:frerent sizes.
"
iii.-Weighing the pearls in each of all these classes separately.
iv . -Assigning the money value to such pearls, each in its class, by
weight, and the market price per weight at the time of the
valuation. .
If the distinctiveness of these four operations be borne well in mind,
it will be easy to realise the actual manner in which each operation is
conducted by native valuers.
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Each of the ten sizes is classed separately. This step in the process
of valuation is the one that chiefly requires skill and judgment on the
part of the valuer. It is said, however (and with truth), that no two
persons will class a given set of pearls exactly alike, and that any one
person cannot class the same set twice in the same manner.
The perfection of shape in pearls is sphericity, and the perfection
of "water,'' or lustre, is a silvery brightness, free from spots or dis-
colourations, and according as each pearl has these two qualities
viz., shape and lustre-in a greater or lesser degree, so does the valuer
assign such pearl to its appropriate '' class."
Convention has established several classes, each indicating shades of
differences between pearls in respect of the two qualities .mentioned.
The best description that can be given of these classes is a recital of
their ~ames with the meanings of them, wh;i.ch for the most part
indicate their respective characteristics. They are as follows:-
Chevvu .
i.-A'zii (c:$6l5cli): perfect in sphericity and lustre.
. ii.-A??,atari (.g)J6lST :15rrrfl): failing somewhat in one point, either
sphericity or lustre.
iii.-Samatayarn, ( JFLOtf5UJit)): failing in both points, but not very
much.
iv.-Kaiyeral (wa<J,LUfDriu): failing still more in both points.
48-88 D .
. .
..,,,
1:f,
' [
34 JOURNAL, R,,A.S. ( OEYLON ) [VoL. X.
-v.-llfachchakai (L.O.d;a;c&n&): an appropriate name.
(:'vi. - Vat;livu ( w42- &J): "beauty."
(jvii.-1Jfa<latiktt ( LOL-l51 ~): "folded" or "bent" pearls.
' Kalanchu.
viii,-Kiir'tival (@JPJ ti\J6\J): "double'' pearl, sometimes double A.'~i.
ix_-Kalippu ( l66tlu4): "abundance."
x.-PlisaZ ( tJ G6U): mis-shapen,
:x:i.-Kiirat (PJ~): very mis-shapen and small.
xii.-Tul (#w): small as '' powder.'' t
..
These classes of pearls are those into which the ten "sizes," suoh as
result from sifting, are each generally sub. . divided. After them all
may be added :-
xiii.-Masii-tul ( (..;ff E J5ffW): small, like ''powder," and generally
discoloured-a class which usually contains those pearls t
that may have passed through the tenth sieve, oonstituti11g,
as it were, an eleventh " size.''
xiv.-0<!,umriitta (~'-@~;lf ~1) : "shell pearls.'' Those that have
adhered to, or seem like excrescences on the shells, are
generally not subjected to the process of sifting. They
constitute a ''class'' by themselves, independent of their
'' sizes.''
On reverting to the first operation, that of sizing, it is plain now that
each of the ten sizes of pearls may include those of almost every
class; for instance, among the first size of pearls (those retained in
the first sieve or "basket," without being sifted through) there may
ooc11r pearls of classes such as A'iii, ..tin,ata1i, Pz8al, &c., though not
such classes as Tul and such-like.
* These pearls are found in the 5th, 6th, and 7th sieves.
No. 34.-1887.] PEAR!; FISHERIES OF CEYLON. 35
The 1riafichai as commonly used is not a brass weight, as the
kaJancliu is, but a small red berry of that name. These r>iafichddi
berries, when of the full size, have the property of being all very
nearly, or exactly, of the same weight, which of course fits them well
for tne purpose.
Stewart gives 7! grains as the English weight equivalent to that of
the rnaficlid~i. From a mean of several weighings, l1owever, I find the
1
The fourth and last 'step in the process is the affixing the money
value to each pearl, or set of pearls, in their respective ''sizes'' and
' ' classes . .''
This is an aritl1metical calculation of the simplest kind with regard
to the pearls of the inferior classes,-viz., the Ki,ruva.l class, the
Kalippu class, the Pisal class, the KuraZ class, the Tut class, the . Jldsu-
tuj class, and OiJ(jumutta class, and often the .1.lla<JatJki, class,-for
these pearls' weight being ascertained, each in its class as before
,,h'
mentioned, in ka]afichit and 11ianchdi, their money value may be
,, '
"'
j
fir,, then obtained imn1.ediately from the market price of such pearls at
l,"
the time, at so many star pagodas (Rs. 3 each) per kaJanchii.
Though scarcely necessary, an example will make this still
clearer.
Eroaniple.-Suppose that in the second sieve (that "No. 30'') there
are found (say) 17 KaliJJpzi pearls, which weigh together 10 niafichdqi;
and suppose we know the market price or such pearls at the time of
valuation to be 12 star pagodas per kaJanchu (20 rnanchdtl,i) : then
the value of those 17 Kalippit pearls will, of course, be 6 star pagodas,
;;{,t~~
~fA1'~
or Rs. 21. Thus : -
~l '
r Manohadi. Star Pagodas . Maiioha<Ji.
k
(1
.
,~f".
,.. 20 ..
12
10
,,
,,,'
'' 10
" j
This extreme example will tend to make the principle clear. The
weight of the pearl (superior classes) having been found in manohdtl,i,
three-fourths of the square of this weight is taken. This is the
13600
1020
115,600 = square of 340
Deduct = 28,900
86,700 = three-fourths of square of 340.
Then s:i~~~O = if&, which is the ehevvu of these 8 pearls ;
and clievvu of each =
j- of tl1is =
d~ nearly ; which at 8 star pagodas,
or Rs. 28, per one clievvu, is valt1ed at Rs. 22 annas nearly.
Where the weight is large it is shorter to postpone to the end of the
operation the bringing o:f the fractions to the clenominator 320.
Example 2.-Three pearls weigh 1 lca.(aflchu and niaflchdt/ii. What
is the chei,vu of each ?
2
Here 1 lcaJanchu and ma'iichdrJ,i = 20! mafichd,Ji = ( ~) rna'iichdii;
and (83)
4 2 = 6889 , t hree-f ourths of ,vh.10h = 20667 Th.1s 1s
. the
16 64
chevvu of all these pearls together ; the che1,vu of each one =
. 6889
of th1s = 64 = 107, or, with denominator 320, = 107ff,4, the
cheuvii required.
Wll;I f
NOTE B.-Like all other things of the kind in the world, these
'' sieves" or '' baskets " are sometimes made the means of deception.
Pearl merchants sometimes have one set of sieves for buying with and
another set for selling with. Indeed it is obvious that if the holes be
of too large a size, a pearl which should properly belong (say) to the
D.l"St sieve in size, might pass through it and be reckoned as of only the
second sieve in size, and its val11e be thereby depreciated.
However, there is a rule for determining the proper size of the
sieve-holes. It is this for the first ''sieve" or '' basket ":-
RuZe.-Suppose one has twenty JJerfectly spherical and equal~sized
.A'izi pearls of such size as to weigh together exactly 1 lcaJaflchu
(= 20 mancllar/ti) ; then the diameter of any one of these pearls
l is the diameter proper or the holes of the :first sieve. Henoe this sieve
1
.,.
40 JOURNAL, R.A.S. (OEYLON). [VoL. X~
NOTE D.-If a pearl or set of pearls of the same'' size n and '' class 0
be exceedingly good, pearl merchants will add on to the money value
( calculated as before described') something additional according to the
more than usual excellence of the article.
This is done especially witl1 regard to pearls of the I(ur'ltvaZ class,
which sometimes consist of two very fine pearls joined together, and
which, whe11 disunited, will be fine pearls for setting, though 11ot for
stringing.
Similarly, if a pearl be less excellent than is ordinarily the case,
merchants will strike off something from the calculated value.
It is to be remarked, however, that the valuers called in by Govern-
ment to value samples too often exercise this undoubted discretionary
1~ight to the depreciation, more than proper, of the Government samples.
~ ~ ... ~ \,o4
.
"
... -,.:, - ,_ ,U~ - "' I
.,
'"" . ....
., , .....
~. '
' .
\\
,,.
f
if t t l
I
t;!'",
i
't
I, "
A tL r1
\' ,_.t,I~ ti I
* ASee C. A.. S. JournaJ., Vol. VIII., No. 29, 1884, pp. 484-9 .
.
..
'
"
the names of his queens at full length, and the name of one
of them is transliterated by Dr. Muller* Ganga wa'lfl,ta
kctly arzct Mctlia Deivin wahanse~ Now, in the first place, this
is the only passage out of all Ni~~aiika Malla's inscriptions
in which a caate title is added to the personal naine of a
queen or princess ; therefore it looks as if some importance
attached to the caste in question. D1~. Muller, however,
passes it by without question. But the interpretation of
the wo1cls Gctnga-vctttf!Ct is not easy. The 0an~qa-ua1t1a
171,in issii are tl1e ,vashers of tl1e Oli)'"a caste, wl10 are not only
1
a low caste, but com.e belo,,r the Paduv6 a11tl Bera,vay6, and
a1..e the only caste who will carry the pingoes of the smiths.
It is harclly likely that a king of sucl1 strict aristocratic
ideas as Nif?~a:rika Malla not 011ly marriecl a woman of a
very low caste, but made the fact patent to all the world on
his great '' Galpota.''
After carefully examining the word, I am of opinion
that the word is not Gctngct, but Galia, and if so,
Galiava1J~Ct would stand for Go-ivi-va{ltJa, or '' the Vellala
caste.:'' The question clepencls upon the presence or absence
of the sannoga symbol before the second (5). The local
pandit, who has had considerable experience in reading
sanncts of this period, fancies l1e can detect it, and no
doubt Dr. Muller thought so too. I maintain that the so--
called~ is writte11 quite differently from an u11doubted ~
tl1at comes a few words later, and that the appearance of the
sanfiogc<, sym.bol is causecl by a slight slip of the graving
tool. If it is allowable to read Gctlia-vct7Ja, meanjng the
Vellala caste, some light is possibly thrown upon the inscrip-
tion by the same king near the DaJada Mandiraya,t of which
two othe1'* copies have been found this )Tear, testifying to the
importance which the king attached to its contents. In it
he urges the impropriety of allowing the Gowf-va1J,1a
to aspire to the sovereignty, and the advisability of securing
* .Ancient Insoriptions o:f Ceylon, p . 97, B (2) (S).. t :Mttller, op_ cit., p. 100~
48-88 E
50 JOT.TRNAL, R,A,8, ( CEYLON). [VoL. X.
the. succession to the I(ali]J.ga dynasty. It is just possible
that the king's marri,tge with queen Kalyal}.a of the Gowi
caste had ins1)irecl that caste witl1 the iclea of securi11g the
throne for themselves: at least there a1)pea,rs to be no othe1
explanation of tl1e king's a1J1Jrehensio11 of thei1 l)robable
rivalry with l1is own family. If, ho,vever, tl1e reacli11g
G(t,ng<t-vrt,lj,f(t, is insisted on, possibly Grtn.rJrt n1a)~ be a11
equivale11t of I'~,vara, ancl so not out of the kee1Jing witl1
J?arvat:i, the 11ame of tl1e king's 1nother.
I sl1ould like to call attention to a curious historical
parallel, tho.ugh it has 110 importance beyoncl its curiosit)r.
l:ia nearly all his newly~cliscovered i11scriptions I(i11g
Ni~a11ka Malla !ttys stress on the fact of his havi11g tltlct1J-
ha1~r1, n(Jr1gt '' asce11cled tl1e scales accorcli11g to his vo,v '' :
the vow being to give his weight i11 gold to the poo1. He
reigned about 1187 A.D. Some fifty years before that date a
hero of early Englisl1 l1istory was unde1going a similar
ceremony. We are tolcl that the pious lacly .Rohese, the
mother of Thomas a Becket, Archbishop of Canterbur3~, who
was the type of the clevout ,voman of her clay, ,va.s ,vo11t
to weigh her son each year, on his birthday, against,
money, clothes, ancl provisions, w l1ich S:he gave to the
poor.
I would also venture to J)Oi11t out the aclvisability, or
rathe1.1 the necessity, of removing at. least the greater 11umber
of these inscriptio11s to the protection of some building
uncler the eye of the Disawa. The extreme importance of
p:ueserving them from further decay, not so much J)erhaps
for archreological as fo1 philological 1easons, is too patent to
neecl insisting on. 11he certainty of their 1apicl cleterioratio11
if co11stantly ex1)osecl to tl1e weatl1er is not tl1e only-nor
possibly tl1e strongest-reason for their removal. The present .
inhabita11ts of Polonnaruwa are a h)brid ancl irreverent race,
most dange1ous neighbours to tl1e ruins. Moreover, its
pasture lancls make the place a kind of local Texas, witl1 .
Il:lany interesti11g examples of the tropical cowboy, a bevy
of wl1om were seen, shortly before my arrival, a;mu.sing
No. 34.-1887 .] POLONNA,R{TWA. 51
them.selves by throwing stones at the beautiful a:tatuesl of
the Galvihara.
Othe1" iconoclasts have recently clefaced a fine doorway
forming part of the Wata Dage, and there is every reason to
believe tl1at tl1ey or thei1. fellows l1ave removed the missing
portio11s of tl1e inscri1)ti()11 at the Lat.a Iv.fal).q.apaya for
domestic pu1~1Joses. A11 atl1nirabl~y carved lion, belonging to
the frieze of tl1e Wata D,ige, was fou11cl in the hous,e of the
local A'rticl1cl1i, }Jerformi11g the f11nctions (>f a tur:rnerj c
g1,.incler.
To aclcl
.
to tl1e l101..ro1"' of tl1ese gE.~11eritl te11de11cies, it is well
kno,v11 tl1at a11y st<.1ne ,vith lette1s 011 it is l)(>pularl).,.
su1Jposecl to ma1lr l1i<l<le11 treasure, concerning ,vl1icl1
fabt1lot1s noti()llS exist i11 tl1e rustic 11tttive mi11<l. Of cou1se,
,vere it practicable, it wol1ltl be fa,1,. more S,ltisfactory to leave
,,
f '
all inscriptions f1t, stcttz1, q1to; b1.1t I ,1m perfectlJr sure that in
the face of tl1e facts I have mentio11ed a local n1useum is tl1e
only IJlace for tl1em,-care being taken to attach to each
i11scription a label cletailing the exact IJlace in wl1icl1 it was
founcl.
-------
LIST OF NEWLY-DISCOVERED INSCRIPTIONS DEA..L'l'
,vITH DURING MARCH, 1886.
l.-Inscri1)tion ru1111i11g l''Ouncl tl1e four sides of tl1e stone
seat, fo11nd on excavating tl1e inmost al11~ine of tl1e Tl1upar8.ma.
Co1nplete : tra11scribed : translatecl.
2.-I11scI'i1)tion c,11 two large slabs for1ni11g tl1e sille wall
of tl1e porcl1 of tl1e I1~ta Dage. Complete: transcribed:
t1"anslatecl.
3.-Inscription on a series of stone. slabs forming the
right~hancl outer wall of the inner entrance to the H:~a
Dage. Complete so far as it goes, but unfinished: tranM
scribed: translatecl.
J
J
4.-Inscription on four sides of a stone pillar to the east of
the Vishnu Dewa1e. Complete : transcribed : translated.
24877 2 E
52 JOURNAL, R . A.S, ( CEYLON). [VOL. X.
5.-Inscription on a large stone slab ou11d a little to the
south of the above-mentionecl pillar. This is nearly com-
plete: about six lines are missing. It is a copy of the slab
to the south of the Dalada Maligawa, which has already been
transcribed and translatecl by Dr. Muller.*
6.-Inscription on a broken slab near the ne,v Vish~u
Dewale, No. 1. This is very incomplete, and is another copy
of the preceding inscription.
7.-Inscription on decorated frieze which ran round the
inside of the Ni~~anka Lata Mal}.q.apaya. Ve1,.y incomplete:
transcribed : translated.
8.-Inscription 011 one (a11cl each) of the pillars of tl1e
Ni~a11ka Lata Mal}.<Japaya. Oomplete: tra11sc1~ibed : trans-
lated.
9.-Inscription 011 a broken pillar of the Ni~~anka Dana
Ma:q.q.apaya. Complete : transcribed : translatecl.
10.-Two fragments founcl inside the newly-discove1. ed
Vish1tu Dewale, No. 1. Too incomplete to be intelligible.
11.-Inscription on large u1Jright slab to the east of the
main road, between the H~ta Dage and the Rankot Dagaba.
Pa1. tly illegible : transcribed : tra11slated.
12.-Insoription on a m11ltitude of fragments found insicle
the outer shrine of the H~~a Dage. Partly illegible a11d
incomplete : transcribed : translated. t
., r ir
character have therefore been followed exactly, rather than delay the
printing.-Hon,. l'ier.
No. 34.-1887.J POLONNARlJWA. 53
Okawas raja parapuren a Kalinga Sri Parakrama Bahu
, Chakrawartin wahanse Lanka dipayata eka mangala dipayak
men paena Lanka.tan kaprasa maya kotae samaeta Lanl{a
dwipaya apawaraka grahayakse sambadha kotae Sita Ohotta
Gandadin ha sangra martita Maha Dambadia Maha piriwerin
waeda nano sa rajadin rata bim haerae walwadanawun bala
kulunin abhayadi Dambadi waeda prattimallayak hu no
daekae jaya sthamba kara,va naewata Lak di11 waedae boh6
kal naesi tubu Lanka,vaha salr,vala Dambadiwae Lakdiwae
ta11hi tanhi sastra karawa na.nose yajakayanta apamana wastu
,vidha kotae epamana Irinudu satutuno,vae l1a,vurudupata
sataratula bharayak naegi ran ruan wastra baranadin lo
waessa clili11du haerae lo sasun waeda kotae kaya krichcha
w in6da l)inisa waedae hindina asanayai.
(S16ka.) (Translation.)
His Majesty l{alinga Chakrawarti Parakrama Bahu, who
was a descendant of tl1e Okkaka race, having made all
Layka's isle to appear like a festive island, having made all
La7Jka like unto a ,vishing tree, having made all LaJJka like
unto an incomparably decorated house, having subjugated
in war Sita, Ch6da, Ganda, &c.,-went to Maha Dambadiwa
with great l1osts; and seeing that because of his coming
kings and others left tl1.eir co11ntries ancl came to him for
protection, he treated them with kindness a11d stilled their
fears; and having met witl1 no rival after his landing in
Dambadiwa, he erected pillars of victory, a11d again came
to Layka's isle. LaJJ.ka l1aving bee11 neglected for a long
time, he erected almsl1ouses at llifferent })laces throughout
the whole of Dambadiwa and Ce)~lon; and on his return
spent ever so much treasure on mendicants. Not being
content witl1 all this, he determi11ed on a distribution of alms
fou1 times in every year, and by [giving] gold, jewels, cloth,
ornaments, &c., having extinguished the poverty of the
inhabitants of the world, and done good to the ,vorld and to
religion,-this is the seat on which he sat to allay bodily
weariness.
54 JOURNAL, R.A.S. ( OEYI~ON). [VOL. :X.
(Notes.)
This fine stone slab vvas founcl uncler masses of deb?-'i.s
in the inner shrine of tl1e Thuparama. It lies exactly t1nde1-
neath the principal alta1, and rests on what appear to be fot1r
capitals of pillars. I am i11clined to thi11k it is not i11 its
01iginal position, partly f1om the fact of its st1p1)orts having
eviclently been intenclecl for a11otl1er pt11pose, anc1 partly
because it is hardly likely that the l\'.ing sat clovvn '' to rest
from body weariness '' in the most sacred part of a Bucldhist
temple.
'
I think there is no cloubt that this is 011e of Niss,t1ilt,t
"
l)O'\Ver of flyi11g through tl1e a.ir im1,lied in it is, ~tcco:rding to
tl1.e etl1.ics of Buclc1hism, '' possessecl l)y ,tll bi1cls and deilcts,
"1b y some n1en, and lJ'jY some ll ctltli,'I. '' *
lVctltrll 8ftJ'rtlt: 11rt11, 1t Jl u JJfl,J'ttJJl!'l'l')l. rl'l1 e },:1st t,vo words
~t1e left u11t1::i11slrttecl LJ'" D1. Jvitiller.t I im1tgi11e tl1e r:i1odern
ec1t1iv,tle11t t(> 1)e 11e1zrt,f rt.11irt1r11, 111r1S(t.11 .~rt11,i1rtf. trtll(<,/1111r,
1:tn<.l l1tt,,e tr,111sla,te<.1 ,tccorclingl3 : b11t 1 shol1lcl l)e ver)' glac1
to be co11ectecl if I ~1,111 ,vro11g.
Kctetiltclrt, n1.ea,ns, I ft1nc3~, all such gra.i11s aR 1:tre cultivated
,vith tl1e lr(!ti, i. e., ttll chena 1Jro<l11ce.
[D1l'rttl,d(1,] .1111.rllirt, :..:e11.li !}1trl!1rt. '11 he san1e 1JhrdRe occ111"'S
i11 the '' Grrlj,r,trc,: '' therefo1e ,ve m,ty sitfelj s111Jply the ,vord
d1ccl11(lrf., ,vhich, i11 tl1.e present inscription, is ,rirtually
illegible.
li(t'fl. rt,t.! 11 /Jilt. Tl1is 1>h1:-ise ttlso occ11 rs 111 tl1e '' (ftt!JJt)!rt ,1'
but is 11.ot trctnslate(l bj' D1. 1\tiller.t I su1)p1>rie it 111e,t11a
' golcl rings.,,
Srt11J7Jcingrt ::;1111<l(t'l't 11, lite1::tll), '' the i11c~on1pn,r,tble llea11t)~,''
StlCtJ)'/CtJjrt ll'(lf(t {/81f(l. This I ta.ke to be the Wata Dage,
,vhich ,ve k110,v fro1n tl1e i11sc1i1)tio11 011 it \\.TtlS built by
NissttI'1ktt
Jvl~tllrt. Dr. Miille1 l1t1s committetl a curious
misti1l{e in calling this i11.scription -~ the f1ieze rountl the
Tl1upa1a1na.'' 'l'he Tht1parama beltrs r10 external .inscrip-
tion, an(l the 11e,vl) -<liscove1ecl one i11si(le does not refer to it.
7
(Text.)
Sri Si11ha, Wikramaeti S1"'i Sinha pureswara La11keswara
I(alinga Chalrrawarti11 wahanse raja siri })aemini dewana
hawurt1du patan Lankawa sisara gain niain gam raja dhani
adiwu noyek l)rasidha sthana ............ samanola adiwu giri
durggada at ambnln pakakse bala ,vadara gaeniyek navvaratna
IJiru lra1ancl11ak genaye numut tele k11mak clayi 110 kiana
niyayen1. ajeya nistkantaka kotae semehi taba purgwa Iajeyan
sat awurudu sat maselrin nangwu maligawa bala wadara
apasewu rajakenekun nanguru maligawe l1incla wedayi
pansalis dawasak atulehi sat mahal maligawa kudu nangwa
porabalana paridden ana1--ga mandapaya kudu na1twa aetpora
bala tarada kahara salawa atulnWU tun asanaya kudu nal}.Wa
mehi wasal pauru adiwu taenda karawa Silamaya kotae Sandi
1nandapaya boho kalak pawatna niyayen mese kiilingody
Etnaya diwia bl1awanayakse karawa Kalinga Wega Karnatta
G11jara adiwu noyek desayen bisowarunda genwa antanpure-
yehi wena ,venama noyek lesa maligada na1twa boh6 sal}.pat
cl,t di wada1,.a tun 1..ajayehi noyek ta11hi maligada satrada
11a-9-,va ananta yajakayanta ran walan ricli walandin ichcha
bh6janaya kotae mese tun 1..ajaya noyek paridden bala
waclarana kalae gauda niata kota Nissanka gauyai taem.
hinduwa akuru kotawa Kalinga Subhadra bisowun wahanse
ha Kalyana maha dewin ,vahanse ha maha })anal}. wahanse
ha Wikrama Bahn oopanaiJ. wahanse ha Chanclra bisowun
No. 34.-1887. J POLONNARUWA. 61
wahanse ha Parbatti wahanse ha Sarwanga Sundarin wahans.e ''
(Translat,ion.)
His Illt1strious Majesty Siyha Wikram~ti $rf Siyha Pures-
wara La1Jkeswa1a Kalinga Cl1ak.rawarti, after he had reigned
t,vo years, made a royal p1ogress th1~ot1ghout LatJ.ka, inspect-
ing the villages, fortified villages, to~rns, &c., an(l several
places of note ...... Adam's Peak, &c., and the 1ock fortresses
(11.aving them before l1im), like a ripe neli fr11it i11 his hand.
He united into one ki11gdo1n, and brought peace to Laqka,
so that a woman, thot1gh sl1e carriecl a casket containi11g the
nine gems, woulcl not be askecl, What is it ? Ile sa,v a palace
which a former king hacl erected in seven years and seven
months; (and thinking) '' a king of our renown should live
in a palace worthy of us,'' lie erected within fortJ?-five days
a palace of seven stories. He er0cted an aclrnirable building
from which to ,vatcl1 the fights of wild beasts, and he
watched the elephant fights (from it). Together ,vith the
banqueting hall he erected three thrones, antl f11.rnisl1ed
these palaces with gates, ramparts, &c. Having built the hall
of beautif11l stone work as a lasting memorial, lie in tl1is
manner made the 1oyal garde11 of Kaling'd.. like tl1e residence
of a gocl. He got him q11eens from ma,ny places, from
Kalir'1ga, Wega, Kar:gata, Gujara, &c. In the harem he built
several palaces of various kinds, and expended much
treasure. In the tl1ree kingdoms he built palaces and alms-
houses at seve1al places; to numberless beggars
he gave tl1e
food which they like in vessels of gold and silver. In this
manner he thoroughly inspected the th1ee kingdoms; and
he prepared mileposts, and calling them Ni111~a.nka's mile-
posts, he fixed them in their }Jlaces and inscribed them.
" He, together with Her Highness the Queen Subhadra of
,,,,_,,
62 [VoL. X.
.
Kalinga, Her Majesty the Queen KalyiI}.a, His Highness the
Viceroy, His Highness the Crown Prince Wikrama Bahu,
Her Highness the Queen Chandra, Her Highness Parvatti,
and He1~ Highness Sar,va11ga Su11clarin, eigl1t 1)ersons in
all, took the vows of the scales, ancl every year gave alms
i11 this 1nanne1-.. To the inhabitants of La11ka, ,1rl10 ,ve1e
impoverished by the taxes collectecl by former (kings)
witl1out 1"estraint, he gave gold and silver a11d mt1ch wec1lth.
(Notes~)
Thia inscri1)tion is in very fair preservatio11. It was
founcl, like the preceding one, when the H~ta Dage was
thoroughly excavated. rr11e king Ni~~anlra Malla. aclo1)ts
yet another style at the commence1nent : b11t tl1ere is 110
cloubt about his identit3r~ The first four li11es aI'e iclentical
with the inscription at Wandaruprt viha1"e, seven miles fIom
Hambantota.
*
Ra:jrt, si1,')i 11cttc1/1i. I t1~anslate tl1is slightly cliffe1,.e11tly
from Dr. Miiller who, ho,vever, hacl not the acl,.,,antage
of the full text.
Prasidhct stlia1ia ... ad'iil,u,. Tl1e illegible ,vords here
may be supplied from the insc1~iption at Wa11dar11pa vihaI'a.
The text would then 1--un :-P1,~ctsiddlict stlid1-ia lid _jr1,lctclii1~gga
pct~ikct di.t,?/Jggci ivcir;ictrlit1"ggc1.t Sct/trictno?ct dd i2v11, ..
1
fruit.
Goe,1ifyelc .... rio k'ictnci 1ilydyen. This pl1rase occu1s,
slightly altered, in Ni~~auka Malla's inscription at Dambulla. t
Nor are such boasts confi.11ecl to Eastern kings. The obviously
simil~r legend embodied in ''rich and raIe were the gems sl1e
wore'' will occ11r to every one ; ancl in the seventh centtlr:y
A.D. we learn f1~om Bceda's Histo1"y that it ,vas the boast of
Eadwine, king of Northumbria, that a woman with her babe
might walk scatheless from sea to sea in his clay.
Pu1"uiva ra.je ... ... bctld ivctda1~a. This may possibly 1'efer
* Muller, op. oit,, pp. 102, 185. t Iil., p. 91 (13)
.
' ,'
w ,.,.
(Translation.)
His Illustrious Majesty !{alinga La1dkeswara Parak1an1a
Bah11 W11"araja Nit?~alika Malla Ap1~atimalla Chak1awarti was
pleased to confe1,. a boon 011 ma11y beggars. He erectecl an
almshouse ancl gave it the name of Ni$~anka's almshouse
th1"ol1ghout the thIee ki11gcloms, ancl was pleased to bestow
ripe ancl u11ripe fruit of charity on st1ch beggars as received
alms from it. The bounclary on the soutl1 was the l{amboja
gate; on the no1--th the stone 1va1ict together with the whole
of the moctt; on the east the bouncla1~y wall [of the city] ;
9n the west the whole of Ni~~a11ka's ocean [1:.e,, Topaw~wa].
He made a royal garden within these four boundaries, and
cailed it the royal garden of the almshot1se ; with the
No. 34.-1887.J POLONN.ARUW.A. 65
exception of the trees, &c., which are within the rampart of
the Nif~anka Dana Winoda nianrJ.apaya the rest of the
land he made to belong to the almshouse. With the
exception of such beggars as receive alms from the alms-
house, [namely] ripe and unripe fruit of charity, no one
else is to take [such produce], whether for his own consump-
tion or for any pecuniary motive ; and to ensure this, he
erected this stone inscription. Any stranger of an)T sort, not
mentioned in the proclamation, who shall take for himself
or give to othe1s even the smallest twig from it, shall be
likened to dogs and crows, and shall be classecl with beggars
who go about with earthen bowls in tl1eir hands [i.e.,
''unattached'' beggars of the lo,vest grade].
(Notes.)
This inscription is in excellent preservation, as it was
almost completely buried in earth. It is to the east of the
so-called Vishnu
Dewale .
Ka1nbojct ivdsctla.-This is perhaps the most interesting
allusion in all the new inscriptions. I append the l)assage
f1om Fergusson's '' I-Iistory of Architecture,'' which appears
to me to lend it es1)ecial impo1tance:-
The first assertion in the traditions 0 the Cambodians is sufficiently
startling. '' In the country of Rome, or Romaveise, not far from
Takkhasinla (Ta:x:ila), reigned a great and wise king. His son, the
vice-ki11g,-Phra Thong by name,-having done wrong, was banished,
and after many adventures settled in Cambodia," &c. The time is not
. indicated, but we gather from the context that it must have been
about the fourth century. It may at first sight look like catching
at a nominal similarity, but the troubles which took place in Cashmere
in tl1e reign of Tungina, and generally in Western India about the
year 319, look so like what is recorded further east, that at present
that seems the most probable date for the migration, assum.it1g it to
have taken place. Many would be inclined to doubt the po~sibility of
any communication between the two countries ; but it :nrust be bor11e
in mind that the country around Taxila in ancient times was called
Camboja; that it was the headquarters of serpent worship; that the
architecture of Cashmere bears every considerable i:esemblance to that
48-88 F
JOURNAL, R. .A..S, ( CEYLON). [V{)L. X.
\
No. 34.-1887.] POLONNARUWA. 67
,,,
..
F2
68 JOURNAL, :R.A.S .. ( CEYLON).
(Notes.)
Considering how this i11scription has been knocked about,,
we are very lucky to have got the two fragments which
give us the name of the king and of tl1e builcling. We
have so many inscriptions of Ni~i;;anka Malla, and this
,0ne aJJpears to have been so ver;;r like severa,I of the others,
that perhaJJS we may bear ,vith equanimity tl1e loss of the
body of its contents ; but it ,vas evidently the most highly
.
'
.
70 JOURN.t\.L, R.A.S-. (CEYLON). [VoL. X.
by 6 in. The two upper ones are 6 in. apart : the lower one
is 10?r in. from the ground. The upper rail is 1 ft. 3 in ..
-
below the top of the pillar.
- 4 ...
(Text.)
Sri Nissanka l\falla Kalinga ParakIama Bahn Ohakrawartti ,I,
(Notes.)
This
. laxge building-the NifffCtnlcct Dd1ia Winod((, :Af(tJl-
<J,ctJJaya-was founcl by my ex1Jlo1~ing 1)a1. tJr eal'ly in 1"Iarcl1.
Every one of tl1e verJ,. la1--ge }Jillars which supported tI1e
roof is broken, but we we1e fort11nate eno11gh to fi11cl, in tl1e
jungle close by, tlJ.e upper fragme11t of one of tl1e1n, ,vl1icl1
bears this insc1"i1Jtion, a11d tl1us identifies the builc1i11g. If
this is the only 11illttr ,vl1icl1 \\7as inscribecl-a11cl it is l1arcll"j"'"
..
likely tl1at tl1ey "\Vere all i11sc1,.ibed-tl1e find ,vas peculiarIJ
1uclcy.. Tl1is b11ilcling is 1efe1--1--ecl to in tl1e '' Gctl11r;tct, '' i11sc1i 11-
tion in tl1ese te1~1ns : '' I11 01,.cler to ,vitness in 1Jerson tl1e
rejoicings of tl1e lllenclica11t::; \"\rl10 1ecei, ecl 1)rese11ts, lJe b11ilt 1
tf.ctJ?a. ''*
(Notes.) ~
These l)ieces are too fi'tttgment,tr)T to be of any 11se. 011e
piece is let in (ap1}a1entl)T i1t a later e,late) to the fl 001, of tl1e
outer shrine of the v..,.lslt'lJ'lt Detl ale; the other is 'loose 1
. ., .
ll.-l'liscription 01i lct-J~ge tlJJ1"iglit sto1ie slcttb uetil'een tl2e
H~ta Dage lt1icl tl1e Ra;ilcot Dagabct.
(Text.)
(First eight lines illegible.)
...... I{alinga Chakrawarttin wahansege wanSe:)-rehi npan
Sinha Bahu rajaya11 wahanseta jreysta putrawu I(alinga~'"en
p r I>@ """" ,u~ \ I .41" 11 PCI "~" ra l, b I I.if 4# 111111 [Ill I fl.,,.i.11;; , 4 p; It' 11 ai - k "'
"
No. 34.-1887.] POLONNARUW.A.. 73
manner (as his predecessor)-and created disturba11ces in
La1Jka. (The king) took into his favour His Excellency
Wijaya Yan, and in the kingdom which he gave His
Majesty was anointed and crow11ed, was invested with the
royal ornaments, and ascended the lion-th1one. Considering
that it is right to show favou1 to the faithful, and since }Iis
Excellency Wija3-Ta Yan, from the time of his investit11re
with the gold chain a11d thread, had protected the royal
l)erson, and since he confirmed the kingdom in the possession
-0f the Kalinga family, (,vho had it) from days of yore,
and since his race and family had been faithful to the
Kalinga race from the time of king Wijaya-in retu1n for
this fidelity ..... .
(Notes.)
Tl1is is 1)robably the most valuable find of all, as, to
,vhatever king it belongs, it certainly belongs to a king of
wl1om no other similar 1ecord exists at present. I am
inclinecl, on the wl1ole, to ascribe to it an earlier date than
Ni:;;:;;anka Malla, and to take the allusions as 1eferring to
Parakrama Bal1u the Great and l1is nephew Wijaya Bahu
(the second), Virho succeeded him, the latter being the author
of the inscription. (See '' MahawalJso,'' cl1. 80.) It is just
l)Ossible, however, that anotl1er Wijaya B{1hu, of later elate,
may be 1eferred to, who began to reign at Dambadeniya, but
subsequently conquered Polonnaruwa from the Tamils. I am
told that there are conclusive refere11ces 11ot only to tl1is
Wijaya Bahu, but also to his general Wijaya Yan, in tl1e
.,, Puja:,valiya. '' I am having the reference sea1ched for, and
should it be co11clusive, I ,vill communicate a fu1ther note
on the s11bject. It is a great pity tl1at only one side of tl1is
inscription is legible, but I have still son1e hopes of part at,
least of the otl1er side, for the lichen with which it was
clensely covered in tl1e dry weatl1er when I ,vas the1e, is said
to disappear 1)a1tially towards tl1e e11d of tl1e rainy season
.... -...' from similar stones; and tl1ere is a man on the spot who will
.
.'.. ' '.' be able to send me an accurate copy of so much as becomes
',
',
'
74 JOUl{Ni\L, lt.A..S. (CEYLON). [VoL. X.
legible. The last six lines of the illegible sicle appear to be
in a diffeIent lettering.
Hrtct.Dage.
(Text.)
Sri Siri Sa~igha B6 Wira Raja Ni~~a1ika Malla Kfili11ga
Pa1"akrama Bahu Ohakra,vai-tti11 wahanse Budt1 sasl111
paswadahas pa,wat11a sa11dal1a sarclha budclhi pu11g,va11gama
wae supilipaen mal1a sangaya ,vahanse clha1~mma "rineya ,v11
1Ja1--idden purana piliwet.
(T1. a11slation.)
His 1fajesty Satigl1a Bo Wira Raja Ni$~a11ka 1fa.lla, l{ali11ga
PaIalrrama Buht1 Chalclrrawarti was pre-emine11t for faitI1
anrl co11viction that the 1~eligion of Buddha ,vo11lcl last five
thousrtnd :yea1s; tl1e illustrious l)Ul"ity of the gIeat p1~iest-
l1oocl (111:1:ving macle ?) a11cient 1--ules in connection witl1 the
<loct1.,ine and tl1e law.
(N ates.)
It is ql1ite l)ossible tl1at a Sanskrit scl1olttr woulcl l1e
able to mt\ke out a few more ,vo1"cls from the inscription
than I have given. A great many Sanslr1~it wo1.. tlB are
evidently int1~oducetl into tl1.e succeeding lines, but I ,vas
u11able even to guess at tl1e1n. It was impossible to take a
'' squeeze '' of the insc1 iption owing to its ext1emel:r? frag-
11
n1entary conclition..
/ .,
' ' '
')(
No. 34.-1887.J POLONNARUWA. 75
1,y '
~if,
'\
' .
APPENDIX.
---
NOTE BY MR. T. BERWICK.
signalise the double triumph, that the Hindu Parakrama Bahus were
adorning Polonnaruwa.
ADDENDUM.
l. General Cunningham, in his '' .Ancient Geography of India,,
(p. 517 and map, p. 62G), places DantaJJttra on the Godavery, thirty
miles north-east of Koringa, at Raja Mahendri, the present Raja-
mundry ; but Fergusson has since indentified it with Puri. 0
2. That Siyhapura in Kalinga.1 tl1e birthplace of Ni~~anka l\!alla, was
aotually unde1.. the sway of the Gan9a-va1}~a of Orissa during his time,
may be collected ro1n Stirling's "Account of Orissa '' in volume 15 of
the '' Asiatic Researches.'' The town of Sighapura, or at least the town
in Kalinga whic11 retains that name, is situated in tho hill cour1try of the
eastern Ghan.ts, on the bank of the Nitgavelly, some eigl1ty miles fron1
wl1ere that river forms an estuary of the sea at Chicacolc, which is al)o11t
fifteen miles west of Kalingapatam.. And the epoch of the Parakra.ma
Bahus of Polonnaruwa was 1153-1186 A.D. Now, Stirling tells uR
(1>age 164) that '' du1~ing the sway of the princes of the Gungcc-i(t1J~(t
li11e, for a period of 11early our centuries (from 1132 A.D. onwards),
the boundaries of the Raj of Orissa" extended on the south to ' tl1e
Godaveri, or Ganga Godaveri,'' and on the west to '' a line drawn
through Sinhburu, Sonepur, and Bastar,' 1 and, therefore, tltey inclzi<le<l
Sif}hltJJu1a. Again, Raja Anang Bhun Dea, one of the most illustrious of
the Ganga-vati~a line1 ascended the throne of the Gajapatis, 1174 A.D.
It was he who commenced the great temple of J aganat in the
twelfth year of his reign,
..
and completed it in 1196 A.D. In his speech
to the assembled nobles he is recorded as having stated his additi<>n~
to the Raj to have extended 011 the south ''from the Rassikoilah do~rn
to the Da11dpat of Rajinandri,'' and on the west '' to the confines of
Boad (Bodh) Sonepur.'' (Ibid, })p. 269-71.)
3. Light is thrown on the origin of the title Ganga-1.:a'l}!a by the
following passage :-''This personage [Cb.or Gaqga, or Churang Deo],
whatever his real origin, is fabled to have been the offspring of the
goddess Ganga Sa.na, or the lesser Ganges (GodaV'eri)t by a form of
Maha Deo. With him [in 1132 A.D.] began the race of princes called
the Ganga---Vansa, or Gangban's line, who ruled the country for about
four centuries, a period fertile in great names and events of impor-
tance, and which forms unquestionably the most brilliant and
interesting portion of Orissa history." (Ibid, p. 267.)
P' # A <ii ; Jl:o.WV ill 1H# ; $, ;a
the inscription referred to a Solar race and a Lunar race of kings. The
river Ganges, as we have seen, was similarly deified, and it is very lilrely
that there existed a royal race in the neigl1bourhood of tl1e Ganges
which went by the name of Ganga-i,a1}~a, and that Ni~~anka Malia's
queen Kalyal).a Maha Devi was one of them.
'1,
I do not see how Ga1igd-va7J.{-:a could be used for tl1e Dhoby caste or , '
the Paduwa caste, and Ni~~anka Malla was too proud a pri11ce to marry
any one not of a royal race: for vte read in his i11scription at Dnlad,t . ,,
I,
'
' r
Mandirava, in Polonnaruwa, tl1e advice which he gave to his subjects,
,,
other countries which were non-Buddltlstical. Not even the men of the
, ,,
"Govi tribe," says he, should be raised to the throne. In tho absence .,.
'r,
,'
it certainly will not meet with respect, but only with ridicule. From
this it is evident that this high-minded pri11ce could not have married
even one of the Govi tribe, much less a Dhoby or Paduwa caste woman.
Since writing the above I have found conclusive proof that there
existed in India a dynasty which went by the name Ga:nua-i"a1J,~a. !11
Rajendralal Mitra's "Antiquities of Orissa'' (ancient Odra), vol. I.,
page 4, the following passage occurs :-" rraces are not vranti11g to show
I
that during the ascendency of the Gangci-vatz{ta princes their kingdom
embraced Gour on the one side and the whole, or at least a part, of
Karnata on tl1e other." Again, at page 110, vol. II . , he says : '' Pur11-
sh6ttama Deva, who next to Ananga Bhema was perhaps the most
distingt1ished and successful prince of the Ga11,gd-?Ja1){,a line, devoted
much attention to the worship of the divi11ity, and called himself, like
his predecessors, the 'Sweeper of the Sacred Temple.'"
Marshman, in his "History of India," says that the Kesari family
obtained the throne of Orissa, and held it till 1131 A .. D.: tl1ey were
succeeded by the line of Gungu Bunsu [Gangii-vay~a according to
Marsl1man's mode of spelling Indian words], who maintained their
power till it was subverted by the Muhammadans in 1568. 0
Balfour's '' Cyclopredia of Inclia," p. 256, contains the following :-
" Ga1zga-vansa', or Gitgu pittee [i.e., Gagapati, meaning tl1e chief of the
GangesJ, a dynasty that ruled in Orissa from about the twelfth century.''
It would hence appear that Ni~~anka Malla reigned in Ceylon at tl1e
time when the princes of Ganga-viiy.~a dynastywe1e holding the reins of
that the generic idea of Gltnga was not unknown to those people.
In Buddl1ist works frequent mention is made of other rivers beside
the Ganges under the term Ga1iga. In the "Savidl1i Dfpaniya," in the
Byangnna Division, on the 64th page, seven nadis and five ga1igtill are
1ne11tioned. In the Commentary of the "Angotra Sangiya,'' the ~rord
Ga1iga is used between twenty a11d tl1irty times in connection "'"itl1
other rivers besides the Ganges. In the co11rse of my reading I l1ave
frequently come across it in the Tipitaka books, where it has the
generic signification.
It appears, therefore, that alt11ough the Sanskrit-speaking people of
the Ganges valley used nadi as the generic and ga1iga generally
as the specific name for "river,'r yet they also employed the latter in
the general sense, as did also the other inhabitants of those parts of
India wl1ere Pali was spoken and Buddhism had been established.
,
NOTES BY B. GUNASEKARA ...
MuDALIYAR~
Page 53.-Reading La'f)lca dtpayata eka rn.angala dipayak men
p(!mirta Lankatanlca prasamaya lcote samasta Lanlcddwipaya apawaraka
~8-8S.J: G
82 JOURNAL, R.A.S. ( CEYLON). [VOL. X. '
,,
' fl'
' I
'1,,._'
I 1'
' ', t
'' Rdjdcliri ... dr;l~a" may be rendered: "Having seen the princes, '
''
'!
'
'I .
&o., quit their lands and rt1sl1 into the j1111gle, he kindly gave them I
'
' ;
..
version:-
,,
T
','
,'
doctrine) is most excellent ; (it is) t11e only thing worthy of being /1
'
res1Jected by the whole world : that confers final happiness : that 1{/
''
Page 56.-I think Gttndct 1nust be written Ga1.tcl1.i (CS}~@), which is 'l
'
(t
go111g
before 'fl or "}Jrececled by.,, '
t Here the :finite verb has to be supplied from the latter part which is
omitted. '
...
.
No. 34.-1887.] SI~HALESE INSCRIPTIONS.. 83
I.-L.A.~KATILAKA INSCRIPTION.
(Text.)
~
-
~ 8
.
f38~~ ~ a J? ~ a a
@ ~ 0) ~
~~~ ~mC)a~ ~@))a
0
Ou 8 f1 ~ ~@ '-' f"' ,.,@ ~..ti))~
el @l)
8JID
a~
co @)arn
"@l) ifli@elf?a
g ,.(1, <.)
80 '-' a ~ 9 ~ ~
~a8
0 Q) <@)
ii
--01
CJ:>
~
,.(bw ~ a
a, @ .Q (.) ~@a 0,-,1 <fm ~..Q 0@ ~ I
n a ,., 9JJ 08 .....
a. ~ '-' f1 fj ~
a
~~oow
~ ~
tD
~
t}ae0a&atPa~~ 00
w a <; (.) ca V
0..
@l)
'-'
Eh 0 I C?Ja~,... ~re
a aa 00
@)
e~ @0,08 ,rio
el Q)
Eb ~
C} 8 8 J1~
ao
Wo
V 0; @JJeJ~ 0.,[BD
.Qgf}Ra,{b~a:i
.....i
,__,
--. a ~ 8 ~ (\
8 (.)
ao(.) a . ~al;t~~
Eb 9,.(1,
0 th 0@@ou8c9u 8
Gl.,aa a,.., ~JJ ~ a 1-:3
u
a a a a~a
0 I-<
0
0,
a
9' (.) ~9""
0 } (} illJ
@) \ ~8
a_ i 4 C\rn0a
@
a '-'
~
a0 awe> a z
rn.
g. 0
r.0
8
a (.)
V
aemw ~& @(lj g> a a Ug-
@
g
8
,.(\0 0 a~ r9 t:)) a~ t 9 (
a C} a a &@af3 o i 9lBq
Q) (!) @ ~
f:)~ aa@ w0aao~
aw 0 a 8@
00 0 e om.Jb
0 (!) c) @),.!)
a g a r1~~ ~
@0as ae>a aae
m@
&K (1!; u 0
tn 8) w 1 Co)
.rn
0 (!) ~ 00
-~
' ,,:' ~--
'",, ,01'
' 1/" ',,
''
[VoL. X.
C I
B flc:5'~,
r.c.
~
m@~ ~,
ep@dd'm~@~,
~(3:til.WS~,
~6 {:')@~.
0
(Transliteration.)
Swasti.
$ri $aka varshayen ek dal1as desiya sas9ta awuruddak
pirUI].ll sancla me kala(l) raja p~miQ.i Tri Siyhaladhi~wara
Bhuvanaikabahu namwu.(2) mata tunwanu vesanga JJUra
pasaloswaka clewasaye(3) maha sa11ghayawahanse ekwa Sin-
duruwane(4) Panhalgala muclunel1i k~rawu. nayaka pilima
atawissak ha pilim.a sahasayakin(5) sam1Jur1tawu. sataraweni
ma.lat pilimasaminut IJilim.a pal1akin sampur1.1awakin(6)
k~rawu tunweni malat atawisib6dhiyenut(7) suwisivivarava..
yenut(8) pilim.a sahasrayakinut sampur1,1awa mudaliwarun.
No. 34.-1887.] SI~HALESE INSCRIPTIONS. 87
emadenat
"'
90 JOURNAL, R,A.S. ( CEYLON). [VOL. X. "' "'
' '", '
' ,, '
, tr
,,', '
renclered with a view to hereafter maintain tl1e great ancl
beautiful Vihare consisting of- '
'
'
other objects) ; t
''
',,/1
No. 34.-1887.] SI~HALESE INSCRIPTIONS. 91.
children, &c.; (and) the two monasteries caused to be
made with a view to the accommotlation of the great bocly
of the p1iests of the two orclers, inclusive of aged priests who
have but little desire (for the world); the flower garden and
the orchard ;-the following grant was made :-
One yala of })a<ld;; so,ving extent f1om Kiriwamula belong-
ing to the saicl Si11d11ru,vanan11,vara, six yalas of so,ving
extent from Alut Bac1~1lagoLJa wl1ich We, tl1e Mudali:;ars,
ancl other J)eOJ)le conjointly causec1 to become fertile by
making a fresh, strong dam ; five yalas of so,ving extent from
Paral,la Baclalago<J.a, twelve -;,{ilas (inclusive of tl1e above) and
places togetl1e1 with the trees, sh1ubs, ancl meado"\\s
belonging thereto ; one yula, of sowi11g extent from Gon,va-
nika in Hiclclamulla, "\Vhicl1 Senala,1Jk{1clhika1a offered out of
his hereclitary J)ossession; one )ala of so,ving extent from
Yakalla in ParaI).a Bau.alagolJa, ,vhich was offerecl b'j" the
minister who managed affairs at tl1e roJal court; one )ala of
sowing extent from l(asambiliyago 1J.a, which ,vas offered
by Satruvan Patiraja; t,,rel,e amul)u of sowing extent l:1-ing
bet,veen the upper side of the field Hinp1?nka11dura in
Deltota ancl the limit of Saputale, offered by Patiraja;
one ........ from Santana ; one )-rala of sowing extent from
GotJ,a,vela offered by all the small and great, conjointly, in
the two-folc1 Sinduruwananuwa1a, after ha"\ring tl1ro,vn up
embankments, u1)rooted the stumps, and prepa1ed it (for
cultivation)-all amounting to seventeen )alas antl twelve
amu1~u in all the aforesaid places, according to the old
bounclaries; the places includi11g the trees, sl1rubs, and
meadows a1Jpertaining thereto; tl1e furniture, including gold,
silver, bell-metal, and copper vessels offered by Senalaykadhi-
kara of his ow11 property ; 200 male and female servants,
amongst whom some are his own ancestral servants and:
others purchased by him ; 400 black cattle and buffaloes ;-
in 01der tl1at continuallJ rice, flowers, lamps, and religious
festivities may be continued for the ,sake of the gods and
Buddhas-finishing the work left incomplete and repairing
the work already done in the temple and monastery.
'/J
(1) If, in view of this noble original saying, any great :men ~ /r
,, '
,;i
,vish to enjoy happiness in this world and the next., and ",,
i,,,
,,
,,,
(3) without coveting anything (2) help forward this ' J
(
v ''
charitable work even by a word or letter, and (4) not only
keep up the work alreacly completed but also execute
the wo1--k which is left undo11e, they may 1:Jarticipate in
the merits of this act as if done by themselves, and
,vork out for themselves the happiness of heaven and
Nirvana
.
S0nalayk8.dhikflra makes also the following request:-
The most excellent Senalaykadhikara places, like a flower
on his head, the dust sticking to the two feet of him who is . ,b,
,. ,
,.
~'it]
(Notes.)
(1) Kala is evidently a clerical error for Lctlca = La1Jka.
(2) The king referred to in the following inscription ,vas
Bhuvanaika Baht1 IV. of Gam1)ola, who ascended the tl1rone
1344 .A..D. Acco1cling to '' Nikaya Sa1Jgraha,'' Senala,ykadhi-
kara, his minister, sent pearls, precious stones, &c., to
Kafichipura (modern Conjeveram of Southern I11dia), where
he got a stone image made. He also caused to be made at
De,vunuwara (Dewundara, or Dondra) a three-storeyed
house with images (of Buclclha) in a standing posture, and
caused a large image-house of eighteen cubits to be built
at Akb6 -w:ehera (Agrab6dhi viha1a). Moreover, on the top
of the Par9-a~aila rock in the Sinduruwana nuwara, his native
place, he causecl to be built a magnificent vih{tre, Laykatilaka
by name, which was as beautiful as the Kailasa rock. He
also performed many other religious acts and led a pious
94 JOURNAL, R .A..S. ( CEYLON). [VoL. X.
life. On hearing of the many i1religious acts of those ,vho
professed the (Buddhist) 1eligion, l1e n1acle it lc110,v11 to the
cl1apte1 of l)riests in the t,vo monasteries, at the heacl of
which was the High Priest Wanarata11a, ,vl10 1esicletl at
Amaragiri, and, ,vith r0) al patronage, l1e (tl1e mi11ister)
7
j
(16) Viblitslict1ict, the younger brother of Rava?}a and .
:,i
friend of Rama.
/(
composed of ctltJa '' little,'' icliclilia '' clesire,'' 1naliallalca '' old
or elclerly person,'' ancl 1,,uct1,..ci '' great,'' '' eminent . ''
(22) Pctr,iunu,, probably from 21ctvl}11,i (Pali), '' series,''
''succession''; hence that ,vhic11 is inl1erited fro1n one's
a11cestors, ancestral lancl, &c. For tl1e cl1:.tnge of iv into 111,,
co1npa1,.e 1ictivctyct, ''nine'' and 11cl111.ctyc1,. Perha1)s also it may be
,
Clerived f1~om 21a11i.i1ictr1)ct11i (Pali), ,vhich met111s '' attainment,''
.,:tl1e act of attai11ing '' or '' tl1,1rt ,vl1icl1 is attainecl to.''
(23) Kctnd'2t,1"Ct : s1)ring or fountai11 = dolct 01~ itl11cttct. It
is a1J1Jarently derived from. tl1e Sanskrit lcr,.11-clct,1,.ct, ,vl1ich is
ap1)lied to an artificial OT' 11at11ral cave, with or ,vithout
,vater.
(24) Dct,rari~ct, the u1)per part of a t1act of fields.
(25) .l'rictgitlct 1,itiyelct is evidently a clerical error.
(26) Proposecl to read p1,tdCt, olciltkc.t'l}i for puclct 11,1,ctlctlcltct1n ;
,olaJcJcct'Jn (rramil) meaning '' fOI'IDS '' Or '' usages,'' and JJttd(t
'' offerings.''
( 27) Reacl asyct JJ'lt?;iyassa yctstrata tctcl JJadcidvya:jct{i rrua.g
1
cliCtJJ'i~apnoti.
, 31) B'(juvct{a f1lom b'(ja '' seecl,'' '' cause,'' and 1}11fitti
.,, being'' or '' cause of being.''
ll.-!NSCRIPTION AT l{UJ?UMIRISA.
Kudumi1isa
is a hamlet about fourteen miles from Colombo,
ancl forms a pa1--t of Koswi11na in Siyane K6rale. The inscrip-
tion is tole1ably well preserved, with the exception of a few
Q)a~eeo & en c0 0 .is.f .esx, ~:e e!) (.5):1@@ @J~ @:>@<:3SW adt
@3~~ &Ot@6~&5JJ08 @Ci.~c5Jd'~ I ~J6>3efCS:,3@
@:16)C:)~t!?.)0:)6~ ~3Gl:Be53@ 6)@@@e5d<5"1 ~7r~(C}S1
@:>~~~ce.es:f@(?j' c;.di.@~@61. ad'ad:,E)~ I <r@~:,6e)
~0~:J~)eoc)J8e) a~m .tSJ:> &ce:,@CO~ eoeW:i-'i:>~C,:>C3
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.._........_. ........... ,...... 41111 ....
* 9@o:id315l~
t <p:>@~-
i (5)~~co.
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(Transliteration.)
S.ri ~ LaIJkadhipatih Parakramabhujassuryanvayalay.kratir
ya l cheham bhavat6 wacha~~ril)Uta me bhum1~wara bhavinall
clharm1n6yam sadri~ah sa1nasta jaga II tay satyam bhavadbhis
sada rakshy6saumayi jata harsha krapaya pllI}yan tatha I'
bhujjatam.
Swasti ~r1 maha Sammata paramparanuyata su1"yavay~abhi ..
jata ~ri Laykadhipati I Trisi1Jhaladh1~wara nawaratnaclhipati
~r1mat Sirisangab6 ~ri Parakramabahu chakrawa 1 rtti
swam111wahanseta dasavtana wesafiga,pura do}oswaka Jaya-
wardhanapura1)ravara J yel1i sumaygala prasadabhimukha
chitra mal}ga1)aye SiIJhasanayehi sirinives saha votn9-u 1
sivusQta bara1Jin S<tdf raja yuwaraja ~mati gaQa piriwara
devendralilawen w~<J.ahinda I h~m.a t~nhi kalamana
katayuttaia vyawastha vichara ,vaclara1ta tvn~ swarggam6k-
shasampatti l udesa nana g6tra nana sutra nana namayen
yukta brahmal)ajatiyata l)itrri maha Iajjuruwan I wahanse
W'?cJ.a indad1 niyamakalawu agraharadanaya samurddha JI
karana pi11isa Sina k6ra}aya I bada Koswinnayayi yana
gamatahim-n~gena hirin galka<J.uwe mawata ha mema digin
Kos I gasa ha Rin p~n dola ha mema digin pilimatalawuwe ,,
* t!Q~~o. Pitri.
t ()QOI) d1J1. ll Sam:riddha.
t <;04~:c;~. '<'-l
I t I ~
' '
'
' '
'
\.,' ...
No. 34.-1887.] SI~HALESE INSCRIPTIONS. 99
digin Ki1~im~tiya dola ha mema digin talapaJawila ha
mema digin mawa J ta ha UndugocJ.ayage de1.1iya ha basna-
hirin Galasitiyawa ha uturt1digin batado f la tunb~lcosgasaha
talagasagawa aturoda ha mema cligin v~kanda ha tunm6da I
ra ~la ha Galkaq.uwa ha meki siw mahimata ~tuJatwu mehi
bada gan mudala gasa kola wa f I wil kt1buru 6witi ~tuJuwu
t<?n Ha1"ita g6traye agra po1,.6hi.ta * Vengaqatturava~. an f A'tre
t g6tIe por6hita Taramala11adaran A'tre g6tre ~ri Ramaran
Kaf?yapag6tre I Timmaya,ran Bha1"adwaja g6tre Sawaiyaran
Garge t g6tre Balachandra Pa\1q.itayan Kaunc}inya I
g6tre Subb1"ahma1tya bha~ta1"an Ka~ya1)a g6tre Tiskhanclha-
1
* Purohita. ,Tamadagni~
. t A'treya . II Vasish~a.
t Gargiya.
100 JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. X.
vibhu~ani # 16ke sarvveshamapi bhubhujam I Na bh6jya t
na kara J grShya d3.n6dattaJ; wasundhara. Mekiyanalada
p6.rvv6kta wachanayada anagatayehi p~mil."li raja raja mahlt-
matyaclin wisin I h~ma velehima sihiko;a mekiyana ag1--ahara
dana pni;tya kriya,va kalak pawatina niyayen salas,va waclala
mehe I warin ~ilUlekhya liyawa dun bawa~a ~ri La~k3,dhipati
~ri Parakramabahu wyq.a un t~n awadhiye cle,viyan budun
santa 1 ka kotawa dila tanagannalesa palamu sa11hasa dewa
.
wadala mf ......... ... , ................. ' ............. ., ............. . . . . .. ....... "'
'
(Translation.)
I, Parakrama Bahu, SUl)l~eme lor(l o~f the illustrious LaJJ,ka,
the ornament of the solar race, malre n1y req11est to jrou,
princes, who will hereafter come (to tl1e throne): !{ear ye my
words ! This me1--itorious cleecl is certainly commo11 to all the
inhabitants of the world. Tl1is should al,vays be maintai11ecl
by you with feelings of pleast11'0 and lrincl11ess to warels me.
May (the fruit of) this meritorious action be also enjoyed by
YOll.
May there be prosperity.
On the twelfth day of the bright half of the month Wesak (a)
(April-May), in tl1e tenth yea1" of l1is reign, tl1e imperial
lord, the illust1'ious Siri Sa:ygab6, $ri Parakrama Bal1u, who is
lineally descendecl from the illustrious king Maha Sammata,
is boIn of the solar race, who is lo1d of the beautiful La:oka,
paramol1nt sovereign of the three-fold Siy.hala, and lorcl of the
nine treasures,-arrayed himself in the sixty-fo11r ornaments,
incl11sive of the crown(b), the abodti of 1. i (the goddess
of prospe1,.ity), took his seat like Indra 011 the throne in the
beautiful hall in front of the very auspicious palace in the
eminent city of Jayawarclhana, attenclecl by kings, sub ..kings,
and the body of his ministers, and having, in the course of
his inquiries as to the aclministration of the affairs through--
out his kingdom, learned that his royal father l1ad for the
* Vibhushanan.
.t Danodatta.
t Bhojya. l
No. 34.-1887.] SI~HALESE INSCRIPTIONS. 101
sake of the enjoyment of release in heaven decreed in his life-
time a certain grant (3) to the Bral1min caste of various g6tras
(tribes), invested with sacred threads of various kinds and
called by various names, (His Majest3) caused the said grant
to be perpetuated, so long as tl1e sun and moon end111e, for the
benefit of the children, g1andchilclren, and other lineal
descendants of the Bral11nins, including the chief family
priest Ve11gaq.att11rawaran of Ha1ita, tribe, tl1e farnil3 priest
Taramalanadftran of A'tre (ya) tribe, $1i Rama,ran of A'tre(ya)
tribe, Timmaya,1anof l{a~yapa tribe, Savtiiyaran of Bharn.dvaja
tribe, B{tlachan(lra PancJitn, of Garge(ya) tribe, Sul)bra,hmitl)3Ta-
bhattara11 of Kaui:iq.inya, tribe, Tiskl1andha c11chakkrarttan
of Ka~)Ta1)a tribe, Tiskha11clhaten11,var'd}JJ)er11mal11n (Jf Ku~y-
apa tribe, Maila1ap1Jerumu1u11 of Ka~yapa trilJe, ..t\. 111~111(l~1bl1at-
taran of Bharadvaja t1ibe, Avuh<J1a, Ojjha,lt1pa}iti Por<>kl{ul-
.
' perumalun of Ka119<Ji11ya tribe, Ulaku<Ja,)-aperumalun of
Garge(ya) tribe, $enpaka1)per11malun of Garge(:)'ft) trilJe, Saras-
vatitenuwara1)perumalun of Ha1ita tribe, Ulakuqayaperu-
m.alun of Gautama tribe, Timma Avadha11in of Httrita tribe,
Baudclhugamachchakravarttin of Harita. tribe, Vinayakabhai-
ta1an of Yamadagni,vastra tribe, Veda Amatyadhira.yaran <>f
l{a~:)apa tribe, Ailakku Ira1Jkum Perurnalun of I{a$:)'fiptt tribe,
V edatt{iyiran of K{t:,;yapa tribe, A'nandabhatta Ve1Jkaga.tt11ra-
varan of Harita tribe, Vinayrtkapperumalun of Htirita tribe,
Va1u1:,a jatra cl1andra Vaittang11mperumulun of Vast.a tribe,
$enna Ojjhalun of Harita tribe, $rira.11garajaran of Kaunq.i-
nya tribe, 1Ianila 1:fut11ra11 of I{a11nq.i11)a tribe, T,tramala,na-
daran of I{aunq.inya tribe, Atharva,l){tve<.la B:rihaspatibhattaran
of I{aut:1ika tribe, Veq.umulaiyitta, Perumalun of Ka~ypa tribe,
Tirumaraikku.ttu Muda,liyaran ............... Narara1tabhattaran
of Bha1advaja tribe, Timmaiyara,n of Ka~yapa tribe,-thegrant
of the village, money, trees, shrubs, forests, swam1)s, fields,
and 6witas
within the herein,1,fter mentioned four boundaries
of the village Koswinna(4) in Siyane k6rale :-to wit, on the
east, Galkaduwe road(5), the jak tree, Sin pt;n dola (a narrow
watercourse), Pilimatalawt1we's pillar(6), and the bund of
the tank which belongs to the barber(7) ; on the south
102 . JOURNAL, R,A,S. ( CEYLON), [VoL. X.
Kirim~tiyadola, TalapaJawila, the high road, and Undugog.ayas
dei;iiya (tract of low lancl); on the west, Galasitiyawa; 011 the
north, the th1ee-fold jak tree at BatacloJa, the line of branches
near the talipottree, the bund of the tanlr, Tunm6clara t,3}a ( canal
at the junction of three outlets for water), ~ind Galkacjuwa.
The mai11tena11ce of a gift is more me1itorio11s tl1an t11e
bestowal of the gift (itself). Tl1e donor atta,ins l1eaven by
means of the gift, while one attains Nirvar;i.a (the everlasting
state) through the maintenance of the gift.
A gift is an ornament to all the princes in the wo1ld. The
earth renderecl noble (sacrecl ?) by virtue of the gift the1eof,
should not be enjoyed or seizecl (nor should a11y tax be
imposed thereon).
May future princes, ministers, &c., constantly ca.II to mind
the above-citecl ancient maxims and cause the pe1'1)etuation of
this sacred gift which is a meritorious cleed.
Granted by inscription ca used to be engravecl by orcle1
during the lifetime of $ri Parakramabahu, lord of the
illustrious La1Jka.
Caused to be given in accorclance with a previous grant
made for the sake of the gods and Buddhas. . ................ .
(Notes.)
(1) Wesctnga, derived from Vaidkha, the month in
which the moon is full in the constellation Vi 9aklia. (April-
May).
(2) Vo/u'l},u = veslitana, a '' turban '' or '' diadem.''
(3) Ag1alia1/0a, a term applied to express a11 endowment of
lands for the benefit of Brahmins.
(4) Koswin'rta, 11ame of a village, meani11.g a grove or tope
0 f jak trees. Oompa1e this with Navinna, Danibavinna,
&c., in which connection vinna is evidently derived from the
Sanskrit vanya, '' a number of groves.''
',(5) Mawata=mctliapatha, ''the high road.''
(6) TtJriiba = sta1nbha, '' post,'' '' pillar.''
(7) Nf}we1niya =napita (S.) or nnliapita, (P.) '' barber.'' ''Ir',
. '
No. 34.-1887.] fil~HALESE INSCRIPTIONS. 103
. III.-DEVAN.A.GALA INSCRIPTION.
Devanagala is a village in the Mtdapattu of the Galbo<Ja
K6rale, K~galla District. The inscription on the rock records
two grants made for the maintenance of the Devanagala
Vihare-one by Ratanala:y.kara Terunnanse, who founded it
in 1567 .A..D., and the other by Vimala Dharma Suryya, who
reigned at I{andy bet,veen 1685 antl 1707 A.D.
@@@B~@ceitSJ @c;_<;cl t!:lt518~ c;_e5e)eo'@<S:)c'S @~coc.> ~e,
gc; @~S)e) a~!l <f)@t:;j g&aWZ53 gdJ@is)Gc) ~-6J:> dts.l,e:,:>
e3d.est>6 @25)6t5~<.rl eJ8~ @c;_EJ,e:,c;)e3cfil ~~@GV1, 8eS
~e):, ~~:,6 Cj.es:t ts)Qfh t!> ~~:>6cec) ~i~e:3,5.feJc) ~1<3 q:@~
~~o ~~c)c;11 @,e:,im Bot58eu q;cl01t; gd~cSJEJtrl' ~<5.)
@Cj~ dd Ot&l eJ@C)@~9co~ @~dda'd'te)-2S:f ~f3~is.f
dz.0;sj@~.&@co83(2) G5~ c,:, Q)ar)c) <5.)e) er@~~ e)ae58cotSf
<&0 qi~~~ @c,.,:,e)W @~:,@C5.es1 Q;)~@~:><:3W :;t~~e) c;z:,C3a5i
~~cod-eoe3Sf-2.S)@~:10 ffi~ .fS)clo@ce~ ~~E)3 t!)@ A~e)~
mec,fil ~i6~ @Jes)JOC50 gd~e @rre~(3)<;tSJ @ z:Bc,~ 8-trl
El)@c) dd 23e)d'6 qi@t53 @<taeJ6idep~ @tS:>o@~tsf q~ e3Sd
@@eSl~@ B~i~@e)e9c) q?~Cesf c@o~ct;d ~:,@l5:o0
@\2$.)!)l~de)J @8,5.fi~ ~<a@Jc;~e) ~0:a @~~:b~~~ Cf~
~0@~:ia .m@Z5)@J ~,rl3aB1@u~~d :zs3e).zs.fc;~dc) 8m-25J0,
@\CJlCi ~d <SJ:18ZSJ0 .z5JJc5cl @ ~~:>6~0 ~g Be;~~
e0 q~e3d caJ66.:Joot:sf .e:nc, ~ ~10~ q@cetrl qi!5:f<5:> q0
@C!>J<1J6ts)Cbepli reZSJ6 q aJc:5 ~~~0 Ot @<5J~.z5Jo.t5J@ E
1
1
~.
(Transliteration.)
~ri Buddhawarshayen declas eka siya dasawannehi
Dharmayata divi puda budubawa pata amisa pratipatti puja
kota inna Ratanala1Jkara Terasamin visin Devanagala u4a
tun b6(1) pihituwa viharayak kara,va e viharayaia K~ku1an-
6wita Qla am.unu bandawa bijuwata d~munaka wapasariya
.
, (T1anslation.)
In tl1e year 21 .0 of the illustrious Buddhist era, Ratana-
lankara Terunna1 se, who devotec1 his life to religion and
o:ff ered material a d religious gifts in the hope of attaining
Buddhahood, e ablished the Three B6dhis(l) on the top
of Devanagala., founded a vihare, asw9ddumised two amunas'
sowing extent of K~kulan 6wit}t by constructi11g a dam
across the stream, and cledicated it to the saicl vihare.
Having come to kno,v tl1is, His Majesty Vimala Dharma
Surya, who succeeded to the throne of La1Jka, ca11sed a
sannasa to be w1itten, with the usual characteristic marlrs
of a gift, by which he cleclicatecl to the vihare built on
the said Devanagala ni11e amul)as' sowing ex.tent in the
village of Ruvandeniya(2) togethe1 with the high land
appertaining thereto, and many trees and shrubs growing
tl1ereo11. It will be well if kings, sub-kings, ministers,
,,
m.uclaliyars, and many others, knowi11g the above fact, ,vill '
''
(Notes.)
(1) 'rhree B6<lhis :-(ci) J\'.Ionume11ti:i, s11c.:l1 al:! Dagabas,
e1'ected in memory of Buddha, whe1e his relics are
sa.icl to be deposited.
(b) The B6 tree (ficus 1neligio.<sct) a11(l other things used
by him in his lifetime.
(c) Things erected in memory of his person, such as
his images.
(2) Ruvandeniya, a village in the M{ildapattu,va of Galboq.a
k6rale.
(3) Sedi is a very uncommo11 worcl for bazva 01 2l1aga,
meaning ''fact.'' I think it is a cor1upt for1n of the Tamil
clieyti or seydi (as it is sometimes pronounced), 1neaning
'' news,'' '' deed,'' or '' occurrence.''
(4) Hell, state of irrational bei11gs, of hobgoblins or de-
parted spirits, and of Asuras, or Titans, e11emies of the gotls .
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THE GOV llllt.NME.NT PRINTING \YORK$,
COLOMBO, CEYLON. ',
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CEYLON BRANCH
1887.
VOLUME X.
-..- _.,. _......,........________ .....,.................. _
No. 35.
--- -----------
EDITED Bl7 TJ[E HONORARY S.EC,RET.4R1r.
"Th~ desien of the Society is to institute and promote inquiries into the History,
Religion, Literature, Arts, and Social Condition of the present and former
Inhabitants of the Island, with its Geolo~y, Mineralogy, its Climate and
Meteorology, its Botany and Zoology."
-~----1--------
COLOMBO:
G. ,J. A. SKEEN, GOVERNMENT PRINTER, CEYLON4
.. 1889
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:able to :find any record of this event ; bt1t within the last '
I
asl1es, or something like ashes. I thought I hacl got into a ' '
r ,
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;
A de1)th of fou1" or five feet in the silt of a tanlr is not :much, ,'
'.
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bt1t on the to1J of a hill entirely beyond the reach of floods or ,
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cyclonic waves is a goocl cleal, })articula:rly in a dIy climate
where vegetation is anything but rank.
(2) Bones.-I have 11ot been able to icle11tify these, but
tl1ey aIe not human. One is a piece of deer horn.
(3) Enamellecl po1~celain, of a description which, so far as
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and most of them at the same clepth as tl1e things fou11d on . "',
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been able to trace the present possessor of the beads, but "
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* .A gold "Iraka" (see Rhys Davids" I'lit. Niu.m. Or ie'lit, vol. I.): The";
1
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copper coins found were of the "Bull and Fishes'' type (Pxincep hid.
A1it,ig1tities, vol. II., p. 423).-Hon. Soa. '
Nt). 35.-1887.J TIR UKJ.'CE'rI' SVARAM. 113',
with a translation, for the correctness of which Phillips.
Mutaliyar, the Kachcheri Interpreter, is chiefly respo11sible,
of a song sung by Suntaramurtti Nayanar in the sixth
ce,itlrry : -
1. 0 tl1ou who d,vellest at Tirukketfsvaram ! who knowest
the past, present, and future ! who, clothed with the skin of
the elepha11t, ador11ecl ,vith the bones of the deacl, and armed
with the trident, ridest on the blrll !-The thirty-three mil-
lions of gocls do worship tl1ee.
2. 0 thou wl10 cl,vellest at Ti1ulrketis,,aram ! ,vho, anointecl
with holy ashes, and ,vith th) black neck e11circle<l b)r the
l1i(le of the ele1)ha11t, tl,vellest 011 the banks of the 1nilky sen.
with thy ,vife wl1c>se girdle out-fl,1shes the lig11t11ing 1
3. 0 thou v.rho dwellest at rri1l1lcketi.svara.m ! tl1ou ,vhon1
all divine beings ancl l1oly n1en ado1e ! ,vho v.1ea1est the
c:rescent on tl13- heacl and the se11Je11t 11rol1nd thy neck, a11cl
cl,vellest at Md.t6q.1Jam by the sea of ma.ny ships !
4. 0 tl1011 ,vho cl,,lellest at Ti1ukketfsvaram I Tl1ree-e)ecl
<)ne ! ,vho reignest 011 tl1e banks of Palavi, which tl1rows up
l1eu.vy vtaves 11ea1 1"1at64,<J::.1.1n, ,vhere beetles ,vitl1 beal1tiful
,-.,ings make music!
.5. 0 tl1ou ,vl10 d,{ellest at Ti1ukketfs,.,.arn.m ! '\\'ho re1novest
1
tI1e si11s of th)~ serva11ts a11cl livest ,vitl1 th) ,vife Umatevi
in tl1e bea11tiful JJalace ~it 1"Iat6q.q.ttm nea.r the se~t, \\'l1ich is
surrou11decl b).,. beautiful golcle11 flo,1.rers !
6. 0 tl1ou ,vl10 cl,vellest at Tirukketi.sva,ram ! ,vl10 cleansest
all the sins of tl1) serva11ts ancl gra.ntest to tl1em holiness,
ancl cl.,vellest ,vith tl1)'" bea.l1tifl1l wife Umatevi on the banks
of Palavi at Mat64clam ne,tr tl1e sea abounding in pearls !
7. 0 t.I1ol1 ,vl10 d,vellest at1.,irukketisvaram! who 1emovest
all the bodil).,. diset1ses of th)' servtints ! thou who d,vellest
at Mat6<}cJam near tl1e sk)-bound sea witl1 thy wife Uma-
tevi, whose ,vords are s,veet as nectar !
8. 0 thou who d ,vellest at Tirukketfsvaram I ,vho ,vith th)
wife Umatevi reignest on the banks of Palavi at lfat6q.~am,
,vhere beetles, drunk with honey., dance !
9. 0 thou who dwellest at TirukketisvaramI thou who art
114 JOUitNAL, R.A.S. ~ (CEYL'ON). [VoL. X.
called Three in one and Two in one ! who hast three eyes
and reignest on the banks of Palavi at Mat6cJ.q.am, which
abouncls in mangoes! Remit my sins.
10. I, a native of Tiruvottiyur, which is held in great
esteem by men of all religions, am. not ,vorthy to sing these
ten verses on thee who d,vellest at Tirukketisvaram at
Mat6q.cJ.am surrou11clecl by the sea, where beetles of all kinds
make s,veet music.
KUBAN TANK
:;
Gu 1 f
of
Manaar
PLAN I~
SHEWING
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No. 35,-1887 .] '' HI 1L-P~N-KANDURA.'' 121
-the spouts of the basin placed at the top. V ei-y likely there
was a large flat stone under eacl1 spout, tl1ough only one seems
to have been found. One Ol" two other stones have a channel
cut or worn at the side as if they had been fixed under a
.spout.
The name of this stream is H'tl-JJf!1i-lcrt,id,urct, '' cold water
stream.'' It is said to be the best ,vater of an)"' 1ou11d Kandy
town (Ratemahatmaya's report of October 5, 1874). Until
a few years ago it ,vas ~1 fttvourite br1thing-1Jlace of the Kandy
people, but the opening of the ne,v Gregor)"" 1~oad diverted
the course of the st1~eam in some places, and made the olu
bathing-place, V\7l1ich ,vas situated a short distance lo,ver
{lown the st1--eum, uns11itable for public 11se.
A. spout \Vhicl1, according to tl1e Ratem11l1atmaya, l1atl
existed there fi-om time i mmemo1-ial, ,vas removed by the
1.0.unicipality some years ago, and although a r1ew one ,\~as
l
IJllt u1J it did not last long. The st1,etLm is mucl1 fouled by
tlhobies, of whom there is a ,vhole colony in Ampiti)?a. A
portion of it has been <live1"ted to a privfite bathing-plt1.ce,
.a11d the old bathing-place is not no,v usetl.
This seems to have been k110,v11 as '' the king's spo11t., 1 '
.and, according to prevailing traditions, the Kanuyan kings
preferred the ,vater of tl1is strea1n for brtthi11g in to an:y i11
Kandy. Probably the real '' king's spout'' is the bathing-
place that l1as just been discoverecl. Although hidden from
view for generations, its nam.e remained, and in course of time
began to be applied to tl1e other'' spout'' lo,ver clown, which
hacl not disappeared.
The last king of Kantl)r granted the lar1d about these bathing-
places to a tenant, who held it by the tenure of watchi11g
the spout for the palace.
It is to be regretted that tl1e present tenant has removell
the pillar, basin, and flat stone to the compound of his house,
.a short distance off. He had to employ a11 elephant for the
l)Urpose. There will not be m.uch difficulty in having tl1t~lll
replaced. It is needless to remark tl1at tl1e land about this
$trea1n ought never to have been sold by the Crown.
'~
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December, 1887.
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-----------------------~---
* Not pri11ted.
.
,,
E.}(.'1 R.11 l'T JiJ'otn Re11ort of~ tl1.e Ratti11"c:ihatniayd of Lo11;e1 Helvdhf/ta to
1
tlie lion. tlie Goverri11ien.t ""4.ge1it, l(t1t,dy, dt1tetl Decerribe, 12, 1887.
,,, "'' llll
'
I
( 'l'o /ace ptz11e 12:J of R .d. t:I. Journal No. 16 <>/ 1S87.J
'
No. 35.-1887 .] OAPTURE OF TRINOOM.ALEE. 123
l
,,,}
{
''
through it. They could not inspect the third bastion, lying l ' '
'
sea-girt eastwards, so well as the others : I shall not dwell on it
further.
When they had thus inspected these bastions, the
Governor of Samanture came to see them the1"e. He told the
Vice-Commander Coster, Fiscal Herbel"S, and Major Scholtes,.
that he had that night received lette1. s from His Imperial
Majesty, in which his Maje11Sty enjoined him to provide all the
Ifollanders who came unde1~ his juriscliction with every
necessary, and to do everything which they should clesire him
to. His Majesty also said that Don Balthazar a11cl his othe1--
oflicers did not, when close to Colombo, t1eat us as ,ve ought
to have been t1--eated, on which account he believed we
l1ad gone away from there; and he was tl1us clepl''ived of a I
'
!
1
glo1,.ious victory which, with the aic1 of tl1e Dutcl1, ,vas in his f
l
hands, as the Portuguese had dese1"ted Maluane and othe1--~ :~
i
boats lay moored. The yachts had scarcely returned to '
; '
'' j
No. 35.-1887.] CAPTURE OF TRINCOMALEE. 127
,.continued, they would, without doubt, have been driven
ashore. But the Almighty averted this and saved us from
:sudh a calamity.
After the weather was a little settled and the ships had
their masts and yards up again, the Commander weighed
anchor and sailed into the enclosed. bay that was yesterclay
sounded and inspected by the Vice-Commander Coster.
The wind was from the S.W. In sailing to the mouth
of the bay they found scarce any deep bottom. In sailing
in one ought to avoid the east side a little, as from
it (as befo1e mentioned) extends a rocky reef where
tl1ere is not more than 3 fathoms water. So tl1at in truth
the shil) ''Henrietta Louisa'' ran aground there, b11t
by Gocl's hel1) got off uninjured. The ships ''Utrecht''
.and '' Oudewater '' remained opposite Coutijar, owing to some
mishap or other unknown to us. The rest of the fleet
came into the bay over about 3, 4, or 5 fathoms water to tl1e
-east side, ancl brought up in good anchorage, safe and sound.
April 22.-A little before day the Commander sent four
boats from the fleet to Coutijar to accompany the ships
''Utrecht'' and'' Oudewater '' if they could sail here stealthily.
"The other boats were sent ashore by him about l.oO o'clock
,vitl1. skilled sailors a11.d some sixty soldiers, that he might
accompany them himself and inspect the situation of
the Fort in order to be more fully and better informed
.about it by seeing it with his own eyes, and thus come to a
surer resolution. This was most advantageous and beneficial
to the Company.
Therefore, having lancled with the Fiscal Gerard Herbers and
the aforesaid solcliers, they inspected the ] ort on all sides
within musket shot both from under the walls through the
undergrowth and from the open beach, so that one could
,easily hear them speaking to each other in the Fort and
telling each other that we were there. The Commander also
-ordered his trumpeter to play '' Wilhelmus van Nassau,,. on
the open beach, so that they could hear it easily. They
thereupon fired on us twice. The first ball did not reach
128 JOURNAL, R.A.S. ( OEYLON). [VoL. X ..
us, and we could not see where the seco11d fell. But by the
feeble report of the gun we easily lea1"nt that they could
not be well provided with arms. I-Iaving at noo11 gone back
on board from land found tl1at the ships '' Utretch '' and
,, Oudewater '' hacl arrived, bringing ,vith tl1em some blacks I
'1vas also sent from the Fort a ce1-itain 11icinscliouiv, i11 which
/J
we1~e about thi1,.ty blacks., so far as ,ve coulcl make ol1t. Tl1ese
ro,ved straight to where our me11 were wo1~king in tl1eir
ambuscade unconscious how many there ,vere of us to.
receive them. When they came sufficiently within range
'
I
our men fired on them with their muskets, whereby every one (
l
in the 1nansclioui1J was clisheartened, an<l leavi11g some oa1--s .
i
'
.I
:floating about 1etired to the Fort. In the afternoon Com-, l
I
i
mander Caen again ,vent asho1,.e to inspect afresh the
situation of the Fort, ancl to find a suitable place whence 't
to bomba1~d the batteries and approaches to the Fort till they ~
became masters of it. Those from within fi.recl again three or
four times with their heavy guns on t1s, but, as befor.e, injured
nobody.
A11ril 24.-At daybreak a good party of sailors and soldiers.
went ashore again to build some batte1. iea, unde1" the ~'
I
fI
superintendence of Vice-Commander Coster, in order that as. i
f! Ll
"l
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'i
,
Fort, and chiefly to prevent those within the Fort frollh ,,
(t'.,
I
,_,
<
'' ,
No. 35.-1887.] CAPTURE OF '.l.'RINOOl\fALEE. 129
attacking and harassing our ,vorkmen with the aforesaid mctri-
scliouw. For this purpose two prince guns were sent ashore,
but before they could be brought into proper position
those from the Fort appeared in the manschouiu at the
place where our men were busy together raising son1e
batteries. They ap1Jroachecl making a great noise and shout-
ing as they rowed to the shore, firing some shots with their
rifles and muskets into the scrub, thinking that our men were
there. A sentry (who had been orclered to screen himself
behind a tree) exposed himself through cu1iosity, and was
so wounded in the head by a bullet that he clied soon after.
There was no further loss that clay.
In the afternoon tl1e Oomma11cler "rent ashore again to
visit tl1e wo1ks alreacly contrt1ctecl by us. There ,vere three
casemates reacly IJrovided with a battery 8 ft. high a11cl
7 ft. broad: the fourth was also begun. Some intrencbw
me11t walls along the sl101e, were almost finished for the
}Jurpose of mo11nting there tl1e two aforesaid 7')ri>;1.ce gu11s,
to prevent those in the Fort from using a11y boats in the
west bay.
April 25.-In the fo1enoon those from within the Fo1-t
came out again with a JJ'i'CtCt?l/tlJ contai11ing five persons, wl10
landed on a certain rock l'jTing in the west bay between tl1e
Fort ancl our works. They fired some shots with tl1ei1
n1uskets on our workmen ancl wouncled one of our soldiers
in the thick of his leg. A 1ifle shot from us killed a black
who had exposed half his body on the rock; so that only
four men retur11ed to the Fort. In the evel1ing our me11.
had ten loopholes ready, four of which were bou11d 1ou11Ll
with palisades, but not q11ite filled with earth and twigs.
Those from the Fort did not this day fi1e more than t,vo sl1ots
with their heavy guns on our workmen and soldiers.
April 26.-In the fore11oon our men were still busy
filling the aforesaid four batteries, those from within again
fi1ing on the men working at them. In the afternoon
were much disturbed with guns, musket, and cannon shots.
The balls picked up by some of our men were mostly of
130 JOURNAL, R.A.S. ( CEYLON). [VoL. X.
stone, from which we concluc1ed that they were ve1y short of
round-shot. Our men were not still, but seized the oppor-
tunity to fire with two prince guns (shooting 6 lb. iron) at
certain out,vorks which the enemy ".,.e1--e busy builcling about
the gate. We made our muskets tell where any aclvantage
could be gained. By this mutual firing two men were
wounded on our side-a sailor in his cheek, the bullet lodging
in the--*, and a soldier slightly in his leg-besides
a black, who was killecl in the morning by a shot from
the heavy guns. One of the lead bullets that came to our
har1cls was founcl to have been chewed by the e11emy ar..d
fired at us contrary to all the rules of war. About eveni11g
two lialve-cartouiuen shooting 18 lb. iron weJe bro11ght
ashore from tl1e '' Henrietta Louisa,'' for which al1. eady t'\vTo
platfoJms were in readi11ess and two more of the sam.e kind
were made next day. The batteries ancl loopl1oles were
made to the number of ten, ancl were ready, except tl1e
escarpment of tl1e platform, for which alreacly some beams
,vere in readiness, and daily more and more were broug11t.
Further, there sailed from here tl1e yachts '' Rys,vyck '' and
the '' N achtegael '' to cruise about the seaside of the Fort of
Trincomalee and to prevent any communication with tl1e
besieged or their being assisted by boats.
April 27.-At night the besieged broke a sort of roof
,vhich was over the entrance to the gate of the Fort, hurling
at times some burning stuff from their walls (to make us)
keep away from- them, and now and then fired some musket
shots. In the morning they fired very little, but in the
afternoon continually. Some shots were tl1erefore fired with
heavy cannon, guns and muskets, but without injuring
any one. Our men continued making their trenches ancl
batteries with great zeal, having in tl1e sl1ort time tl1at we
had been there done an incredible amount of work under fire
of the enemy's muskets. There were also bro11ght asho1..e
from the ''Utrecht'' two brass halve-cartoit/l/)en shooting 24 lb. t
l
I
'
* Lac1.1na in M.S. '
'j
No. 35.-1887.] CAPTURE OF TRINCOMALEE. 131
April 28.-In the forenoon there arrived here in the bay
the yachts '' Ryswyck '' and the '' N achtegael, '' having in their
cruise met and set right the yatch '' Klein Amsterdam''
,coming from Batticaloa witl1 the Ambassado1 Sr. Jacob
,compostel, who brought with him an untra11slatecl letter
from His Imperial Majesty of Ceylon : as it coulcl not
be read, His Majesty's intention could not be rightly
gathered. The afo1esaid Com1)ostel 1e1Jorted tl1at His Majesty
had resolved to lie close to Colombo in tl1e low lands witl1
his principal force, that he was master of tl1e field there, ancl
that the Portuguese had dese1ted the Fort Maluane ancl Mani-
Cawara ; also that His Majesty ha<.l. dra,vn to his side many in-
habitants of the low-lands, who, should he leave the place,
would easily be brought toallythemselves ,vitl1 the Portuguese;
that he could not therefore appear in personat Coutija1, but
would send here some great Mudaliyar with 4,000 soldiers to
.,
,conquer ,vith ou1 assistance tl1e Forts T1incomalee and J affna-
patnam. The shi}JS ''Ut1echt,'' ''Wassenaer,'' and ''Egmondt''
we1e cleared of their remaining provisions, ammunitions (>f
war, ancl men, and got in readiness to sail to Batavia.
In the afternoon the Commande1 went asl1ore, when all the
soldiers (the deaths of many of ,vl1om hacl much reduced the
strength of tl1e Company's forces,) were divided into three
com1Janies, each seventy strong. Tl1e rest of the soldiers
.armed with guns, and some experienced sailors, formed
another company. These troops having been musterecl on
land, the Commander went to the batteries and entrenchments,
where he was su1prised that such a large work had been
thrown up by so small a number of men in such a short space
,of time. There were three or four shots fl.reel at us without
injury. We were busy on land in the meantime in getting
our defences ready by May 1. There were, accordingly,
landed from the ''Utrecht'' t,vo more brass lialve~carto11,ilen
shooting 18 lb. iron. The besieged, although they fired
several shots with guns, muskets, and cannon, did not do us
the least injury, as we were defended by the batteries and
ramparts and the natural situation and position of the land.
132 JOURNAL, R,A.S, { CEYLON). [VoL. X.
April 29.-There came a certain niansliouw with news
from His Majesty of Ceylon to the respective Governors o:fi
Samanture and Ooutijar, but the real intelligence was hidclen
from us. The Commander brought ashore from the ';Utrecht''
four l1.c1,lve-cctrtoitwen, with which the loopholes of our bat--
teries were strengthened. The yachts '' Ryswyck '' and the
'' Nachtegael '' sailed out again to cruise in front of the bay of
Tri11comalee, so that all help from Jaifnapatnam should be
cut off from the enemy.
April 30.-0ur men were at work, ancl mounted ten brass.
ltrtlve-cctrtouiven, four of 24 lb. and six of 18 lb., well supplied
witl1 gunners, musketeers, ammunition, powder, and other
requisites fo1 playing on the Fort. Being fully prepared fo1
clefence (it was resolved) to attack the enemy next mor11ing
(although the Fort could have bee11 bombarcled tl1ree days
ago with little firing), and to force them to surrender. The
'' Klein Amsterdam'' and '' Oudewater '' were to be keel--
l1auled, as tl1ey leaked baclly, and were not se,1.-worthy .
.L'lfrty 1.-In the mor11ing, a11 hour before day, all the ,:!(
'
soldiers being lancled, fully armed, the Commancler himself
landed by a certain ta1icke. I-Ie d1ew u1) in battle ar1ay all
our soldiers there, uncler fire f1om the enemy's ca11non
I
(but so that they cot1ld not be seen through the scrub '
I'
1ound the Fort) with the object that, if the besieged made a !
F
\
'' '
'
'~" I
No. 35.-1887.] CAPTURE OF TRINCOMALEE. 133,
:guns which can attack the neck of the curtain close to the
bastion St. Cruz shall be placed there to make by cannon shot . . '
'
.a breach between the two bastions St. Jago and St. Cruz, so
that they may not on that side assist each other. The storm.
. shall proceed as follows : -
First of all shall march the musketeers consisting of Men.
soldiers . 20
There shall join them under the command of Willem
Domburg and Henricus Sieuwertz, armed each with
four grenades, lance, and sabre, sailors 10
Then shall follow, armed as above, to carry the
wounded sailors . 54
After this shall march the Major's Company 70
With brave sailors armed with lance and sabre .. 100
.All under tl1e command of -Vice-Commander Coster
and the aforesaid Major. There shall then be
ready in battle array a reserve troop under the I
,,
comm.and of the Commander accompanied by the
Fiscal Gerard Herbers and the Upper Merchant
Jacob Compostel, consisting of the two remaining
companies, each 70 strong, together 140 I~.
\l-
f,
@
f,
.','
.Altogether, soldiers and sailors .. 394 f
"
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it:
No. 35.-1887.] CAPTURE OF TRINOOMALEE. 135,
For the protection of the batteries 120 musketeers and Men.
gunners, who are especially to be on them during
our bombardment and to fire at the bastion
St. Jago . . 120
Altogether for this undertaking, soldiers and
sailors 514
' tI
there to surrender the Fort to Ifis Honour, but on conclition
that all the Portuguese Mestices and tl1eir slaves, with their
goods and chattels, be allowed to go to sucl1 places as the
Commander should think right. The Commander thereupon
replied that if he came to deliver the Fort to him he ought to
produce the keys, whereupon the aforesaid pctd? e (n11im.ed
11
the Oommancler said that they must 1~emain in the Fort and
serve t1s as they had served the Portuguese, but the others
1-vere allowed to go, with their goods, save arms and ammu-
nition of wa1,., within a year to Tranquebar and Nagapatnam,
but not to Jaffna11atnam or any other place in Ceylon froill
,vhere they can again return to serve against us. When the
pctdre had gone into the Fort the Commander drew up hi s
' '
' <
'-'!1
tt;~"' t
'
No. 35.-1887.] CAPTURE OF TRtNCOM:ALEE. 137
men, soldiers and sailors, fully armed on the open g1ound
in front of the Fort, in such array as though he were about to
storm it. Hereupon the JJadre, fearing that we should com-
mence the storm, returnecl at once witl1. most of the Caricls
and delivered the keys of the Fort to the Commander, ,vho
thereupon entered it with guns and a comJ)any of soldiers anll
ordered th.e surrendered to leave all their arms insicle the Fort
.and sign their names on a roll.
Whilst we were uncle1 the Fort in battlearray, the Com-
mande1 ordered Vice-Commander Coster (the padre being
with us) to see by way of experiment whethe1 lie cou1c1
mount the breach made i11 the bastion ,vitl1 safet~y.
It \Vas done so easily, that the storming of the Fort would
not have been a very clifficult matter fo1 us. On enteri11g the
Fort the Go,{ernor with his Captains a11d soldiers came to
meet the Commancler and delive1ed to him, as victo1, his
silver.gilt rapier, which the Oomman(ler took, and after
I '
some solclie1,,s and sailors bl1rst open the doors of their '
lb.meat twice
lb.bacon
quartern oil :for each man weekly.
f quartern vinegar
1quartern arrack } or each man daily.
1 can water
:No. 35.-1887.J NOTES ON CEYLON. 141
and says that the third edition was publishecl in 1G94, which
is correct, the first eclition having appeared i11 1687. It is
strange that there does not seem to be a copy of a11y of tl1e
eclitions of tl1is work in the British Museum Library, nor i11 .
the libraries of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons a11d Physicians
ar1d the Apothecaries' Hall i11 London ; but the library of tl1e
Surgeon-General's Office, United States Army, contains a col))"
o"f the first edition, the Index Catalogue published at Washing-
ton in 1882 having the followi11g entry :-
,, DA.ALMA.NS (EGIDIUS). De niet1w-hervormde geneeskonst,.
gebouwt op de gronclen van het alcali en acidum. Waar in
kortelijk, volgens de gronden van cle heedendaagse nieu,,re
l)ractijk, alle ziekten, met weinig omslag geneesen warden. x~.
1G4 pp., 41. 12. Aniste1Ada1n, Ja1i ten Hoo1n, 1687.''
Mr. Bell, the Honorary Secretary of our Society, has,
I am glad to say, been fortunate enough to secure fc>1
the Society's Library a COl)Y of the latest Dutch edition,.
tl1t1.t of 1703. The title of tl1is differs somewhat from that
of the original one of 1687; and, while the latter con-
tains only some 180 pages, this fourth edition has over
260 pages. It is cledicated to t,vo of the author's fellow-
collegians, David van den Heuvel and Edmundus Detrohy,.
and the preface gives the histo1y of this enlarged and revised
No. 35.-1887.] NOTES ON CEYLON. 143
reprint. It seems that the publisher of the former editions,
Jan ten Hoorn, was anxious to bring ol1t a thoroughl) revised
edition; and, while he ,vas turning the n1atter over in .
his mincl, Dr. Daalma11s ar1ived i11 Amsterc1am, to make
preparatio11s for accompanying the Anglo-Dutch fleet in its
expedition against Spain. Wl1ile he was in the clispensary
, of the hospital at Amsterc1am, selecting tl1e various drugs
needed for the voyage, one of those present, hearing the
author's bool{ spoken of, hurriecl off to the 1J11blisher's to get
a copy, and returned, saying: '' Here I have the last copy of
with great poverty, eating frt1its and 1oots, which g1ow wild,
rather than derive some profit by wo1k ; the more so, as
there is no lack of cattle, fish, game, fowls, eggs, butter, &c.,
and as the sea and rivers supply tl1em. with fish, and the
No. 35.-1887.] NOTES ON CEYLON, 147
' valleys with the food for tl1eir live stock, and the live stock
with eggs and butte1, without their needing to take much
trouble about it. At sunset a 11umber of Cingalese came to
meet us, four of ,vhom l1eld a canopy of white linen over the
J.JCtllctquin of the Governor, and brought him to a spot
where
,.
they had placed a st1aw 1,oof t11)011. some sticks, under
which stood a table a11d some bencl1es. At a stone's throw
from this hut tl1ey had ma<le an orname11tal gateway, ancl on
each side of tl1e 1oacl they hacl planted g1eenery like an
avenue, and hacl covered the 1oad or street witl1 ,vhite linen,
in the part whe1e we trod with our feet. The ,vl1ole
,of this hut was entirely covered and overhu11g inside with
wl1ite line11., as well as the table and benches, ,vhich V{ere
' ,
:fr
No. 35.-1887 .] NOTES ON O.EYLON. 153
letter, or ole, 24 from the King of Candia, had returned to
Candien. Then again a letter was sent from the Governor to
the King, with the foregoing ceremonies, and was conducted
by six companies of foot as far as the Pas, under a canopy or
pavilion, with large torches as well, and from there on"\\Tards
by three companies to Orwevel25 or Anguellen, amidst the
firing of all the cannon, according to the old custom.
Before I leave the island of Ceilon, it will not be
unreasonable if I b1iefly relate what I hea1d and saw of that
island during the period of eighteen months that I lived there.
It is true that Baldeus has written much about it and extols
it mightily high, but in deed and in trutl1 the whole island
and all that is in it, excepti11g the cinnamon tree, is not worth
as much as an ordinary village i11 Brabant or Flanders: fo1
all the fruits that grow there are not worth describing. The
svveet oranges, or King's apples,26 that grow there have been
brought from elsewhere and planted there. The cattle are
~
so thin that they are not eatable. The fish that comes into
the fish market on a Friday in Antwerp is better and worth
%,
more than all the fish that js caught in a whole year
throughout the whole of Ceilon. The schools in which the
children in the low-lands are taught, and which are figured
in Baldeus in fine copperplates, are altogether not worth as
much as the plates cost to eng1ave : for they are nothing
more than a wretched hut and a roof on sticks, that is ope]J.
all round, and some covered with straw ancl others witl1 tiles.
This island was first discovered by Cl1ristoffel Columbus,
an Italian, whence the chief town bears his name. 27 Colombo
lies in seven and a half degrees . . . . .28 The Portu-
guese, who were the first possessors of this island, also had
various other forts there, both round the sea coast and inland,
such as Negombo, Goalen, 29 Battecolo, Vincquenelaley, 30
&c., and endured severe contests with the inhabitants before
they could bring them into subjection, until about the yea1
1655 the Hollanders landed there, who, with the help of the
Cingalese, that is, the inhabitants, drove out all the Portu-
guese. But before the Cingalese would help the Hollanders
154 JOURNAL, R.A.S, (CEYLON). [VOL. x.
they made a stipulation with tl1em in these terms : that when
the town of Colombo and others should be conquered, so that
the Portuguese were driven out thence, some fortresses should
also be given into tl1eir cha1ge, together ,vith some seaports,.
in order that they might go with their vessels where they
wo11ld. But as soon as Colombo and the other places had
capitulated, and the Portuguese were driven out, the King of
Ca11clia, who was then the sole sovereign of that islancl,.
wishecl to take possession of those places that had been pro-
mised him in the agreement made ; but as the Hollanders saic1
tl1at this agreement migl1t cause them great harm, as the
King could at any time call some foreign potentate to his aicl,
and admit him into l1is country through the seaports which
he wishecl to have, and also by l1elp from other fortresses
which he also wished to have, according to the foregoing agree-
ment, the)', the Hollanclers, woulcl be compelled to do what l1e
pleased ; beside which, that the l(ing, by means of the sea-
}Jorts, would be able to tracle with others in cinnamon and
a1nee7c,31 it was resolved by tl1e I-Iollande1s, after the matter had
been well considered, that a spoke sl1ould be put in the wheel}
and an opportunity sought of givi11g some course of dis-
content to the Oingalese, which very soon occurred. It was.
then announced that all the Cingalese would have to depart
from the fortress of Colombo to a certain distance from
the place, and as these people did not promptly obey, some of
them were for this reason shot dead by the Hollanders. Here-
11pon a1ose forthwith a new war between the Hollanders and
the Cingalese ; and then the poor inhabitants saw for the first
time that they had been deceived. The which gave occasion
to the King of Candia to say or to ask his courtiers, what they
thought of this business; whereupon he was answered, that
they were freed from the hot ginger, but that they had got
more pungent pepper in its place. These things remained -
for some years in the same state, so that now and then some
encounter took place on both sides, and now the King's side-
and then Hollanders took some prisoners.
The Company, seeing that not the slightest advantage was
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ,....___ ,,,,,
No. 35.-1887 .] NOTES ON CEYLON. 155
to be gained in this warfare, tried to pacif)r the King of
Candien with fair words and rare gifts ; but he would listen
to nothing, saying that the Hollanders were deceivers, ancl
ke1Jt all who we1e sent to him as envoys, with him in Candien.
Moreover, he would not look at the presents sent, but let them
remai11 in the same place where they were brougl1t on their
a1rival, until they were spoilt and dest10 3red, in contempt of
tl1em : so that he allowed a beautiful Persian ho1se, that ,vas
se11t to him as a gift, die of l1unge1, tl1ough he was a great
fancier of fine horses. 32
At last the Gove1nor Laurens Pijl manage<.l by cunning to
so get round the King that he began to listen to him. Tl1is
Governor had utterly conclemned the action of the Governor
01 General who ha,d not kept his wo1cl in accorda11ce with the
agreement at the commencement of their }Jossession, sa)ri11g,
moreover, that it ,vas not concludecl with tl1e permission of
tl1e Lords and Masters in Hollancl : fo1 the ,vhole island witl1
~tll the fortifications belonged to tl1e King, ancl that he as.
G<Jver11or only guarded tl1em for his Royal Majestjr, as he
wa,s not able to def encl such a large isla11d against a foreign
1)otentate, and that he ,vas preparecl to hand over all tl1e
fortresses to l1is Majesty ,vhen it shoulcl plei:1se him.
'l,l1is p1ivate letter Pijl hacl fo11nd means of fo1wa1ding t<)
tl1e King quietly in the yea1 1685, ,vhen ttnother letter ,va. s
se11t to him in the follo"\ving manner: La11rens Pijl l1a(l
learnt that l1is private letter hacl not been unpleasant to tl1e
l{ing ; he therefo1e informecl the Political Council tl1at he h,ttl
11nderstood that the l{ing appeared to have become possessecl
of ears ,villing to hear some fair p1omises of favourablEi
interco11rse ,vith tl1e Company; for whicl1 reason he deen1ed
it not unaclvisable to make a trial for once, ancl write to hi1n.
But as it had been seen that the I{ing detainecl all ,vho were
se11t to him, it was resolved to make one more trial, but witl1
l1is own people, or Oingalese, who live near Colombo. These
,ve1e instructed 1egarding all, by worcl of mouth, to m::1ke
lcnown to the King the great regard of the Gover11or, beside
~t private letter to tl1e I{ing, in which eve1ything ,,ras
83-88 E
156 JOURNAL, R,.A.S. ( CEYLON). [VOL. X.
confirmed. The public letter, of which the Political Council
had knowledge, was placed in a large silver basin, being
wrapped first in cloth, and then in red velvet, and was then
placecl in a beautiful new carriage, which was drawn by six
fine horses. This letter in this carriage was accompanied by the
whole garrison as far as the extreme boundaries of Colombo,
where they parted from it amidst the firing of several field-
pieces ancl of all the musketeers, and let the Cingalese p1~oceed
entrusted with the rest. The private letter as well as the oral
instructions of his own subjects were, however, so far able to
move the old King, that in the following year in the 1nonth
of May he released a number of Hollanclers, or Iathe1-- Euro-
peans, who had been kept prisoners in Candia some 17
or 18 years, notwithstancling that he hacl swo1"n many oaths
that. he woulcl put no mol'e~ faith in the Hollanclers all the
da:ys of his life. Beside tl1ese prisoners the King sent some
Ambassaclors to confer verbally with tl1e Governor, who were
received and sent back again with all ceremony and honour.
All tl1is toolr place before my arrival there, but was related
to me by those wl10 hacl themselves been present.
But on the lOtl1 Decemb., 1687, I myself saw two envoys
from the new King aIrive. Whilst these envoys were in
Colombo, Laurens Pijl released all the Company's slaves
tl1at ,vere in cha,ins, and struck off tl1eir fetters, anc1 pardoned
11 lU IU II I ..... I
No. 35.-1887.] NOTES ON CEYLON. 157
"3iny who had been condemned to death or the lash, ancl all
this to win over the King.
After three days, to wit, on the 13th, t.hese AmJ:>assadors
tdeparted with great ceremony. On the 15th two others were
received in the like manner ; these brot1ght the tidings of
the death of /the old King ; moreover, that the old King hatl
.expressly enjoined on his successor to maintain good
relations with his Governor: for that he was well assured
that he was no deceiver as the former Hollanders had
.been, &c.
It was then, while these Ambassadors were there, that
tl1at imposing funeral procession in memory of the deceased
King took place, which has been describecl above, on
the 23rd Dec., and they returnecl again on the 30th to
<Jandien with many presents. The Secretary Aalbos
.a,fccompanied them as A:mb~"ssador to cong1"atulate tl1e ne,v
l(ing, ancl to assure him tl1at Gov. Pijl woulcl act towarcls
him as he hacl promised the deceasecl King, his father, an(l
with other private instructions, wl1icl1 were delivered to him
by word of mouth. This Aalbos brought back with hi1n
t,vo Ambassaclors from the King, who were Ieceived with
great pomp, as has been before saicl, and who brought witl1
them five elephants, which the deceasecl King hacl purpose<!
to sencl to his Gover11.or, beside other presents, such as goltl.
10 {D. R. Colombo). The captives released (in all 25 men, women, and
chilrb.~en, including ,c Lieutenant Disave Cornelia Blicklant") were i11
charge of "Dewakarre Maham.otiaar,'' and accompanied by four Ambas-
sadors, "Wiokeremasinga l\fodliar," Disava of Sabaragamuwa ; "Tamba11-
car1e,varre Samamaracon Modliar,'' Disa;va of Bin.t't11na; "Rerat Modliar,'''
Chief of U<j.unu,vara; and "PanditeModliar." The young King had been
cro~vnecl on May 27; a11d Governor Pyl, in his letter of July 22, offers
congratulations and goodwill to the new Emperor "Wimele Daham. Soury
!\{aha Ragia." Sec1eta1y Alebos returned with the Ambassadors on 23rd,
beari11g draft of a fresh Contract for the consideration of the King.
The heads of this proposed agreement, which fell th.rough after some
months of useless negotiation, are given in the Bel1,1zopte Hiato rie.-B.,..
1
Jion. Sec.
No. 35.-1887.] NOTES ON OEYLON. 159
:Shouted'' Long live the King l'' In the evening there was a
I~
* Mudaliyars " Hindenie A.besinge" and " Hakmana. Heneke " arrived
*'n October 5, with letter dated the 2nd. Governor Pyl replied on the
:22nd.-B., Hon. Sec.
160 JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. x. .
Ambassador had accom1)an10d it in person. The contents
were not kno,vn ; but great pre11aratio11. was made of all
kinds of silver trappings for the equipment of a Persian
horse. Pit 36 [ sicJ pretendecl to be ill in 01~der not to give any
al1diences. *
On 25th JanuaI'Y there came two more envoys from the
King, who were suitablJr received, ancl it was rumoured that
they hacl come to see how it farecl with their Governor's
health. They returned on tl1e 28th witl1 the usual ceremonies . .
Meanwhile work was carriecl on with all diligence at tl1e
aforesaid silver t~appings, ancl we macle ready to leave or
Batavia on Feb1~ua1..y 10. This is then, in brief, the state
of affairs between the I{ing and the Company. 37
Let us now say something of the situation of Colombo, and in
wh,\t manner the Portuguese were driven out of it. The city
of Colombo lies in seven degrees ancl a half north of the line,
and is divided i11to an old city and a new one 01~ castle. Tl1e
old city is about a thousancl paces long ap.d seven hundred
bIoad, and is an oblong quaclrangle; it has three long and
straight streets lengthways and three breadthways, so that tl1e
"\\rhole of the olcl citj.,. is almost macle up of tl1e twelve squaIes.
or cubes, of which one of the miclmost is the churchyard,~
surrounded by a wall. Against this wall little mud houses
covered with straw have been erected, where every day a1"e
to be found one thing and another for sale, of whicl1 tl1e
Cingalese have neec1, such as slaves, clothing, linen, thread,~
betel, ctreelc, &c., a11d which serve as a bctsact1 t, 38 that is, a
11
* The course of the correspondence between the Kandyan Court and the.
Dutch from November, 1688, to January, 1689, was as follows:-
On November 11 "Matternagoda Chitty" (perhaps a Moor of Mata1na-
go,Ja in Four K6ralcs) arrived with a letter from the King. This:: Chitty"~
seems to have been employed as intermediary, and was probably the
'' Cingalese '' by whose hand Daalmans says the Governor's reply of
November 25 was sent to Kandy. He returned on December 22, with
:M11daliyars "Bowolle Ooeletonge" and'' Oedowitte Jasinge," bearing two
olas, dated December 17, from the King and the "Gonnebandaer. '' The
contents of both were virtually the same, and are dealt with in Governor
Pyl's replies of ~anuary 5. substantially as summ.a,rised in the Bel1l11,011te
Jliato1ie. (See Note 37, in/1'a.)-B., IIoii. Sec.
J,J111l.1Ji11J1Jn J11111111
No. 35.-1887.J NOTES ON CEYLON. 161
m.arket, where everything, vegetable or otherwise, is for sale;
but this basaart is only on the two front sicles of the cl1urch-
yard : for at the eastern and southern corners the ,vall is
bare at night, and these huts serve for the buffaloes to take
shelter in when it rains. These buffaloes pay their ho11se
rent with tl1e gift of their dung : for it is veIy useful for
smearing tl1erewith the floor a11cl earthen seats that are
m.acle there ; for otherwise the people there ,voulcl l1ave no
peace with tl1e white ants that eat up everything, altl1ougl1
they may have been only some hours at wo1..lr; so tl1at every-
one, not only in Ceilon, but througl1out the whole of India,
wl10 l1as not a pavecl floor, must of necessity once 01" t,vice
a ,veek have his whole house smea1ecl ,vith buffalo or co,v
dung; indeecl, the very frame of our beclsteacl, on ,vhich
,ve slept, was thus smeurecl all over. Everything else, sucl1
as boxes and cupboarcls, pantries, &c., which ,vould be spoilt.
by being so smea.recl, m11st stand on hollow stones in ,vhich
is ,vater, or the3r are i11 peril of the ants.
Now, as fu1..ther concerns tl1e churchyarcl, it has two large
gateways, 011e on the north side and one on tl1e south side.
One al,vays enters b).,. the first, and goes out by the other. In
this graveyarcl everyone is buried, except the Governor a11d
the tnembers of the Political Council; and besides, anyone
w110 is willing to pay 100 rixdollai-s can also be buried i11
the church.
All the houses in the old city are still those of the Portu-
guese times, exce1Jt some which, having been destroyed by
the rain or other causes, have been rebuilt; most of them
were entirely under the roof [i.e., without an upper story],
or if any are one story high the roof is very low, antl the
principal dwelling is above. I11 the whole of the old town
resided only about 24 Europeans, both indepenclent persons
and servants of the Company, of whom more tl1an half had
black wives or Misticlies ;39 and also sollle Dutch ,vidows;
the rest were Misticltes, ToeJJasses, 4 Cingalese, Moors, ~Iala-
bars, &c. The town lies east and west, south and north.
It has only one gate, which bears the name of the N egombo
162 JOURN~.\.L, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. X.
gate, beca11se one goes to Negombo through it; it is situatecl
in the angle on the north-east side. On the east and on tl1e
south sicle it is very strongly fortified, with stone walls a11d
bastions and a very broad water, or tctrilc, in which are ma11y
crocodiles or kcti?,ictns. 41 011 the north side is the sea, from
which it is separated by a small wall, in the midclle of whicl1
is a bastion, w he1e troops are stationed with a sergea11t.
Outside this wall, to wit, on the beach, is the fish market, or
the fisl1 bazaar [visch-JJCtsse1], 42 where a number of :fishe1men
live in little huts. On the west side is the castle, between
which and the town lies a lo'\V plain, almost as large as tl1e
whole city, by a high road tl1rough tl1e midst of which 011e
goes to tl1e castle. This road was planted ,vith trees when we
left there, 43 ancl they had g1own well when we came away
again. 44
The fort or castle is almost square, and has five bastions of
poor stone, ,vhich is c11t out of the earth there of any sie
tl1i1t is required, and is called lcctJJkolc stone. 45 It is like small
pebbles lying i11 a l1ard clay, so that if a large square stone is
allowed to lie for some time in the ,vater the clay dissolves,
and all the l)ebbles fall in a heap together; but if this sto11e
is laid in good mortar, so tl1at the water cannot get at it, then
it does good service. The castle has on the south side the
same tctng 46 or broacl wate1 as the old city, on the west sicle
the sea, and on the north si(le the bay, and on the east side
the old town, which is separated from the castle by a pretty
broacl and dee}) moat. It has tl1ree gates, one thro11gh whieh
one enters from the old town, where tl1e road still lay open
,vl1en I was there in 169i~, notwithstanding that the bl11e
chiselle(l freestone all ready for making a fine gateway
tl1erewith had lain there from the time I came to Colombo.
Tl1e seconcl gate lies at the angle of the south-west side, whe1e
the road goes to Gaalen,47 and is named the Gaalse poort [Galle
gate]. The t11ird is the vVctter-2,001~t [Water gate], where one
goes do,vn alo11g tl1ree sicles by twenty blue freestone steps to
the bay or beach. Beside these there are two or three other
small gates, by w hicl1 one goes to the works and to the sea beach,
No. 35.-1887.] NOTES ON CEYLON. 163
-on the ,vest side, where stand several small huts, for the slaves
-of the Company to live in with tl1eir wives and chil(lren, ancl
,vhjch is a kind of negro village. 48 Beside these there is 3et
a,nother small gate, l)y whicl1 one goes to the l)ier and whf1rf,
where all the goods are discharged a11.d loadecl by means of
punts and small boats or skiffs, ancl also taken to the large
vessels, which mostly Ii~ a good half mile or eve11 mile outsicle
the bay on account of a bank, a11d the no1th wi11d i11 the
-Jrlousso1i,49 in November, December, and January, as tl1e no1th
wincl blo,vs sometimes very strongly there, and tl1e11 the shi})S
cannot get out of tl1e bay on account of tl1e north ,vind, but are
driven towards tl1e shore, so that they part from their a11chors.
On the north side the fort has a bend to,vards tl1e sea, lilre a11
elbow, on the end of which sta11ds a bastion ,vith a fo11r-
cornered to,ver well provided with metal cannon, as indee<.l a,
large number of metal cannon stancl all rouncl the city. This
bastion bears the name of lihe Wctte117cts. Behind this be11tl,
towarcls the shore, lies tl1e wharf for building small vessels ;
there stands a saw-mill, driven by the wind. In the mi<ldle
of this elbow stands a smithy, beside carpe11ters', turners', a11tl
coopers' shops. Here gun-carriages and everything neecled
,on sea or land are made for the Company. The rest of tl1is
crooked elbow is entirely occupied by store-ho11ses, in ,,rhich
the goocls of the Company are kept.
Close by the Gacilse poo1"t stands a po,v<.ler-mill, also cl1i,e11
by the wincl, where gunpo,vder is made. In tl1e castle are.
fe,v respectable houses, and 1nost of these built bythe Dutcl1,
,of ,vhich the l1ouse of the Governor, ,vith that of the
Secretary, ,vl1ich is close bJr, is very large, and with itsgarclen
forms a complete square. Its f1011t faces the sea shore. Tl1e
wall or tl1e fortifi.cati.on serves as a road for the said l1ouse.
At the one angle towards the east stands a bastion, ant1 n.t
tl1e other angle towa1ds the ,vest is a corp [sic] de ga-1de,
where the Company and the servants, with the trumpeter of
the Governor, have their residence, close to the T,Vctter-11001t.
The castle has two streets from the north to the south, the
longest of which, that runs right from the vVater-2:.ioo1t to the
164 JOURN.AL, R,.A..S. (CEYLON). [VoL. X.
Gctctlse poort, is very broad and irregular, and only ten or-
t,velve houses stand there in order, to wit, as one enters
by the Gactlse poort, on the right hand, where the shop-
keeper, the cashier, the dispenser, warehouse-masters, &c.,
clwelt. In the middle of this street stands the church,
,vl1ich lies north and south, and is one relic of the fifty
cl1urches that in the time of the J::ortuguese stood in tl1e,
clistricts of Colombo, N egombo, and of Gaalen, and it did 11ot
cliffer much from them, but was also in ruins when I was
tl1ere, and the ground was all marked off for the building
<)f a new one close by, but there it remained.
The second street runs from the other corner on the east
side of the house of the Governor to the end of the castle.,
This street has on tl1e east side a moat of about 30 feet, 011
tl1e other side of whicl1 are houses. These two streets are
c1ossed by six others, of wl1ich the ram:part in front of tl1e
l1ouse of the Governor is the first ; the second street comes
behind the same house, against the wall of its court, at tl1e
angle of which towarcls the west stand two offices, to wit, tl1e
pay and the trade offices. Right opposite to this stands tl1e
house of the second person, and at the other angle the house
of the Major, that was kept empty for the lodging therei;n
of the Ambassadors
of the King. Beside these stood two,
other fine houses. The third street was very bad, into
,vhich the gardens of tl1e above houses had exit. The
fourth street was tl1e finest of all : in it were 2 or 3,
lodgings of Europeans, and the rest were mostly Toepasses
and Blacks. The fifth street did not run right through, but
sto1)ped at the courts of the row of houses in which lived
t.he shopkeeper, the dispenser, and the cashier. In this street
stood the hospital and the house of the head surgeon. The
I'est were all miserable hovels, as were also all the houses of
the same 50 street, wl1ich also had the above-mentioned
moat for a neighbour at their doors, which runs right past
the Gactlse poort, over which one goes by a built stone bridge,.
and so proceeds as far as the rampart on the west side of the
castle. Between this moat and the rampart on the south
No. 35.-1887.J NOTES ON CEYLON. 165~
stands the powder .
mill, beside the dwelling of the Master
'
Gunner. This is tl1en in brief [the plan] of Colombo. 51 #
T11ere now :remains to say how the Portuguese lost this.
city, and the whole island. Disunion and self-conceit were
the cause of the departure of the Po1. tuguese. When the~
Hollanders cam.e to Ceylon with their fleet, the Portuguese
could easily have p1--evented their landing, but thinking
too little of their foe they considered that an indignity, for
they believecl that they could easily c1rive them. back ,vith
sticks. Therefore the Portuguese Governor of Colombo ga,re as.
answer to those who brought him. the tidings that the Holla11-
ders were engagecl in landing, thattl1e fowls should be allo,,.,.eu
to com.e 011 land, that he had powder and lead to shoot tl1em
with. But afte1~ the Hollande1"S had taken several forts 01~
1,agge1~s,52 they saw well that it was no cockfight; but that
about 4,000 of the enem.y, black as well as white, ,vere
m.arching on Colom.ho, against whom. they sent out 700
Portuguese to bar tl1eir passage at a river between Gaale11
a11.d Colombo. But ,vhen the 30 m.en who form.ed tl1e
vanguarcl had lJassecl over that river, and whilst they were
occu1)ied in cooking thei1-- rice, as they, to wit, the Hollanclers,.
had eaten nothing the previous da'j'", they became a,vare of
the Portuguese ; but not knowing how strong.they were, astt
it was late i11 the evening, and also quite dark (the bodl? of
the Hollanders cam.p was on the other side of the river), never-~
theless these courageous Hollanders fell upon the Portuguese,..
who also not knowing whether the whole camp of the
Hollanc1ers had passecl ove1" the river or not, and being also
but 30 men strong, who were the ava1itgct tde, the Portuguese
1
..
NOTES BY THE TRANSL.A.TOR.
1 On the Hogstorte, see Baldre11s, Malaba1 . e12de Ol1.01'onic.t11tiel, p. 169 ;
Among the gifts sent by the Dutoh to the son of the King of Kandy
i11 1655 was a hogstone. {See Baldreus, Ceylon, chapter XXIV.)
2 Since this was written, Dr. W. G. Van Do1~t has, in a paper read
clown a revolt among the Chaliyas of the Siyan~ k6rale, was driven
from A.ttanagalla by a large body of low-country Sighalese and
Kandyans, with a loss of two field-pieces beside ammunition ancl
baggage, and forced to retire to Malwana. The small fort that had
been thrown up here was, however, attacked by the Disawa of the
Four and Seven Korales at tb.e l1ead of some thousands of men, ancl
was utterly demolished, the guard of lascoreens perishing in the flames.
This aot gave r.ise to a formal war between the Dutch and the Kandy-
ans. In 1881, when the last census was taken, Malwana containe<l
63 houses and 342 persons. No trace3 of the fortifications now exist
I believe. '
' 5 S0mbre1o (Port. =
sii11ibrei10) and kipJJersol (Port. qiiita-sol)
' umbrella' or 'sunshade.' See Hobson-Jobson,, s. v. 'Sombrero ' and
' Kittysol.'
6 =
Tar11,boelij1itie, diminutive of tamboeli.fn 'tambourine.' Cf. Port.
<itabale, 'a kettle-drum' (Vieyra). Valentijn has 'taniblin;_fe1os, tablin-
Jeros, tammelijnspelers,' See Skeat's Etymological Dictionary, s. v.
' Tabour, Tabor.'
1 ...1lassalc. Heydt (1744) says:-" ....._.they were i11 charge of a.
c1istillery, or fJcliache1ey, as they are accustomed to call it there, and many
Eu1opeans went there to drink, and were in the habit of refresl1ing
themselves "v\'ith a 1.lfasac Olo1ia, Gorl, or a good bottle of fresh 8'lt1y
or palm-wine." Saar ( Ost-Ind. Funfzehen-Juhrige Kriegs-Dienst, 1652,
chap. 4) describes the process of making this drink. Christopher
Langhans also, in his Neue Ost-Indische Reise, 1705, p. 200, describes
the various drinks indulged in at Batavia, and says :-" First they
pour into warm Tea-water A1ack or K1iip, put some sugar therein,
and this the boatmen call Glo1ia, or Children's Tea-water. They also
No. 35.-1887.J NOTES ON CEYLON. 160
l
-make Kletzkletz in the :following way: viz., they pour some Tea-water
into a bowl, put a handful of sugar Ca1idy therein, and beat it up with
a split rattan, until it has dissolved, during' which stirring eight or ten
eggs are beaten up therein, and when it has all been thoroughly beaten
up, as much A1aclc is poured into it according to the strength desired,
then a little .2lfuscat-nut [nutmeg] is grated over it, and this is drunk
instead of a warm wine. In the same manner also Massacla is made,
only that instead of the Tea-water Su1y is taken." He also describes
Bromb1om, Pontz, or Su1epontz (see Hobson-Jobson, s. v. 'Punch'),
-sugar-beer and Cras-bie1 (see Hobson-Jobson, s. v. 'Beer Count1y ')."
8
Su1ie = sii1a, 'toddy.' See Hobson-Jobson, s. v. 'Sura.'
9
Klapper=Maiay kalapa, 'cocoanut,' the latter being probably
from 8kt. lcapala by metathesis.
10 Lante1loo, 'an old game at cards' (Calisch). ''A game mentioned
in Games Most in Use, 12mo., n. d. The game of loo is still termed Za,it
17 Roeenelle = Ruwanw~lla.
18 Anguellen = Hayw~lla.
19 ...M.atitalen = :Mutwal.
170 JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. x.
.
20 Tonie,s =
'dugouts' (' dho11ies'). See Hobson-Jobson, s. v. 'Doneyt
Dl1ony.'
21 Cotton,= Kotte (Cotta).
22 Ribeiro gives the following account of the extraction 0 tl1is
oil :-" In the Island is also made oil, and wax of ci1111amo11, but
tl1ough many people might find employment in this work, which is of
m11ch estimation a11d value throughout the whole world, I knew only
three families who e11gaged in it. Taking the bruised fruit of the
cin11amon, they placed it in caldrons with sufficie11t water, applying a
strong fire for the space of three hours, when they removed it from
the l1eat ; and when it was quite colc1 they took from the su.rface a
cnke like very white tallow, and on the surface of the water were
formed 'eyes' as of oil, which were removec1 with a feather; and
clropping them into a bottle, set in sand and exposed to the su11: where
the moisture was expelled, and when it was purified they placed it in a
large bottle, and in a short time acquired a quantity that sold for a
higl1 price. This is the oil so highly prized throughout tl1e wl1ole
1vorld, of service in many infirmities. The tallow which they got
they called wax, and sent ib to India : it is also medicinal for various
infirmities. 0 it they made tapers, two or four of wl1ich were placed on
the thrones at :festivals, and exhaled such ocloriferous smell, that the
churcl1 appeared to be tl1e facsimile of heaven. None of us distilled tl1e
water, not knowing how to manage it, for we were all remiss i the
Hollanders did not lose tl1is opportu11ity, but were able to extract large
quantities easily, for the c:inna1non is at hand, with all its sap and
spirits, take11 from the tree ; it is higllly prized now in Europcr
"\Vhitl1er mucl1 is se11t, the result being a large profit." (Bk. I.,
chap. XXI.) See also Valentij11, Ceylon, p. 51.
23
Le Grand says (Lee's Ribeyro, p. 48) :-" During the last
century there also fell into decadence tl1e famous town of Cotta,
,vhicl1 had been for many years tl1e capital of the emperor of that
11ame. The town was in the middle of a lake : a causeway, very 1011g
a11d 11arrow, led to it. Colombo was built of its ruins."
:1-1 Ole= 6la.-Hobson-Jobson says (s. v.' Ollal1' ) :-'' In older books
the term ola generally means a 11ative letter."
i.-. Ortl1e1:el = Gurubwila : in Ribeiro's ma1) called ' Grubebe' ; in
(le l'Isle's map in Le Grand's Ribeyro 'Grouably' ; in Valentijn 'Go11r-
bevile,' Goerbevele,' and 'Goerbeville' ; in Herport 'Horrenwebel.'
2
" 'I{ing's apples.' According to Lee (Ribeyro, p. 68 1i.), 'the
large mandarin orange,' Of this fruit Ribeiro says:-" Above all
[fruits J tl1at tl1e Island possesses, is the King's orange, a11d it seems
to me that if there was the earthly Paradise, with these alone could
our first father have been tempted ; for i11 all the world tl1ere cannot
l>e a more excellent apple."
27
I neec1 hardly say that neither of tl1ese statements 11.as the
sligl1test foundation in fact.
No. 35.-1887.J NOTES ON OEYLON . 171
28
This sentence is printed so. It will be seen that the author
repeats it ft1rther on and completes it.
29 Goalen = Galle.
30 Of course the writer meant " Trincquenemaley" (Trincomalee).
31 A1eek = 'arecanuts,' the trade in whicl1 was jealously monopo-
lised by the Dutch. Ribeiro says (Bk. I., chap. ID.) :-'' There are
sent every year from the ki11gdom of Cotta 110 less than a thousand
chamJJa1ias (which are like smacks of forty tons burden) of areca.
This article has a large consumption throughout the whole of India.''
In Le Grand's translation of Ribeiro tl1is stateme11.t assumes the
following form :-'' Fron1 the kingdom of Cotta alone they ex1Jort
yearly more than a thousand boatloads, of sixty tons each, of a certctirt
sand, which has a great sale throughout all India. '' To tliis Lee puts
tl1e following note :-" I cannot discover ,vhat this sand is-no article
of export of the kind is found now.'' Tennent, in commenti11g on this,
says :-" But as Le Grancl made his translation from tl1e Portuguese
' manuscript of the author, it is pro bablo that by a clerical error the word
arena mn.y l1u:ve been substituted for a1eca, the restoration of wl1ich
solves the mystery." Here Tennent commits another error, for area
(moden1 a1eia), and not a1ena, is the Portuguese word for' sand.'
Moreov-er, I doubt if the manuscript from which Le Grand made his
translation was the author's original, for this, published in Lisbon in
1836, by the Royal Academy of Sciences, reads a?eca j but a manuscript
in my possession, formerly in the library of the late Dr. Burnell, reads
a1ea, and I think it probable that this is the manuscript which was used
by Le Grand. It is curious tl1at Le Grand did not detect the error1
for in his addition to the chapter in questio11 he desc1ibes the areca 1
BY L. DE ZOYSA, MUDA.LIY!R.
[ A PAPER bearing the above title was read before a General Meeting
of the Society on November 2, 1874, A.t a Committee Meeting held
on February 1, 1875, it was resolved '' that another number of the
Journal, including the translations of the Jatakas referred to in
General Cunningham's report of his recent discoveries, be published
at the earliest possible date.'' No J our11al however, was, issued until
1879 : meanwhile several Papers (including the above*) whicl1 had
been read before General Meetings were lost sight of, and have
never been printed.. Recently, among the miscellaneous papers left
by the late Maha Mudaliyar Louis De Zoysa, was found the following
'' Supplementary Note " on the sculptures at Bharhut. This Note
does not seem to have been read before the Society, but may well :find
a place in the Journal even after the lapse of years. .A.n ''.Appendix''
of correspondence, &c., bearing on the subject has been added.-B.,
Hon. Sec . ]
- connection with the paper I hacl the honour to read
_... ")N
at the General Meeting of the Society helcl on
November 2, 1874, on some of the sculptt1res re--
presenting Jatakas of Bucldha recently discovered by 1\Iajor-
General Cunningham, Director-General of the Archooological
"
Survey of India, at B~rhut [ Appendix .A., BJ, I have the
pleasure to subm.it a Note on some other sculptures f ou11d at
the sanie place, and on which there is an exceedingly
interesting corresponclence in the Acade17iy, which Professor
APPENDIX.
A.
Camp, March 27, 1874.
DEAR S1n,-I lIAVE lately had the good luck to :find another great
tope of the age of A.~6ka, witl1 a sculptured sto11e railing, which is of
the highest interest for the history of Buddhism as well as for the
history of India.
Amongst the sculptures there are nearly twenty of the Buddhis t ....
1
legends known as "Jatakas," with tl1eir titles written over them. in
characters of .A~6ka's nge. It is certain, tl1erefore, tl1at the Buddhist
legends are as old as the age of A~6ka~ Unfortunately I have no
means of illu~trating tl1e stories of tl1ese legends, as I know of no
book that gives any account of them. Spence Hardy gives a few
No. 35.-1887 .] NOTES ON J A.TAKAS. 183
"r
Jatakas, of which I have found two in tl1e semi-Greek bas-reliefs of
the Yasufzai sct1lptures. But tl1ese are not older than the beginning of
tl1e Christian era.
Under these circumstances, I turn to the Asiatic Society of Ceylon
to assist me, if possible, in illust1~ating some of these curious legends.
The names of those of whicl1 I am most in want are the following:-
,, Hansa Jataka '' (Story of Birc1 with Peacock's Tail), '' Kinara Jataka ''
(I{inaras dressed in leaves), '' l\iiga Jataka" (Antlered deer, not
Antelopes) '' Maghadeviam Jataka "? (the Princess Maghadevi),
'' Majhakiyan Jataka,'' ''Bhisaharaniya Jataka," "Latuwa Jataka ''
(Story of Bi.i--d and Elephant), "Viturapansaka J ataka.''
If there are any published accounts of Jatakas I shall be most l1appy
to purchase them through1 any Colombo bookseller, or I shall be glad
to pay for any abridged, or full, account of the above Jatakas if any
Pali scl1olar can be found to tra11slate them for me.
I am very anxious about these Jatakas, as then~ value is very gi"eat on
account of their undot1bted age, for the sculptured representations
show that all tl1e legends here pictured must have been in existence
befo're tlie time of .A~olca.
Besides the legends there are other bas-reliefs of historical subjectst
such as one of A..jatasaton, who is labelled overhead ..tlJ. dtasata. There
is also a curious scene giving the names of Ra11ia, Janalaa Raja, and Sita
Devi, with their names written over them.
The above meagre account will be sufficient to show the great value
of the sculptures which I have discovered; and I trust that the impor-
tance of the subject will be my best excuse for asking the Asiatic
Society of Ceylon to assist me in procuring any written accounts of the
Buddhist Jatakas which may have been published, or which may be
procurable.
I am, &c . ,
A. CUNNINGIIAM,
Major-General,
Director-General of Archreological Survey of India.
Rev. F. F ALKNER 7
Honorary Secretary, Ceylon Asiatic Society.
B .
MEMORANDUM ON Tl-IE OPERATIONS OF THE ARCHlEOLOG.U:OAI.i
.
~
,r
; i'
"
SURVEY FOR SEASON 1873-74. /
Burr the most interesting remains are at B!J/'1,.ahut, six miles to the
north-east, of U chahara, nine miles to the !uth-east of the Sutna
I
1~4 .JOURNAL, :R,A.S. ( CEYLON). (VoL. X.
Railway station, and 120 miles to the south-west of Allahabad. In our .
maps the place is called Bha1aod, and I believe that it may be identified
with the Ba1daotis of Ptolemy. It is the site of an old city, which
only sixty years ago was covered with a dense jungle. In the midst of
this jungle stood a large brick stupa, 68 ft. in diameter, surrounded
by a stone railing 88 ft. in diameter and 9 ft. in height. The
whole of the stupa has been carried away to build the houses of the
present village ; but rather more than half of the stone railing still
remains, although it has been prostrated by the weight of the rubbish
thrown against it when the stupa was excavated. When I :first sa"\\T
the place only three of the railing pillars near the eastern gate were
-visible abov-e the ground, but a shallow excavation soon brought
to light some pillars of the south gate, from which I obtained the
measurement of one quadrant of the circle. I was thus able to
determine tl1e diameter 0 the enclosure, the whole of which was
afterwards excavated, partly by myself and partly by my assistant
Mr. Beglar. In many places the acc11mulation of rubbish rose to eight
feet in height, and as the stone pillars were lying flat underneath this
heap, the amount of excavation was 11ecessarily rather great ; but the
whole work did not occupy more than six weeks, and all that now e:x:ists
of this fine railing is now exposed to view. .,f
0
This colonnade of the Bhal'ahut stupa is of the same age and style
as that of the great Sanchi stupa near Bhilsa. But the Sanchi railing
is quite plain, while the Bharahut railing is profusely sculptured,-
everypillar and every rail, as well as the whole coping, being sculptured
on both faces, with an inscription on nearly every stone. From the
characters 0 these inscriptions, as in the similar case of the San.chi
stu1Ja, the erection of the railing must be assigned to the age of .A.~6ka,
or about B.O. 250.
The inscriptions are mostly records of the gifts of pillars and rails,
like those of the Sanchi and other stupas. But there is also a
considerable number of descriptive records, or placards, placed either
above or below many 0 the sculptures. These last are extremely
-valuable, as they will enable us to identify nearly all the prin-
cipal :figures and scenes that are represented in these ancient
.has-reliefs.
A:'Jllongst the numerous sculptures at Bharahut there are no naked
\ .
:figures-.,~s at Sanch1 and at Mathura, but all are 1vell clad, and especially
the won:h51~, whose heads are generally covered 1vith richly-figured
cloths, whiciu., may be either muslins, or perhaps brocades or shawls.
Most of the :fig,ures, both male and female, are also profusely adorned
with gold and je'*1".~lled ornaments, in many of which one of the most
significant Buddhist,!ymbols plays a prominent part. The earrings are
mostly of one curious'.{O.assive pattern which is common to both men
~ '
and women, The anmw,s, or elephant goad, was also a favourite
'
No. 35.-1887.J NOTES ON JATAKAS. 185
,ornament, which is placed at intervals in the long necklaces of
ladies .
.A.t each of the four entrances tl1e corner pillars bore statues, each 4
feet in height, of Yalcshas and Y alcsliinis and of N aga .Rctjas, to whom
the guardianship of the gates was entrusted. Thus at the northern
gate there are two male figures and one female, which are respectively
labelled Ajalcdlalca Yaklio, J{iipi10 Yakho, and Ohada Yaklii, that is,
the Yakshas named Ajalcdlalia and K upira and the Yakshini Chanda.
Other Yakshas are named Silvilonia, T7i1ztdaka, and Gangito, and a
second Yakshini is labelled Yctlchini Sudasana. On two other pillars
there are male figures, each with a hood canopy of five snakes' heads,
and each labelled Ndga Rtija. These have their arms crossed upon
their breasts in an attitude of devotion, approp1iate to tl1eir ap1Jearance
on a Buddhist building. On two middle pillars there are two female
statues respectively labelled CJi,ulcalolca Devatci and Sirima Devata,
whom I take to be goddesses.
Amongst the scenes represented there are upwards of a dozen of the
Buc1dhist legends called Jdtalca8, all of whicl1 relate to the former
births o:f Buddha. Luckily these also have their appropriate inscrip-
tions, or descriptive labels, without which I am afraid that their
identification would hardly have been possible. Amongst these Jatalcas
are the following :-
. (1.)-Hansa Jdtaka, or '' Goose-birth," of which the only portion
now remaining below the inscription is the expanded tail of a peacock,
which must therefore have played some part in the story.
(2.)-Kir1,a1a Jatalcri. Tl1e Kinaras were a kind of demi-god:
Here two of them, male and female, are represented with human
h~ads and clad in leaves, standing before some human personage who
is seated. The assignment of l1orses' heads to the I{inaras must there-
fore belong to a later date.
(3.)-11:figa Jatal.;a, or the well known legend of the '' Deer,'' in
Sanskrit Mriga. I call it a deer and not an antelope, as is generally
understood, because all the animals in this bas-relief are represented
with antlers. The king of Kasi is seen aiming an arrow at the King
of the Deer (Buddha).
(4.)-Maglia Deviya Jritaka7J,, or '' Magha Devi birth." I know
nothing of this story.
(5.)-Yava 1lfajlialciya1J, JdtalcarJ,. This title means literally the
'' mean or average amount of food,'' which was attained by daily
increasing the quar1tity with the waxing moon and decreasing it with
the waning moon. I know nothing of the story, but the bas-relief
shows a king seated with baskets of grain (?) before him, each bearing
a stamp or medallion of a human head. To the left some men are
bringing other baskets. Barley (yava) would appear to have been the
principal food in those days. '
(6 )-Bhisaharaniya Jatali . A rishi (or sage) is seated in front of
-...,
,,
186 JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. X.
his hut, with a man and woman standing before him, and a monkey
seated on the ground, who is energetically addressing the sage.*
(1.)-Latuwa Jatalcati.-The "Latuwa-bird-birth."-This legend ap-
parently refers to some story of a bird and an elepl1ant, of which I
heard a curiot1s version in I{ashmir in 1839. In the bas-relief there is
a bee stinging the eye and a bird pecking the head of an elepha11t, with
a frog croaking close by, while the elephant is treading on a 11est of
young birds. To the right the same (or a similar) bird is sitting on
the branch of a tree over an elephant who is running away with his
tail between his legs. Near the top the hind half of an elephant is
seen rushing do,vn some rooks. In my Kasl1miri version an elepha11t
while feeding throws down a nest of young birds into a stream, where
they are all drowned. 1,he parent bird seeks tl1e aid of the bees and
mosquitoes, who attack tl1e elephant with their stings, and having half
blinded him he rusl1es off towards the stream, and plunging headlong
down the rocks is drowned. The fable seems intended to show the
power of combination. There can be no doubt that the two lege11ds
are substantially the same; and it seems probable that we may find
other Bu.ddhist Jcitalcau9 still preserved in modern legends after the lapse
of more than 2,000 years. Perhaps tl1is particular legend may be
found in the Pancha Tantra.
(8.)-Vitu?~a 1JUrlalcaya Jdtalca'l).-1 know nothing of this story.
TTitu1a may perl1aps be a mistake for Vithura, '' a thief.''
Of illustrations of the life of Buddha during his last appearance
there are some good examples. The earliest of these is a medallion
containing Maya's dream of the whita elephant, which is superscribed
Bhagavato Ulcdanti. .A. second scene belongs to the reign of Aj'ata
Satru, king of Magadha, in the eighth year of whose reign Buddha
attained Ni rvdna. This is labelled Ajatasata Bhagavato va1iclate.
1
Bharahut.
A further examination of the inscriptions, and the receipt of Mr.
Beglar's report; of the completion of the excavations, have made several
Tery valuable additions to my account of the Bharahut sculptures, of
which I will now give a brief description.
A bas-relief, labelled with the name of Paseriajita, shows the well-
known King of Kosala in a chariot drawn by four horses proceeding to
pay his respects to the Buddhist Wheel symbol, which is appropriately
named Bhagavato dhamnia chalcam.
,''
''
'
No. 35.-1887.]
NO'l1'ElS ON JATAKAS. 189
A second bas-relief represents a Naga chief kneeling before the
Bodhi tree, attended by a number of Naga followers. This scene is
named E1apdto Naga Rdja Blzagavato vanclate, that is, "Erapatra, the
Naga Raja, worships Buddha."
The following Jdtakas have also been found by Mr. Beglar:
(1) Utl,a Jdtalia, (2) Senclilia Jataka, (3) Bi1ila (read Bit<ila) Jataka
1
-(or) Kiilciita JatalfJa, (4) Isiniibo Jdtaka, (5) Ndga Jdtaka, and
,(6) Ohhadantiya Jdtalca.
A single bas-relief gives a party of female dancers attended by
female musicians. The attitudes are the same as at the present day;
but the four female dancers are intended for Apsatas, as they are
separately labelled,-Alanibitsa Achha1a, Sitbhada Achhara, Padu-
mdnati Aclihard, and Misalcosi Aclihrtrd,
There are also representations of five separate Bodhi trees of as
many different Budc111as, which are distinctly labelled as follows :-
( 1).-Bhagavato Vipasino Bodlii, that is, the tree of Vipasyin or
TTi:Paswi, the first of the seven Bucldhas.
(2).-Bhagavato Kalcusadhasa Bodhi.
(3).-Bliagavato Konaga1nani Bodlii.
( 4).-Bhaga1;ato Kasc,:,pasa Bocllii.
(5).-Bhagavato Salcamit1zino Bodlii.
These last are the four well known Buddhas named Krakuchhanda,
Konagct,111,ani, Kdsyapa, and Sl'ikyrtr1iuni.
But by far the most interesting of all Mr. Beglar's djscoveries is a.
bas-relief representing the famous Jetavana monastery at Sravasti.
The scene is labelled Jetavana Anddhapedilao dati lcoti santhatena keta,
which I take to mean that "Anathapedika buys (lcetd) the Jetavana
for certain lcotis of money.'' To the left, there is a building labelled
Kosambikuti, a name which has already appeared in n1y Sravasti
inscription. A second building near the top is labelled Gadhakuti or
Gandhakiiti. In the foreground there is a cart which has just been
unladen, with tl1e pole and yoke tilted upwards, and the bullocks at
-one side. The story of the purchase of Prince J eta's garden by
Anathapindika for eigl1teen kotis of 11iasiira1is is told in Spence Hardy's
'' Manual of Buddhism.'' According to the legend, Prince J eta, not
,vishing to sell the garden, said that he would not part with it for a.
less sum than would pave the whole area when the pieces of money
,(masurans) were laid out touching each other. This offer was at once
accepted by An.athapindika, and accordingly the court-yard is repre-
sented covered with ornamented squares, which touch each other like
the squares of a chess board, but do not break bond as a regular pave-
ment of stones or tiles would do. For this reason I take the squares
to represent the square pieces of old Indian money. Beside the cart
there are two :figures with pieces in their hands. These I suppose to lJe
Anathapindika himself and a friend counting out the money. In the
middle of the court are two other :figu:es also with sc1uare pieces in
, G 2
190 JOURNAL, B,A.S. ( CEYLON). [VOL. x.
their hands. These I suppose to be the purchaser's servants, who are
laying dawn the coins touching each other. To the left are several
persons of rank looking 011, whom I take to be Prince Jeta and his
friends.. The whole scene is very curious; and when we remember
that the bas-relief is as old as the time of .A.~6ka, it does not seem too
rash to conclude that we have before us a rude representation of the
buildings of the famous J etavana ,vhich were erected by .A.n~tl1a-
pindika during the lifetime of Buddha.
One of the new inscriptio11s discovered by Mr. Beglar is also interest-
ing, as we get the name of a king wl10 must have bee11 a contemporary
of .a~6ka, This record is as follows :-" (Gift) of the Pri11oe Vadha
Pala, son of Raja Dhanabhuti.,,
A. CUNNINGHAM, Major-General,
Director-General of Archreological Survey of India .
a.
GENERAL 0UNNINGI:IAM'S DISCOVERIES AT BRARI-IUT. *
WE called attention some time ago (AcadBn1llJ, August 1) to the
important discoveries lately made by General Cunningham, the Director
of tl1e Archreological Survey in India. They were dwelt on by
Mr. Grant Duff in his address before the .A.rchreological Sectio11 of the,,
International Congress of Orientalists, and excited the keenest interest. t
among foreign scholars :who were then present. Unfortunately, no
sketol1es or photographs of tl1e ruins of Bharhut had been sent fro1n
India in time for the Congress. General Cunningham, however, has
now returned to Bharhut (this is his own spelling of the name), and
is at present engaged in taking pl1otographic copies of all that is
.important among the ruins of the old Buddhist Stu1)a. Some of them
have been received, and convey an idea of tl1e real state in which the
sculptures and the inscriptions are found. On the pillar which
contains the scene of the Jetavana garden being bought by Anatha. .
pinclaka by covering the grounc1 with pieces of gold) we see indeed
sometl1ing that may be construed as representing that famous event;
but it is doubtful whether, without the inscription underneath, anyone,.
even if he possessed the learning and sagacity of Mr. Beal, could have
guessed its real meaning. The inscription, of which there is both a
small photograph and a rubbing on paper, is likewise not quite clear.
In the centre some of the letters are injured, and as it now stands it
is difficult to discover the exact grammatical construction. It reads:-
" getavana ana:dha (tha) pedi ko da (?) ti ko ti sam thatena keta (to) . ''
The letter read "dh" in '' A1iddlia" may be meant for '' tli '' but
,, pediko " cannot be made to stand or' "pzndaloa " or "pindada,'11 nor
can "ketti" stand for "Jc,rito," 'bought.' '' Samthata '' might be the-,
f"
'
No. 35.-1887.] NOTES ON J ATAKAS. 191
Sanskrit'' samst1ita," '' spreading out." As the number of inscriptions
seems considerable, they may in time throw light on each other, and
enable us to form a. more exact idea of the Pali dialect in which they
are written. At present, the interpretation must be considered as
hypothetical only.
General Cunningham is fully aware how much depends on fixing a
date for these ruins. The style of the architecture, the character of
the sculptures, the shape 0 the letters, all would seem to point to an
.early date, to a date anterior to our era; but the less positive archre-
ologists are in fixing dates on such evidence, the better for the free
progress of scientific inquiry. General Cunningham's chief argt1ment
in favour of ascribing the original building to the age of Asoka, is derived
from an inscription engravec1 on one of the pillars of the east gateway.
It reads as :follows :-
" Sugana:ni rage ragna gagfputasa visadevasa potena gatiputasa
. agara,qasa putena valchiputena dhanabhutina lraritani toranani silakau2-
mata lea upa:nina."
Babu Rajendra Lal Mittra, whom General Cunni11gham consulted,
explained it :-
,, In the kingdom of Sugana (Srughna) this Toran, with its orna-
mental stone work and plinth, was caused to be made by King
Dhanabhuti, son of Vaklii and Agaraga, son of Gati, and grandson of
Visa, son of Gagf.''
A comparison with the original shows that the translation cannot be
accepted, and General Cunningham has therefore proposed the
following :-
,, In the kingdom of Sugana, this Toran ( ornamental arch), with its
carved stone work and plinth, was caused to be made by Vakliiputra's
pupil, Raga Dhanabh(iti, the son of Gatiputra's pupil, .A.garaga, and the
grandson of Gagi'putra's pupil, Visva Deva."
General Cunningham points out that two of these names, Gatiputra
and Vakliiputra had already appeared in the Bllilsa inscriptions, and
he holds that Gagiputra, Gatiputra, and Va7c7iiputra are the names of
Buddhist teachers, and that the kings named in the inscription are
their spiritual pupils. He then argues, that in the Bhilsa records the
two names of Gatiputra and Vakkiputra hold the same relative position
chronologically which they do in the Bharhut inscription ; that
Vakliiputra is said to be the pupil of Gatiputra, and that consequently
Aga Raga and Valchiputra were fellow-pupils. He thinks it was due
to this connection, that Aga Raga selected Vak/iiputra as the teacher
.. of his own son Dhanabhu.ti. Lastly, as the famous Mogaliputra was
Jikewise a pupil of Gatiputra (Ree Bhilsa Topes, plate xxix. No. 9), and
-as he was seventy-two years of age at the meeting of Asoka's Synod
..242 B.C., General Cunningham concludes that his :fellow-pupils
:Vakhiputra and Aga Raga must have flourished towards the end of
Bindusara's reign, or about 270 B.c., while Dhanabhuti, the pupil of
iValchiputra, cannot be placed later than 240 B.c.
192 JOURNi\.L, R,A,S. (CEYLON). [VoL. X..
This argument is certainly ingenious 1 bt1t it rests on an explanation
of the names Gagiputra, Gati'.putra, and Valehiputra, which can hardly
be accepted. The custom of taking the mother's name was common
in the early ages of Buddhism. King .A.gatasatru is called Vaidehi'.-
putra, meaning either the "son of Veidehi '' or "the son of a Vaideha
woman." In the genealogies of the Yagurveda the same system pre-
vails. The name of Gagriputra which is mentioned there, is probably
the same as the Buddhist name Gagfputra. It would be impossible to
suppose that king Agatasatru was called Vaidehfputra, because this was
his teacl1er's name ; and the same difficulty will be felt by most
scholars with regard to King Dhanabhuti Va7chiputra, King Agaraga
Gatiputra, and King Visadeva Gag1putra.
Another argt1ment in favour of the early date of the Bharhut ruins
advanced by General Cunningl1am is of great value. About three.
years ago, he says, a small hoard of silver coins was found in a field
near Jwalamukl1i, which comprised five coins of the native princes
.Arnoghabh-6.ti, Dara Gosha, and. Vamika, along with some thirty speci-
mens of the Pl1ilopator coi11 of Apollodo.tus. There were no otl1er coins
in the hoard, and as the coins of Apollodatus, as well as those of the.
native princes, were all quite fresh and new, the whole must have
been buried during the reign of A.pollodatus, or not later than 150 n.o.
The Indian characters on the coins of the native princes have all got
heads, or rnat1<is, added to tl1em, while several of them have assumed
considerable modification in tl1eir forms, more particularly the "g," "m,' 1
"gh, 11 which have become angular on the coins. But these lette1s are
invariably rou11d in all the Bharhut inscriptions, exactly like those of
the known Asoka records. The absolute identiby, therefore, of the
forms of the Bharht1t characters with those of tl1e Asoka period is a.
very strong proof that they must belong to the same age.
With regard to king .A.mogl1a, General Cunningham adds that the
name which Mr. Thomas reads Krana11da, and which he tried to
identify with Xandrames, is really Kuninda, The inscription reads :-
" Ragna Kunindasa Amoghabl1utisa Maharagasa," Ku1iinda being
the name of a people. The same custom of giving tl1e national name
prevails in the Mftdhyamika coi11s, two specimens of which were given
by Prinsep, but upside down. The legend is:-
" Maghimikaya sibiganapadasa," "coin of the Maghimikaya of the
county of Sibi."
Bibi is the scene of the Vessantara Gataka, situated in the neigh-
bourhood of Ohetiya, and if Ohetiya was Vidisa or Bhilsa, Bibi would
be Ujavi or Chitor, the very place where Prinsep's two coins were
found, and where General 011nningham discovered eight more of tl1e
same type. .According to him, Sibi would be the true original of
Siwalika, which among the early Mohammedans included all the
hilly country to the south of Delhi. Equally important are numerous..
coins (several hundreds) of the 1\1:alava.na, another people mentioned
in the Mahabharata. Their legends are written in various characters.
No. 35 . -1887.] NOTES ON Jl.TAKAS. 193
from the time of Asoka to the age of the Guptas, or perhaps even
later. These ethnic coins, General Cunningham remarks, and especi-
ally those of the Maghimikaya, are the highest triumph of Indian
numismatics.
MAX MULLER.
' ''
group: (1) Janaka, (2) Sitali (Thiwalee in the Burmese), and (3) the
a1Tow-maker. The scene agrees admirably with Bigaudet's account
(p. 420, '' Legend of the Burmese Buddha," 2nd ed.), and the singular
gesture of Janaka as he holds up two fingers of one .hand and one
finger of the other, as though in doubt whether to leave his wife or
retain her, is very interesting as showing the way in which these early
sculptures were made to convey their meaning. The next group on
the same frieze appears to be a continuation of the s11bject, but the
insc1..iption is unfortunately worn away~ Above the group in which
Anathapindada is represented spreading his money on the site of the
Jetavana, I read an jnscription, '' Chitiya dasila.'' Whether this could
be rendered '' the gift of tl1e site," M1-.. Childers will be able to determine
better tl1an I can.
The group in which Elapatra Naga is ,vorshipping Buddha, which is
also before tn.e, but without any inscription, agrees with the translation
of this event ,vI1icl1 I have made from the .Abhinishkramana Sutra,.
and which will, I hope, shortly be published. I should not presume to
question Mr. Childers' textual correction, but I hope he will pardon
me for differing from him as to the worship wl1icl1 he supposes is being
paid to the T1"ee. Not only does the narrative of this event distinctly
'
refer the worship to Buddha (Bhagavat), but I think if he examines "
the Sa11chi sculptures he will find that they include many instances of
undoubted worship paid to Buddha while the worshippers are prostrate
before the (so-called) altar and tree. I am sorry to differ from such
an authority as Mr. Fergusson on this point, but the more I study
these groups the more I am convinced that the altar, so called,
represents the seat or throne (it is developed into a throne at Amravati)
on which Buddha ,vas seated under the B6 tree when he arrived at
complete enlightenment, and that the people engaged in worship are
in fact worshipping Bu<ldha, although not represented by any :figure ;
for we know no figure was made of him for some centuries after the
rise of his religion. This also bears out the theory of the antiquity of
the Bharhut and Sa11chi sculptures, compared with those at Amravati.
It also proves (and this is much more valuable in my opinion) that
the original worship of the Buddhists was a spiritual worship.
SA1't:UEL BEAL-
..... )I , ........
* When Mr. Beal reads Mr. Childers' letter in your last issue, he will be
aware that he has mistaken a ba.~-relief representing four men playing at
draughts, or Puohisi, for that representing the purchase of the Jetavana.
::Monastery. His transliteration of the inscription is, however, correct; it
is consequently not to be wondered at that he was puzzled with its
application.
200 JOURNAI,, R .A..S. (OEYLON). [VoL. X
to either the tree or the serpent. Be this as it may, no one can, I
think, look at this bas-relief witl1out perceiving that the tree and the '
serpent are coequal, and that they are being worshipped by a people . .J
I
R. C. CHILDERS.
D.
My dear Mr. Cl1ilders, Colombo, February 9, 1875.
I THANK you for kindly sending me tl1e copies of the Acadeniy which
-0ontain your remarks on the Bharahut inscriptions and sculptures.
I was greatly interested in reading them.
In tl1e Acadeniy of November 28 last, No. 134, with refere11ce to
the legend E'l,.a11ato Naga Rllja Bliagavato varidate which General
Cunningham translates, '' ErarJatra the Naga Raja worships Buddha,''-
and I think correctly-you say this rendering is quite inadmissible, first
because Bhagavato is a genitive, while vanclate governs an accusative,
and seconly because the Bo tree which the Naga king is worshipping
can by no possibility be called Bhagavat, and you propose to read
E,,.apato Naga Raja Bhagavato bodhim 'Vanclate. I am sorry I cannot
agree with you in this opinion. I think that in this legend,
as well as in the one Ajatasata Bliagavato vandate (Proceedings
Bengal .A.. S-, May, 1874, p. 112), Bhagavato is the in dative case, and
though vandate according to strict grammar governs the accusative, I
think in irregular Pali it sometimes governs the dative. At least it is
so in Siyhalese, which you so recently and so ably found to be an
Aryan dialect. In Siyhalese we say either ~.ej' e)~~e.,,, Bucli,1i
vandinava, or @s.esjE) E>~eoe),, Budu12ta 'l,andiriava. Tl1ere is a r11le
somewhat similar to this in Kachchayana, Nanio yogacl'isvapica (Senart's
'' Kaccayana,'' vol. I,, p . 340).
I have fou11d the legend of Erapatta Naga Raja in the Dliammapada
Atthakathd (Fausboll). Mr. Fergusson's opinion that the tree which
Erapatra is worshipping is not the Bodhi tree of the last
Buddha at all, but one of a totally different species, will turn out to
be perfectly correct. I may be permitted to add that Erapatta is
not worshipping a tree at all, but Budcllia, as General Cunningham in
my humble opinion has rightly translated it. The legend as given in
this Dhammapada Atthakatha clearly explains this. Fausboll does
not give the legend, although he gives some extracts from it (vide
Fausboll '' Dhammapada,'' p. 344, v. 182).
In the legend it is stated that Erapatta Niga Raja met Buddha near
202 JOURNAL, R.A.S. ( OEYLON). [VoL. X~
,, the seven Sirisa
.. trees'' (satta si1'fsa riilalehd) as he (Buddha) took his,
seat at the foot of one of them. So the tree in the photograph must be
a "S,irisa" (~irisl1a) tree (Mimosa Sirisa) (see Colebrooke's ''.Amara--
kosha," second edition, p. 100). This tree is called in Siyhalese @~B,
11iahari, or ,en, md1 . a.
I am happy to say I am able to throw some light on the Jetavana
legend too. On the receipt of the numbers of the .1-lcadeniy you sent
me I requested Sumaygala, the learned High Priest of Adam's Peak,
to find out for me the account of the building of the J etavana Monas-
tery. He at once referred me to Ohula Vagga, and I found a very
full and interesting account of the transaction. It is substantially the
same as given by Spence Hardy, but more rational, and of course more
authentic than the SiJJhalese version which S1)ence Hardy has extracted.
L. DE ZOYSA.
r
No. 35.-1887 .]
NOTES ON JATAKAS 203
Buddha, although not represented by any figure ; for we know no
figure was ma,de of him or some centuries after the rise of his
religion.''
As regards the inscription wlrioh accompanies the bas-relief, I must
of course abandon the emendation by which I proposed to insert
Bodhini after Bhagavato. There then remain two alternatives : either
there is a grammatical error in the inscription, or tl1e word read.
Bhagavato should be Bhaglzva(ri)ta1r1,. A 1..ubbing of the inscription
is a great desideratum.
R. 0. 0IIILDERS.
r.
THE BrrARlIUT ScutP'rUREs. ;::-
38, Clanricarde Gardens, April 27, 1875.
Louis de Zoysa Mudaliyar has supplied me with t,vo additional cor-
rections, one of some importance, the other involving an interesting
point of exegesis. First, the inscription read by General Cu11ningham
as Sudhamma Reva Sabha should be read Sitclha1rt1nci (levasctblic't,. The
emendation admits of no dispute, because, accordi11g to the Buddhist
texts, the de1,asablia, or council hall of the Trayastrinsa angels, is
named Sudhamma. Thus vanishe~ the theory of the inscription con-
taining the name of the patriarch Revata~ who presided over the second
Ge11eral Council of Buddhism. Secondly, the curious expression
lcotisantharena does not mean '' for a layer of ten millions,' 1 but <( by
laying edge to edge.'' It is well known to Sanskrit scholars tl1at koti
has the two very different meanings of ''edge" and '' ten millions/'
and it is in the former sense that the word is here used. The original
and oldest extant version of the story of Jetavana is to l)e found in
the Chula Vagga of tl1e Vinaya, a portion of the Buddhist canon ; and
in his great commentary on the Vinaya, Buddhaghosa explains laoti-
santlldrerta by leoti11i lJotini pa,/ijJidetv(t, '' putting edge to edge," by
which is meant that the coins were so close togetl1er that their edges
touched. Of course this correction does not in the slightest degree
impail. the value of the discovery. It is interesting as removing a
11
H.
'
LIST OF THE '' p ANSIYAPA'NAS J ! TAia, '' THE 550 BIRTH STORIES
OF GAUT..t\.M.A. BUDDHA.')
15 @CJ~~ .. . .. Kharadiya
16 .e,oroW3' .. . ... Tipallatthamiga
17 ,t,zt, . .. .. Maluta
18 @J:!)~~~ Matakabhatta
19 (pCOJJ.!Dc1~ A'yacl1itabhatta
20 ~eoo~ .... ... Nalapana
Bcel@c,x,)J S;sjrJj,-Silam~g6 dut'iy6.
21 ~dt~iai> ... . Kuru11gamiga
22 ~~d ... ... Kukkura
28 @-ooae6e$~ce - .. Bll6jajanfya
24 <pd~ ... . A 1janiia
25 Ji1W ... ... Tittba
., ' '
No. 35.-1887.J NOTES ON J' AT AK AS, 209
d~~ ~3, Jataka.
150 ~.emo~ . . . . . E'kapal}.JJ.a
151 ffi:x:jdE> ... ... Safiji wa
ts)~~c)ZSJE:}&.i:::i:> O~J6-00@o,-Kaka?J,f
,, , akawag!J6
pa1J,tiarasamo.
~ts)~OJZS)O @~mo-E' kanipatarJ, nitthz'tarJ,.
152 6i@d'ie:>ac:i ... Rajowada
153 S<.3):>G .. Sigala
154 a~d ... ... 86.kara
155 cd<.3) . .. Uraga
156 <.3.)cm:l Gagg a
157 {}?a~ ~~ .,, ,. Alinachitta
158 ~~ . .... Gul)a
159 ge!'~ ... Suha.nu
160 @ad . .. . Mora
161 ~ez:5) .. . .. Vinilaka
~@c5)el@coo:i:1 ocb@:1-Da[hawaggo patliam6.
J
162 @.ecte5a~@<.3)::i~e> Inclasamunagottawa
163 ffi~6e) .. ... ::4antl1awa
164 gS@ ... Susima
'' 165 <Be ... .. . Gijjha
166 ~~e ... ... Nal{ula
167 COffi:>~~ .. ... UpasaJhaka
168 eo~ ... .. Sami<ldhi
169 re~~~ ... ... Saku\].a.gghi
170 q.dzm ... . .. Araka
I 71 ZS)ZSl~z:il Kakantaka
-ro~e)S@coo:>J s;t'53@00:J-Santarvawagg6 dutiy6.
172 ts)e7ea~@ ... KalyaI].adhamrna
173 ~~d .. . .. . Daddara
174 zst:mc) Makkata
17 5 b~Q@.t:5'1ID0 Dutiyarnnkka;a
176 ~~~oe'.la.zs) . . . .. . A' dicl1cht1pat~hana
177 zmeao@d3 ... .. . Kalayamutthi
178 ~~ZiSl . . 'l'induka
l 79 .em&so ... ... Kachchhapa
180 -ru.m@g@ Satadbarnrna
181 b~c:'i ... ... Duddada
.tS)~:tb~ @@)@(5):3):i m153@~:i1-Kalya~iadhammamaggo tatiy6.
182 (f,tl!)~tl!) Asadisa
183 ee,oC?i)a@aei0d ... ... Saygarnawachara
184 0:,@e:,~~ ... ... VaJ6daka
J 85 cs38i:;ei.)5} . . . Giridatta
186 q.m~d~ ... ... Anabhirati
187 <;ffie>:>~~ .. ... Dadhiwahana
188 0Z5JOO . ... CI1aturnattt-t
189 S(?i.)@~a~zs, Sihakontl1a,ka
210 ,JOURNAL, R,A,S, (CEYLON). [VoL. X.
dj,eot)S) .m:i@. J at aka.
190 8c!D)~ . . ... Sibachamma
191 Seo~rooro ... Sil~n isaIJSa
-q:t5~-eei0@ci:x.l:> JfSJd:.i:1-Asadz'samagg6 ehatuttho.
192 di~es) ... Rubal{a
193 658'~:iees)~ ... Sirik{tlalcanni
194 ~rooc ... .. . Chullapa<luma
195 ~@):io ... ... Manich6ra
196 aOO~a~o . . . .. Pabbat11pattbara
197 B@:i~CXB .. .. Vnlahassa
198 @crx:5):,@tnt!) . . . :Mittamitta
199 6@ .. . . .. Radha
200 mc:,o~ . .. , . Gahapati
201 -reo8Se . .. .. . 8acll1usila
6 1 CE:.)~e)tm)'.l o~e)@n-Ruhallarvagg6 paneham6.
202 ~,re),es:):,G)ad . . Bandhunagara
203 @~aee ... ... Kelisila
204 {p)ia)e)~~ ... Khandhawantalca
205 ~d~ . . .. Viraka
206 Ci)@W)~Jj Gangeyya
207 ~di@:s)@G) , . , ... Kurut1gamiga !
208 cpcee5e.m Assalca
209 90906 .. . ... SuIJ.SUmara
210 ~.85:65):,0 ... ... Kakkara
211 z.sl~Ci)etm . Kandngalaka
mmo<-i ~e)@C5.):5):, ci@r8:JJ-.Natar1-da[hamagg6 chhatth6.
Ahinabhu
Kirf ta
wachobha
212 JOURNAL, R.A.S, (CEYLON). [VoL. X . .
Jatakrt.
269 fSj~c)~ Kakkataka
2'70 cp6J@srozs, A'~~madUsaka
271 t;)dlm . . S11Jata
272 cw1 Uluka
@f:j1,8coe)@~l S~@r::.t.J-K6sij;an1agg6 dutiyo.
278 c~o:1zs:,srezs, Udapanadusaka
274 c}:tjC3)00 . Vyaggha
27 5 ane:o .. . ., Kachchhapa
276 C3C - .,. Lola
277 d,d ... ... Ruchira
278 ~d1@ . . Kurudhamma
279 OJellv) . Romaka
280 ci.3-re Mahisa
281 ee,mo~ .. . .. . Satapatta
282 ~0eo:1z:n* ... . . Kutasaka
qi6~e) cro:,:, rn&:i@c"'.tJ-Arannarvagg 6 taUy6.
283 ~~~d ~ ... Abbhantara
284 ree5:oo-e5 . .. Seyya1Jsa
285 Bc}!).e51a~d .. . . . Vag.g.hakis6.kara
286 88 .,. ... Siri
287 ~a~d . . ~;. Ma\1isukara
288 05a~2@ Saluka
289 eoG)C3ldt.e@ . Labhagaruka
290 Sg~c;ai ... ~- Machchhuddana
291 -1.!\):,~aE:d~ . .. . Nanachchl1a11da
292 sce,ore A.. . .. Rila Vl mag.sa
cp~~C>e)C?XSla rJfSJ@OOJ-Aobhanta1--arvag96 chatutth6.~
293 ~;of)c) . . llhadraghata
294 a~~ ... ... Supatta
295 ~:105e'J6~ ... Kayawichcbhanda
296 a~Gilo<;m) .. Jambukhadal{a
297 (f~ .. . Anta
298 te~t; .. . ~ Samudda
299 ~3@e,e3ao ... .. Kamawilapa
300 o~~d .. . 1o U dumbsra
301 @.e:nJad9otll .. . K6maraputta
802 Ql~ . Baka
~~e)@(5)3)J o?JxfJ@~o'-Kumbhamagg6 paneham6.
6) ~ 7.53aJ1!51 o-TikanipatarJ.
308 ~~to1:1(36h1 . . . . ChullakaJinga
304 ~aq:eceoaCll~ . Mahaassar6ha
805 ~~Old . .. . E'karaja
306 ~~d ,.. . . Daddara
807 Se@o~.tn . . Silawima:g.sana
.. . Pu tad-6.saka
No. 35.-1887.] NOTES ON J AT.A.KAS. 213,
.
00,.&1 ~. Jataka.
308 ao~ ... ... Sujata
309 OC:>~ ... .. Palasa
310 de)t8q~
311 ~E>~
..
...
...
Jawasalruna
Chhawaka
. -
312 Q ~ . Snyha
~e)de)@(SXS)J ad)@::,- Vimaramagg6 patham6.
313 9~.ef:i . . Puchimanda
314 t;Sj~a@~<::> . Kassapama11diya
315 Q)ro"fl8a~ ... . .. Khantiwadi
316 @(33~~~ L6hakumbhi
317 o~ ... ... MaJJ.Sa
318 eere ... .. Sasa
319 e:Jt;SjOJO E 1karaja
320 -;~d .. . .. . Daddara
321 .a,@6Ji;.w . Matar6dana
322 tm~@e:>d . ... Kanawer2.
323 .e3~d .. , . ,. Tittira
324 aBd .. . . .. Suchchaja
9e,@~e)co:3):> b.cr3o.,::,-Pu(ihimandamagq6 dutiyo.
325 ~6~ret@ ... ..... Kutidusaka
326 <;~t!v . ... Daddabha
327 ~ct.mm ... . .. Brahmadatta
328 >)-ee:ici~ . .. Chammasataka
329 CilJ@ G6dha .
830 t;Sj~:,6z. .. Kakkaru
33 I.tmoz=n:>.efl Kakani
332 q?.e.)~@re:i~co... Ananu:-;6chiya
833 .tmoe@:i~ . .. Kalabahu
334 Se~o~~ . . . . . S1lawimaysana
~e,f:i,roZS)e)a;xsJ:i m.eflal:1-Kutidusakawagg6 tatiyo.
335 lm:t2ffie3 K6kila
336 doei .. . ... Rathalatthi
337 @c;::,:i@ G6dha
338 6:i@e:e:>:,~ . Raj6wada.
339 d'@.es, ... ... Jambuka
340 e)G):ie~ .. . Brahacl1hatta
841 8ci!> Pftha
342 ~a:) Thus a
343 @:,@e>dt .. Haweru
344 ~e5ttm ... Visay ha
es)J~ee>@GXS):1 >~~:, Kokilareagg6 chatutth6.
345 z:sl~a' . . .. . Xandari
346 E):,~6 . . Vanara
347 ~e.oo:,,e3 Kuttani
348 q@e>:id . A)j:ibach6ra
349 G)d~'.:> .. Gajakumbha
214 JOURNAL, R,A.S. (CEYLON). [VoL. X.
Jataka.
350 ~eeE> ... .. Kesav.a
851 ~co~c) . .. Ayaltuta
352 ~d~ . ... Arafifia
353 re~@~'i ... ... Sandhibheda
354 ~E}maa~ ... Dewatapafil1a
~OO~.@:ine38@0X,):> a~B@:>-ChulZaltu'f}alamagg6 pancham6.
. J~t:SY:S'J@OJZS)o-Chatukka nipata~i.
355 ~~~e ... Manikundala
856 geom .. . ,... Suj~ta ..
857 @:imdi:>t:5.') .. .. Dh6nasaka
858 (jOQn .. Uraga
859 etim ..,. ... Ghata
360 ~ad~~ ... . .. Kara:gq.iya
361 e~Zi.i1 .. .. . Lataltika
362 f=)cc@~o:ic . Chulladhammapala
363 90~'5) . . . . .. Suwa1:i.l_lamiga
864 9@~:>,eq . .. Sussondi
d"~ ~C,elC'ro):1 a 6J:1-Ma1J,iku1J,</,alarvagg6 pathamo.
365 e)~~@OJCi.'! ... Vanuar6ha
. '
366 Be~oe5 ... . S1lawi1na1J.sa.
367 ~8' .. . ... Hiri
368 ~~ts.}~z:i.1 . . . Ahitul).qil{a
369 "i)00~ ... . .. Gumbiy a
370 ceo~Ci.'> Saliya
37I tnelrea d .. . ... Tachasara
872 @~@)~~ . Mittawindaka
.373 oea~ .. Palasa
e)~o5C5)e)(!;~:> G.63c:e:i- Var,,riaroharvagg6 dutiy6.
374 ~~1$3~J~e . D1ghitik6sala
375 @Qn@O:im~ , Migap6taka
376 @Szm ... .. Musika
377 ce@~C5.X!>)~ .. Uhulladhanuggaha
. 378 ~E\:>tl) .... Kap6ta
. a~>'1SJ&Ja'J'fS.Jo-Panchakanipata1J.
-379 <pel!)8'cB A'wariya
380 @tJS01@t.'il)~ . Setaketu
881 <:ia"@@ Darimukha
382 @mdi . .. Nern
388 (f.le.5otm . A' sa-g.ka
884 @Ci):i@e:ia Migal6pa
385 S8~:ieesi~ Sirikalakanni
386 e:,d . . ... Bilara
. 887 ~~0 . ... Kukkuta
.388 @~e:>d' .. . .. Dharnmaddhaja
.389 ~~ctJ@C?i) Nandiyamjga
ep0e1B coe)@3):> a~@.'@'J-.A 1rvariyarvagg6 patham6.
'~
,Ji
, ,r
',,
JOURNAL
CEYLON BRANCH
<)Jf 'l'HI~
VOLUME,, X.
... .,. .. ., _.....,,; I ..----- _ _ ...,__. ~ ,.
No. 36.
..,..__............ -~ --------
EDITED BJ7 THE HQNORARY SECRETARY.
. '' The design of the Society is to institute and promote inquiries into the History,
lt&ligion, Literature, Arts, and Social Condition of the 'Present and former
Inhabitants of the Island, with its Geology, Mineralogy, its Olimate and
Meteorology~ its Botany and Zoology.''
COLOMBO:
I. C. COTTLE, ACTING GOVERNMEN'l.1 PRINTER, CEYLON,
------
1890.
...
'
CON'l'EN'fS.
PAGE
Tl1e Ma1. xi,1gle C11stc)111s r>f tl1e Moors of Ce:vlon.-BJ,.
AHAMADU BA W .A, Esq., P1.. octOI\ s.c. ... 219
'
JOURNAL
OF THE
year (1887), gives a vivid account of the present condition of the Moors in
the pages of the IZliti:t1'atod London, Neivl?, from which I quote as follows:-
,, The Moors, like all other dynasties 1 have risen and fallen, and though their
fall was not as the fall of Egypt, Assyria, Greece, or Rome, yet it was
to themselves as disastrous as any, for though they were not exterminated,
they had to fly ba:}k to their ,vild African soil, where year by year they
are sinking deeper into ignorance and bigotry. They have lost thei1
activity, these Moors of to-day.. Instead of leading his soldiers to battle,
their Sultan sits in splendid halls, passing his life in indolence, save when,
now and again on the march fro1n one capital to another, he deigns to
chastise some erring tribe with fire and sword. The Moors, whose ances-
tors once conquered in almost every war they undertook, sit and sigh and
sing quaint ballads to Granada, their mountain home in the Sierra Nevada,.
and weep now and again over the keys o:f the houses which their ancestors
possessed in Spain.~' (Sept. 24, 1887.)
3 So Hindus were called by them Gentios, in English" Gentoos." This
word, too, has disappeared in !I).dia.
49-89 a
286 JOURNAL, R.A..S. ( CEYLON).. [VOL, X.
the :final ar in rridrakar being the epicene particle in Tamil
,denoting respect.1
In the Census Report of 1881 will be found a statement
showing the distribution of the population of Ceylon accord-
ing to religion and nationality. The total num.ber of
Muhammadans is given as 197,775, under the following
'' nationalities '' :-
'
Europeans . .. 1
Eurasians . .. 4
Si]Jhalese . . 71
Tamils .. . ... 715
Malays ... .. . 8,857
Moorman... .. .... 184,536
Others . .... .. 3,591
Those who are classed as '' others '' include Afghans, 130 ;
Arabs, 450; Dekkanese, 3; Hindustani, 164; Javanese, 3;
Pathani, 1,210; Tulukkar (T11rks), 128, &c. We have fairly
clear ideas of the nationality of these Muhammadans: but
,vhat is the nationality of the ''Moorman'' ?
The Registrar-Gene1 al and other Co1nn1issioners appointecl
1
for the taking of the Census are not primarily responsible for
the term ''Moor'' representing a nationality in Ceylon .
.A.s I have said, our Portuguese conquerors applied the term
to this comm11nity, not because th,at was the name it went by
in its o,vn circle 01 amo11g its neighbours, but because, like
1
1 I do not see my way to de1i.ving the wo:rd from the Arabic wio,1rkab,
'' a ship/' because the Tamil personal noun formed from it would be markab-
J(Ja/ran or 1J1ta rl"db-dl, not 11ia/lil,ar. In Sii1halese, a Moor is commonly
1
descended almost letter for letter from. the Tamil word marakkaZam, '' a
,vooden vessel.,,
No ..36.-1888.] . THE MOQRS OF. CEYLON. 237
,convincecl that the ''Moors'' of Ceylon were, in the m.ain,
Tam.il Muham.m.adans.1 But before the discovery could stainp
itself on official documents and pass current in official lips,
the English had arrived and found a world of work to do in
sup1)lying the material and 1noral wants of the country,
without the leisu1e for ente1~ing upon ethnological questions.
Their first Census of which we have any returns, and which
was ordered in 1824, was therefore necessarily erroneous in
classification, if not enum.e1"ation. The old term. ''Moors''
was retained, as also I may say the old terni '' Malabars'' 2 for
Tamils, who knew not that word even in dreams, as they say.
The second Census taken in 187111 and the third and the last
taken in 1881, eliminated '' MalalJars'' but retai11eC:t '' Moors,''
evide11tly because the Commissioners and othe1-- Euro1)ean
.officials have lacked the time or the opport11nity fo1~ studying
that co:mm.unity. By a similar misapprehension the
'' Kandyans '' ,vere thought to be different froin the Si1jhalese
even as late as 1866.3
coast of India, and naturally called the language they found spoken on
that coast by the name by which the coast itself had long been called by
their Arab predecessors, viz., lJlalabar. Sailing from Malabar on voyages
of exploration, they made their acquaintance with various places on the
eastern o:t Ooromandel coast, and also on the coast of Ceylon, and finding
the language spoken by the fishing and sea--faring classes on the eastern
coast sjmilar to that spoken on the western, they came to the conclusion
that it was identical with it, and called it, in consequence, by the same
name, viz . , Malabar, a name which has survived to our own day amongst
the poorer classes of Europeans and Eurasians. The better educated
members of those classes have long learned to call the language of the
Malabar coast by its proper name, Malayalam, and the language of the
-eastern coast Tamil.''-Cvrn:JJarati'Ve 0rarr1/1rtarr ,if tlie I>rav,ld-ian Lan-
.uuages, Introd., I>. 11 (2nd edition, 1875).
3 In his 0a:11tt,1er, p. 115, Casie Chetty (writing in 1834) said:-
'' The vast difference which the Kandyans exhibit in their customs as well
as in their style of dress has led almost all European writers to treat them
as a distinot race of people,,, .A..nd the Government Agent of the North-
Western Province said, in 1866, that the population of his Province
consisted of "Kandyans, Si:tthalese, Moors, Malabars, and Mukkuwas.''
{Seasional Papers of the Legislative Oounoil, 1866, p. 217.) He ought to
have said'' Sil}halese and Tamils,'t for the last th:ree classes are Tamil.
o2
238 JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. x.
$
1 Cited in the Indian Census Report for 18Slt TOI. I., p. 201.
No. 36.-1888.] TIIE MOORS OF CEYLON. 289
.utterly unfit to serve as principles of scientific classification
for that g1"eat fam.ily of living beings, the essential character-
istics of which are thought and speech, not fl.brine, serum, or
colouring m.atter, or whatever else enters into the com.position
of blood.'' 1 Of a similar opinion is Sir William Hunter, as
may be seen from. the following passage, which, by the way,
is apropos to the subject discussed in this paper :--'' Many
storms of conquest (besides the Brahm.anical and Buddhist
invasions)have since swept ove1"the land (Madras_Presidency),
ancl a few colonies of Mughal and Mahratta origin are to be
founcl here ancl there. But the inclelible evidence of lan-
guage proves that the etlinical character of the population has
remained stable unde1. all their i11finences, ancl that the Madras
Hincl11, 1Yiuha:mm.aclan, Jain, ancl Christian are of tl1e same
D1~aviclian stock.'' 2
If therefore we ta~e la11guage as the test of nationality,
the Moors of CeyIon, who s1)eak as their vernacular the Tamil,
m.ust be adjudged Tamils. But as son1e ethnologists, like
Dr. Tylor, m.aintain that language of itself affords only partial
evidence of 1"ace,3 I shall dive a little cleeper and p1~ove that
the conclt1sion I have arrivecl at is supportecl as much by the
history of the Moors (so far as it :may be ascertainecl) as by
thei1 social customs and physical features.
Those returned in tl1e Census of 1881 as '' Moors '' are to
1 Oliips f ro1n, a 0ar?n.a'Ji Wo1ltsliop, III1., p. 265 ('' Cornish Antiquities ") .
1
p. 119.
Speaking o:f the JJolitioaZ significance attached in modern days to
linguistic affinities, Sir Henry Maine says :-" If you examine the bases
proposed for common nationality before the new knowledge growing out
of the study of Sanskrit had been popularised in Europe, you will find
them extremely unlike those which are now advocated, and even passion-
ately advocated, in parts of the Continent. For the most part the older
bases theo1etically suggested wete common history-common, prolonged
subjection to the same sovereign, common institutions, common religion,
sametimes a common language, but then a comm.on vernacular language .
That people not necessarily understanding one another's tongue should ,
he grouped together poZitiaaZly on the groU?-d of linguistic affinities
240 J0UR,NAL, R. .A.S. (CEYLON). [Voi.,. X.
'
be founcl in every part of the Island. Thei1~ distributi@n.
according to number is as follows:-
In the District of Batticaloa
In the City of Colombo
lo
- 27,000
23,600
In the District of Kandy I II .... 22,000
Do. Kalutara 12,800
Do. Puttalam
12,500
De. Galle ..., 11,000
Do. Kurun~gala .... 9,400
Do. Nuwarakalavi:ya ..
.. 7,300
Do. .....
Mannar .. .. .. "" '6,600
Do. Badulla ""' . 6,000
Do. Matale 5,~00
Do. Trincomalee ... 5,700
Do. K~galla I I 5,000
Do. Matara .,.. I If 5,000
Do. Colombo t I I 4,300
Do. Jaffna 2,600
Do. Negombo .. ,, 2,500
Do. Ratnapura 1,500
Do. N u,vara Eliya t I 1,400
Do. Hambantota
... 1,200
Do. Vav11niya~Vilayltulam I llt 700
Do. Mullaitt{vu 400
This community, numbering (as I have said) nea1~1y 185,0001
souls, includes those who are commonly known in our Law
Courts as '' Ceylon Moormen '' and '' Coast M'oormen.'' The
forme1 class represe11ts (as I shall show1) the earliest settlers
1 In Crawford's .1.1lriltzy Dit!t iona1y, ;u,iy is given for "a large native
vessel,'' p ra1(, for '' a boat," and sam1Ja72, fo1 ''a small boat." For '' a vessel
1
'
"a dealer in wares, a pedlar''? Cf.. Cl2a1nlnta/n,ko,f.1t,, the na1ne oom1nonly
given for Banksha.11 street in Colombo ; Hambantota, in the Southern
Province ; Oliarnman-turai, in the Battioaloa District.
2 I have not been able to ascertain whence the word ltjbbe or lubl>ay
is derived. Freytag, in his Arabia-Lati1i Dictiona, ry, gives labib (pl, aZibba)
1
i42 JOURNAL, R.A.S. (OEYLON). [Vot. X.
by the Tamils, Olid'!}alia1/t, on which term I shall comment
hereafter.1
In order to appreciate the relations (social, lingual, and
physical) which the '' Coast Moors '' bear to the '' Ceylon
Moors,'' and ,vhich both bear to the rest of the Muhammadans
in India, we l1ave to remember a fe,v facts brought to light by
the Census of 1881. Of the fifty millions of Muhammadans
on that peninsula, Be11gal claims 21,800,000 ( 01,. 31 per cent.
of tl1e Hindus); Punjab 11,700,000 (or 51 per cent.); the
North-WesteIn Provinces and Oucle 6,300,000 (or 14 per
cent.); the Bombay Presidency 3,700,000 (or 18 per cent.);
the Macl1'aS Presidency 1,900,000 (or 6 per cent.); Assam
1,300,000 ( or 27 per cent.); the State of Haiderabad 930,000
(or 9 per cent.); Rajaputana 860,000 (or 9 1)er cent.); and
Central India 510,000 (or 6 per cent.). It will thus be seen
that Islam is as strong i11 North Inclia, where Hindustani is
the ruling language, as it is weak in the Mac11~as PresidencJ"',
where Tamil is the ruling language, It is also certain that
more than 501Je1" cent. of the Muhammadans of this P1~esidency
are found in the dist1"icts of the extreme south, namely,
Tinnevelli, Maclnra, Malabar, ancl Tanjore,2 and that while
and "Malabar."
2 See Report of the Census of British India, vol. III.1 :p. xix.
244 JOURNAL, R.A.S. ( CEYLON). . [VoL. X.
that the tradition very nearly expresses the trutl1. Under the
Afghan dynasties, while the great provincial governors were
always Muhammadans, the local administration would appear
to have been in a great measure left in the hands of Hindu
chiefs who paid tribute and owed allegiance to the Sultan of
Delhi. It is tolerabl)~ certain that little attempt was macle
at proselytising under the free-thinki11g Akbar. It would
appear, however, that cluri11g his reign and those of his
immediate successors the character of the administration
changed consiclerably-a more direct and centralised control
being substituted for an almost p11rely feuclal system. The
change gave the people Musalman governors in the place of
Hindus, and must have greatly facilitated the systematic
persecutio11 of the infidel which was instituted by Aurangzeb,
by far the most fanatical and bigotecl, ancl probably the first
wl10 was a bigot, among the emperors of Delhi. The local
traditions tell us that in many cases the ancestor of the
present Musalman b1anch of a village commu11ity adopted
Islam in order to save the land of the village from confisca-
tion.'' And he continues;-'' In the eastern portion of th~
Punjab the faith of Islam in anythi11g like its original
purity was till q11ite lately to be found only among the
Saiyads, Path:ins, Arabs, ancl other Musalmans of fo1eign
origin, who we1e for the most lJart settled in towns. The
so-called Musalmans of tl1e villages were Musalmans in little
but name. They practised circumcision, repeated the lcctl-i11iali,
or Muhammaclan professio11 of faith, and worshipped the
village deities. But after the mutiny (1857) a great revival
took place. Muhammadan priests travelled fa1 and wide
through the country, preacl1ing the true faith ancl calling
upon believers to aba11don thei1 idolatrous practices. And
now almost every village in which Musalmans own any con-
siderable po1tion has its mosque, often a clome only, while
all the grosser and mo1e open iclolatries have been dis-
continued. But the villager of the East is still a very bad
Musalman. A peasant saying his prayers in the :field is a.
sight almost 11nknown, the fasts are almost universally
No.. 36. ,"'1888.] THE MOORS OF OEt"LON. 245,
The Ch6la kings originally reigned north of the Kaveri, having for their
capital a city near the site of the modem Triohnopoli.. The capital city
of the Pal)cJiyans was Madura, and that of the Cheras, Karur, in the distrio"&
of Koimbatur,
.
.
1 On February 24, 1888.
No. 36.-1888.] THE MOORS OF CEYLON. 251
The initiatory rite 1,.endered 1,.elapse impossible, a11d m.ade tl1e
prosel3'""te and his posterity true believers for ever.''
In the early part of this Paper 1 I said that about one-half
of the num.be1-- of those ,vhom tl1e Ceylo11 Ce11sus 1~etu1n.e,l
as Moors we1e '' Coast Moors,'' that is, '' Ch6liJ1'as, '' 01~, as the
English call them, '' LublJays.'' In tl1e Dist1~ict of Batticalot1,
1,vhich is the 1)1~emier district of Islam in the Island, the
Muhammadans call themselves '' Soni,'' or '' Ol1611i,'' whic~l1
a1)pea1--s to be only another fo1~m of Oh6li. I11deecl, J\1I\ PybuH,
v.rl10 was accIeclitecl in 1762 by the Gov"'ernme11t of }l[ad1~as
to the court of the I{ing of KandJ1 , si>eaks of the inl1.,tbitants
of the Easter11 Province, ,vhere he la11ded, as '' Cl1oli:fa1s a11tl
Malaba1s. '' He evide11tly believed that rill those ,v I1om ,1v~e
call Moo1"S were '' Ch6liya,'' 01" he sa)tS :-'' S11cl1 tJc1c1e tis tl1e
Isla11.cl afforcls (exclusive, I mean, of ,vhEtt the Dutcl1 1eser,te
' 1 to them.selves) is ca1-aried on by Choliyars, of ,vl1om the1e are
great nuinbers at all the pri11cipal settlements belo11gi11g tci
the Dutch and along the sea-coast ; manj~ at Candia a11d
others interspersecl i11 villages in cliffere11t 1)a1"ts of the
country.'' 2
We are now in a l)OSition to deal with the question
,vhether the '' Ceylon Moors'' have a history different from
that of the '' Oh6liyas '' ('' Lebbes,'' '' Coast Moors'') which
I have just outlinec1. In the Tra1isactlons of tlte Roy,it
Asiatic S0c1~ety Si1,. Alexander J oh11sto11 says :-'' Tl1e first
Muham.madans who settled in Ceylo11 were, accorcling to tl1e
t.raclition which prevails among tl1ei1" desce11dants, a }Jortion
c)f those A1,.abs of the l1ouse of Hashin1 wl10 ,vere dri,;re11 from
Arabia in the early part of the eighth ce11tt1ry by the tyranny
<)f the Caliph Abd-al-melek Ben Mer,va11, and who, 1)roceed-
ing from. the Euphrates southward, made settleme11ts in tl1e
Concan, in the southe1--n parts of the peninsula of India, on
tl1e Island of Ceylon, and at Malacca. The division of tl1em
which came to Oe:ylo11 form.eel eight considerable settlements
"
~52 JOURNAL, R.A.S. ( CEYLON).
8
Upham's translation, p, 274.
D2
254 JOURNAL, R,A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. x.
81"1 Pai-akrama Bah11 (1410-61) was then l'uli11g, and to fly
along several villages to Dond1~a, carrying the }J1..ayer that that
monarch might be 1J1,.ese1~ved ancl blessed. One of tbe villages,
01:1 the rol1te is Be1"uwala, ,vhich is described to be in tl1e
occupation of '' cruel ancl lawless Bamburas '' (scil. 11ilecliclias,.
''barbarians''). A11othe1. poem, the K6kila Sandesa, written
l))? I1~11gal l{l1latilaka Sami, in the same 1~eign, all ucles to Beru-
,vala in similar language. I have not had tim.e to get at
earlier refe1~ences in Si1Jhalese literature, but I sus1)ect none
such exist. We have, bo,vever, some information from
f 01\eign so11rces. I11 1350 Jol1n de Ma1--.ignolli was ,v1~ecked
011 the coast of Oeylou at '' Perivilis,'' whicl1 is supposecl to
be Be1~u,vala, '' Here,'' he saJrs, '' a ce1--tai11 tyIant, b)"' name
Coya Jaan, a11 eunucl1, ha(l the master:,.,, in 01Jpositio11 to the
lawful king. He ,vas an accursecl Saracen,'' ~i.e., Muham.-
madan. We a1~e also told that by means of his great treasu1,.es
he had gained l)Ossession of this lJart of the cot111try. He
1obbecl De Marignolli of the valuable gifts he was ca1'1..3ring
home to the Pope. 1 Ibn Batu.ta visited the Islanll six Jrea1~s
earlier (in 1344), but mrtkes no mention whatever of Beruwala,
though it lay clirectly on his route fIom Galle to Colombo.
He refe1. s to Galle as a small town, to Colombo as the seat of
a IJirate i11 com111ancl of five hundrecl Abysinnians, and to
Battalah (PuttaJam) as the ca1)ital of a Tamil king, A1,ya
Ohakkaravartti, '' one of tl1.e llerverseaI1d unjust,'' as the devo11t
traveller says, but of whose hospitality he is loud i11 praise. 2
By the light of these passages, and the circumstance that
the Siuhalese did no~t know in the early part of the fifteenth
centUl''Y any more of the colonists who were found settlecl at
Beruwala than that they were barbarians, we may safelJ,.
conclude tl1at Beruwala had not been seized upo11 by the
Muhammadans i11 1344; that that hamlet, Galle, and
Putta}am, wl1ich are common!},. believed to l1ave received the
"" .......... .,.,_.,,.. . ...,. - ._... t - ' ,. "" '*, r .,.., "' ,...__ ~
\Iii .c II 4
ing jewels t~ot1gh l)rohibitecl by the law, tl1e tying of the tali:,
the bride wearing the lcurct'i offered by the bridAg1"oom, and
the eating of the 11cttcliorii, were all borrowecl f1~om the Tamils.
I also commented on otl1er customs, s11ch as the abse11ce of
tl1e 1:;urdali system (or rig~icl seclusion of women), and of
l)l"ayer in the streets a11d other public }Jlaces, both of which
customs are foreign to Tamils, but ger1nane to Egyptians and
many clans of Arabs.
I shall therefore pass on to thei1. physical eatu1~es. Of'
these, the best marked race-characters, acco1"ding to D1~.
Tylor,1 are the colour of the skin, structure a11cl arrangement
of the hair, contour of the face, stature, and conformation of
the skull. On all these points there is, in my opii-tion, 110
a1Jpreciable difference betwee11 the average Tamil and the
average Moor. If he ,vere clressed up like a Tamil he
would pass easily for a Tamil, ancl vice versa. As re-
gards cranial measurements, I would add that in a
famous trial 01" mt1rder (known as ''tl1e Chetty st1,.eet
murder case''), in whicl1 I appea1ed in 1884 as counsel, I
had to be in consultation with th1~ee of our leading doctors of
medicine a11d surgery (l1aving large expe1..ience of the count1"Y
and its people) 2 on the question whether the skull produced
1 Art. "Anthropology" in .EnoyalopfEdf,a Britari1iiaa, 9th edition, p. 111.
2 Dr. J . L, Vanderstraaten, M.D.; Surgeon-Major L. A. White, M.R.c.s ;.
jro1n the 1iortli ct1id b1rjttglit i'>i ,rieio religioiis 'l ite.cs. '' These,''
0
says Sir William Hunte1, '' ,vere the t,vo crucial characteris-
tics of Yavanas in the I-Iinclu mind, and in the end they led
to the transfer of the name to a people more widely separated
by race ancl religio11 from the I0nia11s than the I011ians from
the Hinclu. For the north ,vas again about to send
forth a race of invaclers bri11gi11g ,vith the1n a ne,v faith,
and clestined to establish themselves upon tl1e wrecks of
native dynasties and native beliefs. The Musalman invasions
of India practically elate f-rom the eighth centur)", when
the Arabs temporarily conquered Sindh. The first years
of the eleventh century brought the terrible 1Iahmud
Sltltan, \Vhose twelve expeditions introduced a new era into
260 JOURNA.IJ, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. X.
Hindustan. From this time it becomes difficult to p1--onou11ce
as to the race to which the term Yavana applies. At first,
indeec1, the Mnsalman invaders, especially in S0uthe1~n
India, were distinguished from the clynasties of Ionian
Yavanas by the more 01Jprobrious epithet of Mlechclias. But
as Islam obtainecl firmer hold 11pon the country, this clis-
tinction disappearecl; and popular speech, preserving the old
association of norther11 invasio11 and a new c1-eed with the
word Yavana, applied it indiscriminately to the ancient
Ionians ancl to the new Musalmans. Before the M11hammacla11
power, the heretic and the orthodox clynasties of India alike
collapsed, and in a few centuries the ancient Yavanas had
ceased to preserve any trace of their nationality. All forme1--
clifferences of race or creed ,vere lJUlverised in the mo1~tar of
Islam, and the wo1--d Yavana grew into an exclusive e1)ithet of
the Musalmans.'' Prof. Web01' has emphasised these vie,vs in
his History of tlie lnrlric1,n Literatiire,1 and proves cone!usivelj
that the Arabs ftnd othe1" Muslims we1e the last to Ieceive the
name of Yavanas. From the ni11th to the fourteenth centuries
the Muhammaclans in South Indi,t ,vere known as Mlecliclids,
or ''barba1"ians,'' just as the Siyhalese ltnew them in Ceyloi-1
in those ages as Ba1nbu,1 6,. In later days they k11.ew them
11
nected they ,vere ,vith each other till the Dutch began to
persecute them in Ceylon ; how the intercourse bet,veen the
mother-country i11 South India and Ceylon was ar1ested about
150 yea1s ago ; and how the distinction arose tl1ereafter
between the Ceylon Moors and the Coast Moors. By tracing
i11 this manner their history, that is, their clesceut, I arrive at
the conclusion that tl1e early ancestors of the '' Moors,''
Ceylon and Coast, ,vere mainly Tamils on the father's sic.le,
as admittedly tl1ey are exclusively on the mother's side.
Then, considering thei1 social customs, I have pointed out
how closel3r they are a copy of Tamil institutions. I have
also touchecl upon their pl1ysical fet1.tures and called attention
to the opinio11 of some of our leading doctors of medicine ,
and surge1y, that the skull of a Moorman cannot be distin-
guished f1om that of a Tamil. In complete confir1nation of
the inference drawn from these a1gt1ments is tl1e evidence
afforded by language. The vernacular language of the Moors
is, as I have said, Tamil, even in purely Si:ghalese uistricts.
,,,_
CAPTAIN JOAO RIBEIRO :
HIS WORI{ ON CEYLON, AND THE FRENCH
TRANSLATION TfIEREOF BY THE
,
ABBE LE GRAND.
By DONALD FERCUSON, Esq.
(Rectcl Jif;ly 26, 1888.)
1 This is hardly fair, for Le Grand corrected the error in his Err:.1,ta.-D.F.
E2
270 JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. X.
Ceylon, son of Portuguese fathers, composed with the highest
individuality and exactness Rela<;ao das guerra.s de Uvct,
which was preserved in his choice Library by his Excy. the
Marquis de Abrantes D. Rodrigo Annes de Sa e Almeyda,
who communicated it to Monsieur Legrand, ,vho translatecl
it into French, and it was printed, together with the Historict
de Oeila,o, composed by Joao Rebeiro, also translated into
French. Trevoux, &c. ''
How an error, once perpetrated, is liable to be 1Jer1Jetuatecl,
may be judged from the following extract from the Diccio-
1ia1"io Blbliographico Portuguez of Innocencio Francisco da
Silva, 1860, vol. IV., p. 25 :-'' Joao Ribeiro, soldier i11 India,
and Captain in the island of Ceylon, the eve11ts of which he
described in the year 1685 as an eye-witness: Fatcilidade
historica da illia de Oeyltio. Dedicada a 'lJictgestctde clo
,'5ere1iissi1no n. Pedro II., rei de Po1tl,1,gal.-The original
Portuguese of this work, consisting of two IJt1rts, the first with
24 chapters and the seconti ,vith 10, remained 01 many years
in manl1script, and was only printed for the first time in vol.
V. of the Oollecr;iio de Noticias pa1"a a liistori'ct e geogrctJJliic1,
das Nctr;Jes Ultra?natirias, published by the R.oyal Academy
of Sciences, Lisbon, 1836. It was, ho,vever, tra,nslated i11to
French by M. Legrand, a few years after it was w1itten, a.nd
appeared in print under the title of Histoire de l'ile de Oeylart,
pc1/r Jean Ribeyro, &c., togetl1er with the translation which
the same Legrand made of the Relar;ao das git,er?as de Uva
by Filippe Botelho, Trevoux, chez Estienne Ganeau, 1701,
12mo. The Commander F. J. M. de Brito had copie8 of
both, as appears from the catalogue of his lib1ary, quoted
already several times.''
It is strange that, while co11fessedly so little is known of
Captain Ribeiro, the editors of the MS. should be able to pro-
nounce with such assu1ance upon his signature, &c. Bl1t
let that pass. It will be seen that the editors make very
strong charges against the Abbe le Grand, of not only mis-
. translating the original Portuguese, but mutilati11g the work .
by leaving out passages and even whole chapte1s.. Now,
1 This chapter was evidently written by Le Grand after the rest of the
book was printed, for it is printed on thinner paper than that used else.
where, and the paging 187-90 is repeated.
2
A. later edihion issued at Trevoux in 1707 I have not seen but one
published a.t .A.:insterdam in 1719 is simply the 1701 Amsterd~ edition
with a new title-page, the publishers being Duvillard & Oha,ng,.tion.
No. 36.-1888.J CAPTAIN JO.AO RIBEIRO. 273
A worcl now as to Lee's translati.011 of Le Grand. From a
somewhat cursory comparison of it with the French I have
found the translation ge11erally accurate, and have detected
-only a few serious errors. One of these occurs in chapter
III. of Book I., where Le Grand has :-'' On n'y manque pas
non plus de bre, ni de nrines cle fer.'' Lee seems to have
misread bre (Portuguese breii, resin, pitch) as ble, and so
translates:-'' Nor is corn wanting, or iron mines.'' 1 He has
omitted several of Le Grand's notes, but has appended many
of his own, which are generally useful and correct. In some
cases, however-, he has been sorel)~ mystified, owing to the
fault of Le G1and or his manuscript. These I shall touch upon
further on. He gives facsimiles of Le Grand's plates, but not
.of the map of Ceylon, which was missing f1om the copy of
Le Grand from which he made his translation. Though,
through no fault of his, J-'ee's book cannot be accepted as a
faithful translation of Ribeiro, it will always be of value, if
-only for the lengthy appendix. referred to above.
I now come to consider the Burnell MS. of Ribeiro of
which I have spoken above. It is stated in the memoir
-of Le Grancl from which I have quoted that the Abbe
found the MS. at Lisbon in the possession of Dom J oao
Luis d'Acunha. (The MS. referred to by Barbosa Machado
may perhaps be the one from ,vhich t-he Lisbon edition was
printed.) Its subsequent history I have failed to trace. Dr.
Burnell seems to have purchased it from Maisonneuve & Co.,
.of Paris, but the latter are unable to say how it came
into their hands. It is a small quarto of 202 leaves, written
mostly in a clear hand, though in parts, especially at the encl,
the ink has eaten through the paper and made it brittle like
tinder. It is bound in brown leather, with gilt ornamenta-
tion on the back and the single word '' Fatalidade.'' It
has no title-page, the first page containing the dedication of
------------------------
Another most ridiculous blunder that he has committed is the
1
rendering throughout of Ribeiro's "As Greva.yas" (which Le Grand has
transferred to his Frenoh version without translating) as '' the Gravets'' l
-Of course the Giruwa :pattu is meant.
274 JOURNAL, R.A.S. ( CEYLON), [Vot. x(P
the work to the king. I give opposite a facsimile of this,
page,. which has at the foot, as will be seen, a note .in a,
different hand, its follows :-'' Qualque1 Liurei1. o pode em-
11
,'4
'
~ ~- 2..o 2. illlllllalt-
?.. I 6'1 .. ,
'
No. 36.-1888.] CAPTAIN JOAO RIBEIRO, 275,
' '
'
1,, ''
276 JOURNAL, R.A.S. ( OEYLON). [VOL. X.
In the list of kingdoms on the Malabar coast LeG. has Tala
for .Lala (the L in B. looking very like a T), Oliangatte for
Ma,ngatte (the latter is the reading in both L.A. and B.), and
Achinota for Oh1:nota (B.having misled him). He also makes
Ribeiro say'' the Samorin, which I ought to put first,'' whereas
Ribeiro gives the Samorin fourth in the list. (B. reads a
Damorim.) In the list of the divisions of Ceylon, LeG. has
Asgrevaias for as Grevayas of L.A. (B. reading asgrevayas).
LeG. has also omitted, by an oversight, Oucuriicorla from
the list.
Ohapter III.-Ribeiro says of the king of Cotta:-
.,, Almost the whole of his lands are forests of Cinnamon, and
extend from Chilao to within two leagues of the pagoda of
Tanavare.'' This LeG. transforms as follows:-'' It is
specially in his territory that the cin11amon grows; there is
a forest of it of twelve leagues between Chilaon and the
Pagoda of Tenevare.'' Regarding the cinnamon tree, Ribeiro
says:-'' Its leaf is in appearance like that of plantain
[plantago], in so far as relates to tl1e three stalks that it has;
the shape of it, however, is like that of the Laurel ; crushed
between the fingers, the odour is like that possessed by the best
cloves of Rochelle.'' This LeG. translates:-'' The leaf of the
Cinnamon greatly resembles that of the laurel ; .... if it is
crushed between the fingers it emits a very agreeable and at the
same time very powerful odour.'' Ribeiro also says:-'' ....
as it rains every day it [the cinnamon tree] does not lose its
leaves,'' which LeG. makes :-'' , ... it [the leaf] never falls,
although it often rains in that country.'' LeG. also omits
Ribeiro's statement that the precious stones were found in a
region ''sixty-seven leagues in circumference.'' Among the
precious stones Ribeiro mentions '' robazes, verlis, taripos '':
the first of these LeG. omits, ancl the other two he transfers
without translating. Lee makes them'' beryls'' and '' tourma-
line,'' ,which is probablj,. correet. I ca11not fi11cl tl1e wortl
rQbaz in any Portuguese dictioni1ry ; but St~vens's Spa,11isl1 "
. dictionary has ''Robdso 1 the 1Jrecious sto11e called a. corne- ., :.
1ian,'' and ''Rubd9a, a red stone, of less value than a ruby, ,",'
called a garnet.'' ,LeG. says that Brazil wood ts ealleq. in.: " t J l ,,.
t' r ~ ', ,{ 1 L , , ,1
'
ff I ~
l , ,t,t 1
I
' l
'' '
No. 36.-1888.J OAPTAIN JOAO RIBEIRO. 277
India '' sapaon, '' and B. has '' sapao ''; curiously enough, L.A.
has the .false reading '' Saprao. '' We now comet<) the famous
statement of LeG. that '' from the kingdom of Cotta alone
there are obtained yearly more than a thousancl boat-loads,
of sixty tons each, of a certain sand which has a great sale
throughout the whole of India.'' Now there are two gross
errors here. In the first place, the boat-loads (cliani11anas,
L.A.; chapanas, B.) were, acco1ding to Ribeiro (I.i.A.. and B.),
sumacas of forty tons (quarenta toneladas) each ; how
LeG. made this blunder I cannot imagi11.e. Bl1t the other
error is far more se1ious, and for it not LeG. but B.
is responsible. The latter states that the article exported
from Cotta and so largely consumed in India ,vas ''area,''
which LeG. naturally enough translated '' salJle'' (sand).
Lee in his translation of LeG. appends a footnote to this
as follows:-'' I cannot discover what this sand is-no article
of export of the kind is found now.'' If he had had the
Lisbon printed edition of Ribeiro before him, he would at
Once have detected the error. It is noteworthy that Sir
Emerson Tennent, though he was not, when he ,vrote, aware
of the existence of this printed edition of Ribeiro, solved the
mystery. In a note on page 27 of vol. II. he says:-'' A
passage in Ribeyro's account of the productions of Ceylon
has puzzled both his translators and readers, as it clescribes
the Island as despatching 'tousles ans, plus de mille bateaux,
chacun de soixante tonneaux, d'un certain sable, dont on
fait un tres-grand debit dans toutes les Indes.'-ch. iii.
Lee naively says that 'he cannot discover what this sand is.'
But as Le Grand macle his French translation from the
Portuguese MS. of the author, it is probable that by a clerical
-error the word arena may have been substituted for areca, the
restoration of which solves the mystery.'' The1e is a slight
~rror here, the Portuguese word for'' sand'' being area (mod.
areia), and not a1ena. Moreover, LeG. did not, as we
now know, make '' his F1ench translation from the Portu-
guese MS. of the author.'' Ribeiro further says that Ceylon
produces '' also a large number of elephants, much pepper,
278 JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VoL. X
both of which are considered the best in the whole of the
East,'' which LeG. expands into :-'' It is well known how
much the Mogol, the Kings of Pegu, of Siam, and other
Indian Kings value the Elephants of Ceylon. The Pepper
that grows in this Island is sold at a. much higher price than
that of other countries.'' I have refer1ed above to Lee's
mistalre in translating '' bre '' as '' corn'' instead of '' resin '';
bl1t in fact Ribeiro says that Ceylon produces'' much resin of
two kinds'' : these he clescribes mo1e fully in chapter XI.
LeG. has a long Addition to this third chapter, in which
he deals with cinnamon, areca (this makes it the more
remarkable that he dicl not detect the e1ror of '' a1~ea ''), the
talipot, &c. Among other things he says:-'' I do not think
that the white sandal is as common in Ceylo11 as Jean
Ribeyro says, at least the1e is not much trade in it, and all
the.good white sandal is obtained from tl1e Island of
Timor:'" - Now Ribeiro nowhe1e that I ca11 fincl makes the
statement here attributed to him, so the worthy Abbe is
knocking dowr1 a man of st1aw of his own erection.
Ollapte1n IV.-Ribeiro says that Colombo was situated on
a bay (baliia). B. has the absurcl reading '' boticct '' (apothe--
cary's shop), but LeG. has had the sense to write '' a1ise ''
( creek). B. has also the nonsensical reading '' sirvada ''
for '' situctda. '' This chapter is a very short one, and
enumerates the chief towns, &c., all 1011nd the coast of
Ceylon, with the distances betwee11 each. To it LeG.
appends the following remarks:-'' The Nations have not
yet come to an agreement with respect to measures: the
leagues are in some countries double and treble what
they are in others ; so that one cannot be surprised that
the Authors who have written on the Island of Ceylon
are so little in accord among tl1emselves as to its extent;.
but it seems extraordinary that a single writer does not
agree with himself. Jean Ribeyro says in the first chapter ,',
"
1 Clough has "Paoliaya, a man of a degraded tribe, a low caste man.''
.(See also chapters XI. and XVI. of Ribeiro.)
282 JOURNAL, R.A.S, ( CEYLON). [VOL. X.
Chapter XI.-Here again Ribeiro mentions the '' paclids ''
(B. '' Pdchaos ''), and LeG. has transferred the word with-
out explaining it. Lee puts a note to it as follows :-'' Per-
haps this is a mistake of the copyist for pad1tiua8, originally
palanquin-bearers from the co::.ist,'' but this explanation is
unsatisfactory. In renclering Le Grand's (ancl B.'s) '' Butate-
gama '' (L.A. '' Butalegama '') as Bulatgama, howeve1, Lee is
no doubt correct. In speaking of the payment by the natives
to their chiefs of taxes, Ribei10 says that the principal article
in which payment was made was '' areca, ":7hich is highly
valued throughout India.'' This LeG. cleliberately alters
into '' Areca, wl1ich is a leaf that is g1eatly valued,'' &c. ;
and Lee goes still further a,nd says :-'' The tax is n1ore
especially paid in betel, '\Vhich is a leaf,'' &c. I11 this chapter
LeG. has preservecl the '' 011,lleB '' (coolies) and '' 11,fotteto ''
(mtttte!!'lll) of Ribeiro. LeG. says that '' The forests of Ceylon
are rich in procluctio11s which migl1t be servic~al)le to
commerce.'' This can ha,rclly be called a fai:r translation of
Ribeiro's words, ,vhich are:-'' Moreover, the forests. contain a
great quantity of cocculus (cor:ct).'' I referrecl above to the fact
that Ribeiro states that Ceylon l)roduces two kinds of resin ;
\
,,
,' these are mentioned l1ere, and one is particularly described,
I
which he says the people of Inclia call '' clictltidarrus.'' Lee has
a note to this :-" I do 11ot thinl{: this '\vord is known in Ceylon
-the gum mentioned is the Doo1,iJnala, a kind of copal.''
As I have shown above, Ribeiro specially says that it was
in Jr1,dia that the name '' clict1idarrus '' was used. The
word is found in Arabic and Hind ustanf as sindarus, sandctros,
sinclaro.s, and in English as sctndarach.
Oliapter XII.-In this chapter Ribeiro gives a description
of the chil:lf places ",~cu1Jierl by the Portuguese in Ceylon.
In describing Colc..;.. 0......u)o
~ ,,.. ...
he says that the walls were of
'' taipa singela,'' which words LeG. has transferred without
explanation, and Lee confesses himself unable to explain.
A Wt'iter in the Orientalist says that they mean '' Sinlittlese
walls.'' '' Taipa" n1eans ''mud wall,'' an:d ''singela '' is noth-
ing but '' simple.'' That is, the walls were '' simply mucl.''
No. 36.-1888.J CAPTAIN ,TOAO RIBEIRO,
LeG. fails to record the fact that the portion near tl1e sea ~1t
the south of tl1e fort of Colombo ,vas called '' Galvoca 1 '
,(Galle Buck). He also omits tl1e statement of Ribeiro that
tl1e fort of Jaffna was built of '' pumice-stone'' ('' pedrrt
pomes ''). To this chapter LeG. has a lengthy addition, t<)
only one J)oint in ,v I1ich shall I refer. Spealring of
Galle, he says:-'' . . . . the soil is everywhere stony, it iR
this that has given it the name da.s Gravayas.'' Wh~tt,
:he thougl1t Gravaycts meant I cannot imagine. Lee makeR
the matter ,vorse by, as usual, replacing ~, cis Gravctyas '' l)y
'' gravets.'' [Since the above was in type, I l1ave discoveze,l~
through the kindness of Mr. F. H. ue Vos of Galle, the
origin of Le Grand's explanatio11 of the word '' G1"avayrt.~."
Baldreus, in his Ceylon,, chapter XXII., says of Galle:-
'' . . . . the mountains look very
fine from there. One
travels along hewn out roads, called Gravettes, because the}T
are macle and cut [gegraven] through the mountains.'' Of
course this explanation is utterly wrong, and Le Grand, by
copying only a portion of what Baldreus wrote, has left his
readers to flounder in a quagmire of hopeless doubt as t<)
what connection '' stony ground'' could have with the name
'' Gravayas.'']
Chapter XIII.-This chapter calls for no special remark,
,except the last sentence, which, as the e(1itors of L.A. havP:
shown, LeG. has mistranslated, having been mislecl by B.,
which for '' casava '' reads '' esc1izava.''
Chapter XJV.-Ribeiro says that in Ceylon the image of
Buddha (''Bodu '') was '' more than six Cl1bits '' l1igh. LeG.
makes this '' more than 32 feet.'' Ribeiro also states that the
'Si:yhalese call their year '' Au1"1.1,da,'' which fact LeG.
passes over. The statement of Ribeir1 that '' a,11 assert''
('' todos affir1nao '')that'' the Apostle;,,,p Thomas. . . . ,vai-.
in this Island,'' is modified by the copyist of B. into '' the)T
''
say'' ( '' dizem '' ), &c. Ribeiro says of the Siyhalese that,
'' they do not deny the immortality of the soul, but say that
when the wicked dies his soul goes into an animal suited to
his evil habits, and he who lives well into so1ne domestic
49-89 F
'
' ' I',
",,
F2
',,,
,, "
LeG. translates the last word '' coqtr,illa,qe '' (shellfish), which
Lee has rendered ''shells'' ! Regarding smallpox, Ribeiro
says:-'' They call this disease Deane charia, which in ou1
language means an affair with God." This appears in LeG.
as:-'' The people of the cou11try call it Ar,charia, an affair
with God, because apparently one does not recover from it
except by a miracle, and because one m11st think of p11tting
his affairs in orclerwhen he is attacked by this disease.'' It will
be noticed that for '' Deane cl1.c1.,r1a '' LeG. l1as '' A1icliarir:t,''
wl1ich Lee has further altered into '' Anlcarict." The origin
of Le Grand's blunder is found in B., which reacls '' dertlt1.-
<:.harict,'' the first two letters of which word LeG. evidently
mistook for the Portuguese preposition de. '' Deane clia1irt ''
a,pparently represents the Si!Jhalese Dev1'.yan,rie karl71r1,.
The Si!Jhalese name of the venereal disease is given i11
L.A. as '' Pctrd1ig1.te rere,'' ,vhile B. (followecl by LeG.)
realls '' Parrtng1.1.ele?"e," the latter being a better reading,
if, as I sup1)ose, the Siyl1alese para7Jgi-letf,a is intended.
Towards the end of this chapter the copyist of B. has 0mitte<l
several lines.
Chapter XX.-Ribeiro states that '' there are large num-
bers of bears in a portion of the island, but not throughout'' :
this LeG. omits. Ribeiro's not very delicate story of th<:>
soldier and thP mungoose has been considerably toned do,,Tr1
by LeG. The statement in LeG. that '' the Sinhalese Cftll it
[the cobra] Naia and Naghairi," is an interpolation of the
Abbe's which he has fathered on Ribeiro. LeG. has als<)
considerably abbreviated Ribeiro's details regarding tl1e
snakes of CeJ lon.
7
BOOK II.
Chapter I.-I11 this chapter occurs a passage, one worcl
-0f which LeG. has most amusingly metamorphosed. In
LeG. we ,read :-'' It. was immediately sought to reassure
No. 36.-1888.] CAPTAIN JOAO RIBEIRO. 28f)
~oldiers during those t1,vo years hatl become ,vorn out by the
continual n1arcl1es and toils,'' &c., and goes on to say:-'' lio,v-
ever, at this time an order reached him from tl1e Vicero),.
the Conde de Li11ha1es, in which he expressly commanded
him that he shoulcl once for all conquer that Kingdo1n,.
accusing him of remissness.'' LeG. has misunderstood the
first part of this passage stra11gely, for he renclers it :-''. . . .
from there he ,vent to Malvana, where the l{ing solicited
l1im earnestly for some ti1ne to endeavour to 1educe the rest
t)f the country. The General recognised the importance a11d
the difficulties of this enterprise,'' &c. Apparently the Abbe
thought the '' King'' referred to was the Portuguese '' I{ing <)f
11alvana.'' Lee seems not to have been able to understand
,vhat was meant by ''the King,'' for he leaves him out entirel),.
a11d translates :-''. . . . he went to Malwana, where he
received pressing orders,'' &c. LeG. makes Ribeiro say that
the Viceroy was ignora11t of previous communications 011 tl1e
subject of the capture of Ceylon: this is absurd, and is 11ot
bor11e out by the original. Ribeiro gives the year 1630 as.
that "hen Oonsta11tino de Sa became for tl1e second time
Captain-General of Oeylo11, and prepared to enter on the
campaign which cost I1im his life: this LeG. omits. Ac-
cording to L.A. the four traitor Mudaliyars were '' allied
to the chief Portuguese inhabitants,'' but accordi11g to B..
'' with persons of authority.'' LeG. has macle an Addition
to this chapter, in which some details are given regardi11g
the traitors.
Oliapte1~ II.-Ribeiro says:-'' The solcliers that he [tl1e
General] had did not amount to four hund1ed; ,vhe1efo1'e
'
l1e chose some citizens of Columbo capable of accompanying
11im, and with tl1e one and the other body he made up five
I1undred men, and some twenty thousand lascarins."
LeG. renders this:-'' He drew as ma11y as four hundred
Portuguese from the garrisons. and enrolled some thousand
or eleven hundred in Colombo; so that he collected nearly
fifteen hundred Po1,tuguese and twenty thousand Lascarins.''
. ..\..s before, the Abbe has misunderstood '' iui:r1,lie1itos '' to mean,
No. 36.-1888.] CAPTAIN JOAO RIBEIRO. ~91
'' fifteen hund1ed '' insteall of "' five hund1ed.'' Ribeiro says
that D. Jorge de Almeida lancled at Colombo '' at the end of
October, 1631 ''; LeG. saJs '' on the 21st of October of the
year 1631.''
Olia11ter IJL-Ribeiro sa,"js that the Portuguese ,vhom tl1e
Captain-General had deprivecl of the elephant given l1im by
the King of Kandy receivecl f1om the latter '' precious stones''
of double the value. LeG. si1nply sa"j?S '' l)resents."
Cliapte1 IV.-As a11 exn,mple of tl1e carelessness of
the copyist of B., and of tl1e ,vay in ,vhich l1e has altered
words a1bitrarily, I ma)r 1neutiou the follo,viug. L.A.
reads :-'' Com esta resposta, se poz logo o General em
marcha com toda a gente de guerra das 11ossos terras ''; but
B. has :-'' Com esta Repost.t sepos logo o Re:}' em march::1,
ou gene1al em marcha con1 toda ageute da Terra de nossos
dominios.''
Cltapter V.-The wor<ls ,vith ,vhich this cl1apter co11cludes
in LeG., viz., '' and thus wa,s kindled i11 the Island of
Ceylon a war that cost Portugal dearly,'' are 11ot found in
.,
., Ribeiro.
Oliapter VI.-According to Le Grand, Ribeiro makes the
statement that '' the1e is no port on that side,'' i.e., on the
east coast of Ceylon ; an<.l Lee a1)pends to this a 11ote,
saying :-'' . . . . it is unnecestia,ry to point out the inaccu-
racy of this remark to those ,vho know that there is perhap~
not a finer harbour in the worl(l, certainly not in the Easte1n
seas, than that of Trincomalee.'' But Ribeiro does not make
any such assertion: he simply says that the position of
Batticaloa and Trincomalee rendered them of little use to the
Portuguese, who spent more on those places than they got
from them. According to L.A. it was '' after seven days''
that the garrison of Trincomalee capitulated to the Dutch;
B. has'' in a few days.''
Oliapter VJI.-Ribeiro describes Caimel as being situated
'' a league to the north of N egumbo ''; LeG. says '' a league
from N egumbo ''; while Lee makes it '' a league below Ne-
gombo.'' According to L.A. the Portuguese, after fortifying
292 JOURNAI,, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VoL. X.
N egombo, placed in it '' three '' pieces of artillery ; B.,
followed by LeG., makes it '' ten '' ('' des '' for '' tres '').
Regarcling Dom Filippe Mascarenhas, Ribeiro says:-'' . . . .
of the many nobles I l{new during nineteen years in that
tlominion [India], he surpassed all in his character and
virtues.'' LeG. has blundered over this, and made Ribeiro
say that he was acquainted with this noble '' during eigl1,teer1.
years.'' (B. has '' em 18 annos alias 19. '') Ribeiro says
that Antonio da Mota Galvao ,vas sent to Sabaragamuwa to
lJring it under the rule of the Portuguese ; LeG. says that
ha was sent from that district for that purpose !
Chapter JX.-Ribeiro says that Fernao de Mendo~a, when
,escaping from the Kandyan King's dominions, reached
Thiatara through the '' Grevaias,'' which, as usual, Lee has
renderecl '' gravets.''
Chapter X.-Ribeiro says that Anto11io da Mota Galvao sent
.an escort to meet the prince of Uva at '' Opanaique '' (Opana-
yaka). The copyist of B., mistaking the first letter of this
name for the Portuguese definite article, makes it '' o
Pa.naique,'' which LeG. copies. Strangely enough, L.A. is
still ,vorse, for it reads '' o panaique. ''
Cltctpter XI.-LeG. says that the Prince of Uva was accom-
panied to Goa by two nobles and ''t,vo '' servants. Ribeiro
cloes not specify the number of the latter. The account oi!
the Prince's baptism is also a good deal abbreviated by LeG.
Chapter XIL-The copyist of B, has omitted a couple of
lines near the beginni11g of this chapter, and LeG., not
being able to make sense of what remained, has abbreviated
considerably. For the '' Oadangao '' of L.A., B. has
"Canclegam '' (in LeG. '' Oondegan ''), which is nearer the
correct form of the. name, viz., Kendangomuwa. LeG.
has again altered '' Balave '' to '' Bala11e,'' and Lee has once
..
more rendered'' Gravayas'' by'' Gravets.'' For the '' Acomi-
vina '' (Akmfmana) of L.A., B. has '' Acomevina,'' which in
LeG. is altered to '' Acomerina.'' LeG. omits the statement
of Ribeiro that the Dutch commissary who ar:rived in
Oolombo in February, 1643, to inform the Portuguese of
No. 36.-1888.] OAP'l'AIN JOAO RIBEIRO. 293
the ten years' treaty of peace, was Pieter Burel, and that he
came with four ships.
Chapter XJII.-Ribeiro says that the battle of '' Cura9a ''
lasted from 9 in the morning to 3 in the afternoon ; LeG.
makes it commence at 8 .A..M. LeG. makes the name of
the Dutch commander '' Vanderhat ''; L.A. has '' Uvanderlat,''
and B. '' Vvanderlat.'' (Of course Van der Laan is meant.)
Ribeiro adds that he was'' the best soldier they had in the
Island.'' The wouncled on the Portuguese side were 67,
and not 60, as LeG. has it. Ribeiro does not state, as
LeG. makes him say, tl1at the Captain-General raised the
ranks and the pay of those wounded in this conflict : lie
simply says that he sli1)ped under the bolster of each a
paper containing 12, 15, or 20 Sa11-Thomes, according to thei1
rank. LeG. is also inaccurate in other details. For
'' Acomivina '' or '' Acomevina '' LeG. has '' Comeriau,''
which Lee has altered to'' Comerian.'' (This curious mistake
is due partly to a misprint and partly to Le Grand's mis-
reading of B., the copyist of which has written'' a Comevina.'')
LeG., following B., has the misspellings '' Mapoligana '' and
" Bolitote,'' for ''Mapolegama '' and '' Belitote.'' To the latter
name Lee has a note,''? Bentotte.'' This is absurd: WE}litota
is the place referred to. '' Mapolegama '' is of course
Mapalagama. There seems to be no doubt that by '' Cura<;a ''
Ribeiro meant Mirissa, but how the name assumed such a
guise I cannot imagine, unless it was in some ,vay confused
with Akuressa
.
Chapter XJV.-Through a stupid blunder of the copyist
of B., LeG. makes Ribeiro say that Pedro de Sousa left
Colombo for N egombo at 8 in the morning, whereas he
simply says that eight companies marched from Colombo to
assist the other Portuguese troops. Ribeiro also says that
they marched with great difficulty, as the route consisted of
five leagues of deep sand, which caused them to go back-
wards as much as forwards. '' Po~inho,'' which Ribeiro states
was midway between Colombo and N egombo, means '' the
little well.'' LeG. says that on the news of the defeat of the
~94 JOUR:NAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VoL. X ..
Portuguese army reaching Colombo, the wife of Antonio da
Mota Galvao '' increased the alarm a11d hor1or by lier cries. ,t
This is utterly 11njustifiecl by the 01iginal ; and in other,
details the Abbe is equally i11correct. LeG. says tl1at the
successor of Antonio cla Mota Galvao in command of the
troops ,vas '',Jean Alvares Brancla11 ''; B. l1as '' J oao Alvrea
Bran<l.ao''; but L.A. reads ''Joao Alvres Beltrao.'' LeG.
says tl1at the Captain-General of Colombo placed troops '' in
the castle of Betal.'' Here he has bee11 mislecl by B., which
reads '' 11a90 '' (castle) for '' 1Jr1.,sso '' (pass). Tl1e place
referred to is Pass Beta! (Wattala).
Cliapter ..,rV.-LeG., following B., says that it was on the
17th of January, 1640, that the Dutch retired from Colombo to
Negombo; wl1ereas L.A. has the ~7th. The '' Paqo dos
Laga,rtos '' of B. and LeG. should be '' Passo dos Lagartos ''
(the Pass of the Lizar<Js). As a specimen of the manner in
which LeG. has curtailed and mistranslated the original,
the following passage may be quoted. Ribeiro says:-" On
the 25th we gave tl1em [the enemy] an invitation with nine
hundred and fifty balls and one hundred and twenty :fire-
bombs, which h11d mo1e the appearance of the latter than that
they were such in reality; for the zeal of the Captain-General
led him to order tl1e casting of a mortar, and in place of bombs
he ordered a good number of coco an uts to be filled with powder,
which, when well coverecl with tow, pitch, and other in-
gredients, seemed to be what they were not; so that, while the
enemy made fun of these bombs, they were all the same much
annoyed by them ; for tl1e Church and the houses of the old
fortress did riot hold two hundred, and four l1undred found
acc'.:>mmodation in thatched huts, and they went about conti-
nually with buckets in their hands to protect themselves from
those fireballs; but the greatest effect '\Vas almost nothing.''
This LeG. renders thus:-'' On the 25th there came to us a
convo3r of 950 b11llets a,nd 150 bombs ; the Captain-General
caused mortars to be erected, from which cocoanuts supplied
with pitch, tow, and resin we1e thrown, all thinking that
they would greatly inconvenience the besieged, because, as.
..
BO<)K III.
Ohapte1" I.-B. omits more tl1an a l1alf of tl1is cha1>ter, a11,l
LeG. passes it by entirely, except the heading, \Vl1ich 11e l1a:-;
attached to chapte1 VIII.
Ohapte1 II.-11ore than half of this chapte1 also is omitte(i
by B., and the whole of it by LeG. It deals, like the fi1st
chapter, with the e1rors committed by the Portuguese in tl1eir
conquest of India.
Ollapte1~ III.-B. omits more than tl1ree-fiftl1s of tl1is
chapter, which LeG. has entirely left out. It treats of tl1e
whole of the Portuguese empire in India, and describes tl1t~
various fortresses.
Chapter IV.-The subject of the preceding chapter is con-
tinued in this. B. omits almost the whole of this chaptert
and the parts that remain are so utterly disconnected that
it is no wonder that LeG. passes over it also.
.TO Ul{N AL, R.A. S. (CEYLON). [VoL. X .
Olictpter V.-In this chapte1 Ribeiro shows that it ,vas
necessary for tl1e Portuguese to mai11tain only Malacca, Ormuz,
and Goa. B. omits more than tl1ree-:fiftl1s of the chapter,
and LeG. omits the whole of it.
Oltctpter VI.-This continues the subject of the preceding
chaJJter. About tl1ree-fourths is omitted by B., and the wl1ole.
by LeG.
Olictpter VII.-ln this cl1apter Ribeiro argues that the
Portu.guese should have abanclonecl the ,vhole of their posses-
sions in Inc1ia and occ11piecl Ceylon exclusively. B. omitR
three-fo11rths of the chapte1 and LeG. the whole.
I.
'' I11. the val utt.l)le lil)1ar) of tl1e Viscc)11ue cla Es1)era,n<;>~t
there is i1n i1nportft11t ma11l1Sc1i1Jt e11title(l Hisff11irt. rlrt Ill1ff.
lie Ocflao r>:J::J>et1.clirlrt, ti rltidil!arlf7, ft ;Jictgf .r.;frtllf' rlo 1Sfe11 /111J' lle,11
1
i:lt! ven i11 b rea<l tl1, ,,, hicl1 j s . 1:, ; .... : . :, fro1n Ohilao t.c>
,,req11irnale.'
,,rl'he man11script referred to s~tys :-' rrhe lJrecious island
-0f Ceilao is ::iit11ated i11 tl1e nortl1 latitude, from 6 degrees to
:.tboutlO, which [reach] rr<)111 tl1e Point of Galle to that of th(')
'" ;.
,,,
,,
(,
' "
III.
'' I proceed with the com1Ja1ison of the t,vo co11ies, be-
gi11ning witl1 the :fi1st cl1apte1 of the third part.
'' The printed edition says :-' In tl1e first book we ha,re
shown what Oeilao is, in the second the prog1ess of that
war, and for the end which we have in view, all is necessary,..
ancl before we }Jroceed to show it ,vith evidence, we have of
11ecessity to make some obse1vations, and if in these we err!"
many of other judgment, talent, and study fall into t.I1is.
infirmity.'
'' In the manuscriJJt we 1eac.l :-' I sl1owed in the first boo}{
the sitl1ation of the Island of Oeilao, wl1at was 1ema1l{able
in it, how we gove1ned it, an<l the right which ,ve l1a,re to,
hold it ; in the second I referrecl to the wars whicl1 ,ve l1acl
there with the natives and Hollanders, until we were, through
the lack of reinfo1cements, expelled therefrom : i11 this I
shall show the. inadvertence with which care was not taken
for its 1etention, the damage caused to us by this incon-
sideration, which still exists.'
'' The autho1 continues his work of perfecting and recasting-
the first essay.
'' The second chapter commences :-' Let us pass to the
third point: for the preservation of these fortresses (we
s1Jeak of those of less account and utility), these had to be
provided, like the rest, ,vith captai11s, men who hatl served
in that province.'
'' The manuscript says :-' The thi1d reason v,ras the-
bad choice tl1at was made of commanders for those
fortified places, especially those of less utility. These
ought to have been provicled witl1 ca1Jtains, who might be
men c1eated in the war of the same province; not onl)~
in order to incite the 1est, that by their exertions they
might be worthy of those l)osts, but because experience
taught them what was necessary for their preservation and
defence.' .
'' Thus it co11ti11ues with sufficient clearness, in regul;:1.1"
J' periods, with subject, verb, and attrib11te, a matter in which
"
' ',
'" ,
"' there is a want of sequence on tl1e 1Jart of the cor1elative-
printed edition.
'
' '
" '' This assertion is being ft1lly 1Jroved; meanwhile, I shall
continue the comparison. ,
' '
,'
' '
' '
'
'11: ,,, ' ' '
'
1'
. ,
'
} , , ,' ,,
' ' . '
, L
306 JOURNAL, R.A,S. ( Ul!JYLON). [VoL. X.
'' The printed third chapter begins thus:-'As I have become
confused, and got into a labyrinth [laberinto] of so man)'
fortifi.ecl places, it a1)peared to me right, although it might
be with m11ch trouble, to give a look at all in order to kno,v
what they ,,e1e, and what we cleri,red from each, and what
they prorluced; taking as compa11ion on this 1011g jo11rneJ
a poor speech, such as God has given me . . . . '
"Auel the ma11uscript sa)'S :-' As I have become greatljT
confusAcl, havi11g got i11to a lab)1i11th [lalJY'l"intliv J of fortifie<l
places, it appeared to me right to refer (although with some
trouble to myself) succinctly to all, what each contains, an<l
the utilit;yT that resulted to us from their conservation, with-
out which my discourse cannot well be understood. For
t.raversin.g them all I have not clesirecl any other companio11
than my rude speech, nor greater preparation than my free
intellect: and with such limited l)rovision as this I enter oil
the roacl of such a lengthy journey.'
''Thus commences the thircl cl1apter, whicl1 includes the
fourth printecl one, the manuscriJ)t therefore commencing
,vith tl1e words of the fifth p1int,ed 0110 : - ' The principal
object of this our supposed jot1rney . . . . '
'' The manuscript :-' The 1J1i11cipal ground of this our
.supposecl peregrination . . . . '
'' 'l'he printec1 sixtl1 cl1apte1 ope11s :-' Malaca, a11 en1poriun1,
:a11d a strong pla.ce by art and nature.'
'' The ma,11uscript :-' ~Ialaca, a place equally strong by art
and l)y 11ature . . .. '
''The seventh printed says:-' All that,ve haverelated being
takeil for granted, some excuse may well be admitted 01
those who peopled . . . .' &c.
'' The sixth man usc1i pt : - 'All the right of excuse that the
:first peoplers may have had . . .. '
'' 'l'he eighth printed and the seventh manuscript chapters
compare as follows in their commencement:-' We have
sho\\rn ,vhat are the territories of the Ki11gdoms of Candia,
Uva, . . . .' &c.. 'In the first book I sl1owed what are the
te1ritories of the Kingdom of Candia, . . . . ' &c.
'' The ninth and the eighth thus :-' All things have a be-
_ginning, a growth, and a decline.' 'All things have their
.beginni11g, growth, and decline'.'
'' The alterations are most noteworthy at the end of the
work, especially as the printed tenth chapter is once more
recktpitulated in the eighth ancl last of the manuscript, which
e11ds with these wo1ds :-' . . .. and by this means we
m.ight have co11tinl1ed tl1e gover111nent and rule of such a
v . 1.luable island.'
'' These wor(1s, niutatis 1n1ita1idis, are, in the tenth chapter as
J)rinted, joined on to the last paragraph, which terminates with
a .list of the G(>Ve1nors of Ceylon as far as the sixteenth.,
No. 36.-1888.] 0AP1'AJ N JO.AO RIBEIRO, 307
"information which the manuscript gives separately, as I am
.about to show :-
1. Pedro Lopes de Sousa ;
' 2. D. Hieronymo d' Azevedo;
3. D. Francisco c1e Menezes;
4. D. Manoel Homem de Maga,lhaes;
5. D. Nuno Alvares Pe1eira;
6. Constantino de Sa N oronha ;
7. Jorge de Albuquerque ;
8. Co11stantino de Sa N oronha, a second time ;
9. D. Jorge de Almeida ;
10. Diogo de Mello ;
11. D. Antonio Mascarenhas ;
12. Manoel Mascarenhas Homem ;
13. Francisco de Mello e Castro ;
14. D. Filippe de Mascare11has;
15. Francisco de Mello e Castro, a second time ;
16. Antonio d'Amaral Menezes occupied this post
in Janapatao [sic] until we also left that place.
'' This statement or list of names has in the printed original :
:-,:tt the 4th, 1\!Iascarenhas, and not Magalhaes ; at the 12th,
D. Filippe Mascarenhas; at the 13th, Manoel Mascarenhas
Homem; at the 14th, Francisco de Mello e Castro; and
finally, at the 15tl1, Antonio de Sousa Coutinlio, a name tI1at
was suppressed in the manuscri1)t.
'' To verify the correctness of these names would have been
a goocl work, and I should have done it had I had the oppor-
tunity, and had tl1ere been in Evora the other elements
necessary for the stucly.
'' The suppression of the name of Antonio de Sousa Cou-
tinho is based, perhaps, on what is stated in the Desorip,;ii,o
_,qeral e l1,isto1"ica das moedas, &c., of Sr. Teixeira de Aragao,
vol. 3, which on page 239 gives him as captain either of
Colombo or of Ceylon for 1657; whence we may conclucle
that it was of Colombo, properly speaking, the capital of the
island, the Governor of the whole of it t,,::~r :::- f'"::n,...; :::rn
d.e J\1ello e Castro, who with him and Manoe=, ;, \i::= :.,fn i1a-;
Homem forrnecl the gube1natorial triumvirate of India from
May 22, 1656, to September 7, 1657.
'' As a11 addition of the copyist of 1732, the manuscript ends
,,
with a List of tlie Goverrto?"S of India up to 1754, a date
posterior to that of the autograph copy of Montarroio; con-
sequently a further proof of the copyist's statement.
'' This List enumerates 91 Governors and Viceroys down to
tl1e Conde c.l'Alva, D. Luiz de Mascarenhas, even giving some
who died on the voyage, such as Ruy Louren90 de Tavora, .J oao
Pereira Forjas, Affonso de N oronha, and J olio de Silva Tello.
,,, It appears to me, in concluding this rapid comparison, that
I have demonstrated the superiority and excellence of the
308 JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. X.
copy of the Hlsto1~ia clcti Illia de{ Ceilao belo11gi11g to the
Visconde de Esperan9a ove1~ the eclition printed by the
Acaclemy in 18n6, with tl1e title c>f Fcttalfdade lti8t(>?'*1:ca.
'' It would be ,vorth ,vl1ile to J)rint this manusc1"ipt, which
rejects mucl1 that iB i11c<)rrect a11<.l e~-ve11 erro11eous in the
p1"inted editi<)11. It sl1011lcl rest with tl1e illustrious Societ"j1
to do tl1is, sl10,ving in this n1anner its zeal for tl1e national.
I1istor:y, free from inexactitudes and illiterate forms.
'' An exact and minute compctrison of the two editio11s,
therefore excludes the perusal of the ]JIinted 011e by thos~
who shall undertalre to write of our extensive conquests.''
, '
'
' ' '
I ~
*
Since the above was written the writer has himself supplied this
want in the pages of the Oeylon Lite1'a ry Register, vol. III. 1
' '
' ' '
' '' ' '
I 1;:, f
:310 JOURNAL, R.A.S. ( CEYLON). [VoL. X.
I.-Tlie Maligct/ll)a.
r.iiiriir:;:;;~=,,HE ancient highway ft'om Kandy to Bint~nna
proceeded from the south-eastern extre1nity of
the city, skirted the right bank of the Maha-
w~li-gagga for three miles, crossed the river by
a ferry at Kui:icJasale, and thence diverged from
the river's path through the fertile valleys of Pata-Dumbara
to Teldeniya. From this point the modern road closely
follows the ancient track. Crossing the HuJu-gatJga at Tel-
deniya, :fifteen miles out of Kancly to the east, the road turns
sharply to the 1ight, runs parallel for two m.iles witl1 the
HuJu-gauga, ancl then turning to the left near the junction
of the Hulu-gavga with the Gu1~u- (Galmal) oya, follo,vs
closely the right ba11k of the latte1.. stream for two a11d a
quarter miles through an unhealthy and uninhabited valley.
After passing the Guru-oya by a btidge close to the ancient
crossing, it clim.bs the hill to Ur11gala and !Ifriyahena (the
Nuget~nna gap), which lie beneath the shadow of the
M<:damahanuwara~kanda, and thence descends by tortuous
ways (the last part of the descent being formerly accomplished
by the Gctlpa~ihela) for twenty miles, until the Mahawtli-
gayga is 11g~ain reached at Weragama. Here there is a ferry
boat, which will land the traveller on tl1e opposite b:_tnk of
the river in the ancient city of Alutnuwara in Bint~nna-
the Mahiyaygana of legendary ancl historic fttme. The
modern road is 110w open for cart traffic beyond Mfriyahena,
ancl is being graclually extended by a circuitous route through
the Gaycleka. The ancient road was nothing more than ar
narrow track.
)}
.1,
No. 36.-1888.] M~DAMAHANUWARA. 311
It is upon this route, as might be anticipated, that the most
interesting remains of ancient times in Dumbara are to be
found. Such are the palace of Kur;tq.asale, the Galvihara of
Bambaragala, and, most important of all, the traces of the
old town of M9damahanuwara, which in the past gave its
name to the neighbou1ing hill, and in more modern days to
a once flourishing coffee district.
M9damahanuvvara was situated 011 both sides of the Gu111-
oya, within a mile of Urugala. The Guru-oya divides
M~dasiya-pattuwa from Uq.asiya-pattuwa South-a division
established some forty years ago by the English Government.
Formerly, however, M~dasiya-pattuwa included a portion of
what is nowUq.asiya-pattt1wa South, and hence, though some
of the remains are comprised within the latter clivision, the
,vhole of them lie within the ancient limits of M~dasiya-
lJattuwa. Thename of M~damahanuwarais probably derived
from M~dasi3apattuwa, the city having taken the distinguish-
"'
ing name of the political division within which it stoocl-
still another explanatio11 of the name is also possible. '' The
middle great city'' may have been so called f1om its position
on the route midway and almost equidistant from Mahanu-
wara on the one hand a11d Alt1tnuwa1a on the other.
Tl1ough M~damaha11uwara can lay claim to no such I1oary
antiquity or colossal structures as those '' happy hunting
grounds'' of the archceologist in the N ortl1-0entral Province
a.ncl tl1e Magam-pattu,va, there still linger in it some interesti11g
remains of the "J''egi1rle wI1ich preceded British rule in tl1e
Kar1dyan districts. Of these remains, I asc1ibe the foremost
}Jlace to the ruins of tl1e Mdl-ig,awa, not that they appear to
be first in point of time, or exhibit any special architectural
featl1res, but because, firstly, they were the royal residence,
and secondly, the mate1ials available for a description of the
Maligawa are mo1e exact than for any other building.
,,, The site of the Maligawa is well defined by, certain con-
taining walls, which will be hereafter described, though the
superstructure, with the exception of a few fragme11ts of
tiles, three large blocks of stone at the north-west corner,
:312 JOURNAL, R,A,S. (OEYLON). [VOL. X.
ancl two flights of stone steps, has entirely disappeared. It
is situated in, and indeed forms a part of, a paddy fielcl
sloping to,vards the left bank of the Guru-oya. Ou the
occasion of my last visit the fielcl was under cultivation, and
the te11der rice was shooting in several inches of water withi11
the precincts of what was once a royal palace. The work of
measl1rement having to be accomplished from the na1row
ridges, was attended with some difficulty and the risk of
partial immersion at every step.
The plan of the palace buildings was rectangular. They
faced the south, and were ap1Jroached from that quarter'by
two broad stairs comprising seventeen stone steps. At the foot
-0f the upper flight, and surrounding the palace proper, stood
the straw-thatched lines of the king's guards. The steps
"
ooriclucted to an open space, which form.eel a compo11ncl
running round the four sicles of tl1e main central building
between it and the lines of the guarcls. Fro1n tl1e compound
there rose another a11cl smaller flight of stone steps, conducting
to the verandah of the central edifice and its principal
entrance. The three stairs are in a line with 011e anotl1er,
and sta11d immediately in the fr9nt and centre of the southern
side of the palace. A verandah supportecl by carved woode11
pillars encompassed the central builcling, wl1ich was the
palace proper, the quarters of the king. At the north-west
corner, situated in the encircling compound, was the Niraiuiya,
and on the north side, also in the compound, a tamarind tree,
which is still flourishing, spread a gratefl1l shade. The walls
of the main building were of chiselled stone, and the roof
was covered with tiles, and rose on the four sicles to a central
ridge running east and west.
For the a.hove description of the external appearance of the
Maligawa I am i11debted to I<Janiegedara M~ddumarala K6rala,
an intelligent headman of some eighty years of age, who
remembers having seen it, when it was still standing, in his '
.
'
~
youth.. From the same source I have also gathered that the
palace was erected by the king, who was styled by '
the
.
!
,_ ' '>
"
' .' ;,i',
.
honorific title of '' M~dalasse Budu-vechcha Deviyo~"' between
'. .
' ' i
,' r\;
I ; , '
. No. 36.-1888.J 'MED1\l\1AHANUWARA
. 313
,vhom and $ri Vikrama Raja SiIJha, the last king of Kandy,
there were t,vo reigns, ancl that it fell into 1ui11. about the
year .A..D. 1820. It th11s ap1Jea1s p1obable that the palace was
built about A.D. 1740 by $ri Vija:5-a Raja Siyha, ,vho was
also kno,vn as ''HatigurE1~1keta,'' from the palace built by him
at that place. There is ho,vever tt vagt1e traclition con11ecting
M~clamahanuwara with $1i Vira Parakrama Narendra Siyha,
better known as '' Ku1:i.<Jasale,'' the ki11g wl10 preceded $ri
Viyaya Raja SitJha, ancl 1eigned from A.D. 1706 to 1739. As
I{ut;iq.asale is known to l1ave b11ilt a palace at the place from
,vhich he clerived his eponym, ancl also the Nata Dewale at
I{ancly, it is not improbable tl1at the Maligawa of Mi;idamaha-
r1uwara should alS() be adclecl to the list of his works.
Whether it was built i11 tl1e reign of HaIJgurauketa or Ku1:i<].a-
sale tl1us a,1)pears doubtful, but it is at least certain that it
was built in the reign of either one or the otl1er, subsequently
to .A..D. 1706 and prior to A.D. 1747.
Tl1e palace was used as a halting-place on the royal journeys
between Kandy and Bint(?nna, and for brief occasional visits
,extending over one or, at the most, two weeks. Except for
the few months tha.t the Dutch occupied Ka11dy in the reign
-0f Kirti $ri l~aja SiQha, it does not appear to have ever servecl
as a permanent residence, but the visits were probably
frequent, as, besides being on the ro11te to Alutnuwara and
Bint~nna, it was also on the way to the gaba<J,dga1n, or royal
villages, of Hav w9lla and Mahawela.
With regard to the interior of the Maligawa I have not been
.able to gather any information, beyond the fact that there
were no winclows-a negative feature common to native
houses in general.
It has been mentioned that the Maligawa was built on
ground sloping towards the bed of tl1e Gur11-oya. Hence it
,vill be understood that on the southern and western sides
the open compound was on a slightly I0we1 level than the
'Ii,
'
!,'.',!
'
palace proper, and the huts of the guards were on a still
lower level than the compound. Hence also the necessity
'
I ' /
for the flights of steps on the south. On these sides (the
'
>
314 JOURNAI,, R.A.S. ( CEYLON). [VOL. x.
south and west) the grou11d had to be raised for tl1e site, and
contained by masonry ,valls. These walls, which clearly
indicate the plan and dimensions of the palace, still remain,
and, especially on tl1e southern side, are in a fair state of
preservation. They are built of stones rudely sl1aped by
the mason's chisel, intermi11gled here and there witl1 round1
stones from the river bed. Now in the crevices, lantana
and other jungle growths have found a home.
There are three walls to _tb.e south. Tl1e length of the
third and outermost, which appears to l1ave supported the
ground on which the guards' houses stood, is now 143 ft.,.
but the wall appears to have slipped away at its extremities,
and to have been originally of g1eater length. Its height is
5 ft. The second wall, which supportecl the compo11nd, is
143 ft. 8 in. long and 8 ft. l1igl1. The innermost wall, wl1ich
supported the palace proper, is 105 ft. long and 5 ft. l1igh.
On tbe west there are also th1ee ,valls remaini11g, na,mely,
the wall wl1ich suppo1ted tl1e palace 1)101Jer, 76 ft. 2 in. 1011g;
"' wall supporting on the west tl1e southern portion of the
compound, 38 ft. 8 in. 1011g ; ancl a short wall 18 ft. in le11gtl1
to the southern site of the gua,rds' houses. These mea,sure-
ments show tl1e superficial are::1. of the l)alace J)ro1)er to have
been 105 ft. by 76 ft. 2 in.; the breadth of the compound on
the front and soutl1 side to have been 38 ft. 8 in., and exactly
half this brea,dth (19 ft. 4 in.) on the west; and the site of
the guards' houses 011 the south to have been IC ft. in
breadth.
The large blocks of stor1e at the north-west corner, ,vhich
I have above referred to, are believed to have formed pa1t of
the Ntrtiuiya. 011e of them has had a groove cut in the
centre. Two of tl1em have been removed from their 01iginal
position in the compound to the site of tl1e l)alace prope1,
where they now form a portion of a small watercourse. The
cubic meas11re of the largest stone is about 19! ft.
-
The ground on which the palace stood was sold by the
. English Government, about sixty years ago, to the late Rate~
mahatmaya of Mampitiya, by whom it was resold to-
,
, '
,'
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W''
,,
t'
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, 1 I
1
I
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,,
, 1
I
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316 JOUI-tNAL, R.A.S, (OEYLON). [VOL. x.
believed to have existecl has been furnishecl by Mr.
J. V. G, Jayawarclana, the Inte1"preter of the PaJJ-wila and
Urugala Courts.
'
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I I
No. 36.-1888.J MJJ}DAMAH.ANUWARA. 317
'The other is a smaller one, standing on the site of an older
ancl more venerable tree which fell down four years ago;
and was honou1ed with cremation. A charred fragment of
the deceased tree may still be seen. Communicating between
the two trees are the remains of some stone steps, the ground
cleclining towards the bed of the Guru-oya. There are no
inscriptions. One stone only bore some floral carving of stiff
geometrical cleeigns, and was doubtless intended to receive
offerings of flowers. Formerly, ancl up to within the last
thirty or forty years, the garden was a great resort of
pilgrims. Now the shrine is deserted, ancl there is but an
occasional pilgrim on ''poya '' days. All the surroundings of
the place bear an air of semi-abandonment and neglect .
I
I
The glo1y has cleparted, but the sac1ed trees co11tinue to
'
.flourish, a11d thei1 worship still lives on, the one sign of
care ancl attention recently bestowed being a rude attempt to
restore the wall of the terrace where stood the older tree.
Ma<J,a1newattc<, is lower down the stream on the right bank.
'. ''
' ', It was formerly the place of residence of the priests of the
' ",,
' ,,
' '
gama Deviyo. It has been completely aba11doned, and is
now overgrown with jungle and lantana.
'' I visitecl the cave; the entrance is extremely narrow.
i
With some difficulty, for cobras are su1Jposed to keep a
jealous guard, I persuadecl a Kandyan attendant to enter the
cave. His clescription gave it a glamour of magnitude ancl
' mystery that rletermined me to explore its wonders for
I
! myself. After the entrance had been enlarged a little by a
crowbar I succeeded, by assuming a horizontal attitude, in
.squeezing myself in. I then found myself inside a cavern
with fissures running in several directions, but so small that
I could scarcely stand upright, whilst to explore the fissures
required a mode of progression sim.llar to that of the ficti-
tious guardians of the place. While in this uncomfortable
attitude a bat, startled by the intrusion, flew against the lighted
'anclle, and left me in the dark. The cave contains nothing
H2
,,
318 JOURNAL, K,A,S, ( OEYLON). [VoL. X..
of interest except a few stalactites, and I do not believe it.
ever contained any objects of worship. Certain it is there
were no visible signs of Pattini past or present. The story of
the goddess was probably a pious fraud of some Kapurala,.
who imposed upon the credulity of the people and turned
their superstition to his own advantage. The narrowness
of the e11trance and the dreaded wrath of the cobra rendered
his sham arcana tolerably safe from detection.
The Dewale of Kataragama was a very small affair. Only
its foundations, now overg1own with lantana, remain. He1e
again I met with a marked exhibition of the superstitious.
reverence of the natives for the cobra,-a superstition which
I have always founc1 to exist in connection with the dewalas
of the Hindu gods, and never with the relic shrines of
Buddha. I think this worthy of note, as it appears opposecl
to the conclusions of Sir J. Fergusson that Buddhism and
Naga-worship are closely allied and essentially of Turanian
'
origin, whilst the A'ryan development of Hinduism exhibits .,, .'
..' '
". ' '
only such traces of Naga-worship as have been imparted by .
.'
.
'
..
contact with Turanians. The old Dewale on Madamewatta
was replaced by a building now standing in the Vfdiya of
," ,,,
M~damahanuwara, of which I shall have occasion to speak
' "'' 1'
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@LDfffffiRfID (1j!iLLIIUfT !..Cfrt....Lc, Kitmaraszn teyya ma<ja?n, which
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322 JOUR:NAL, R,.A,S. (OEYLON). [VoL. X.
opening intendecl as an embrasure for a cannon. The cannon
had disappeared, but the timber beam of halmilla, after
two centuries ancl a half of exposure to wind and rain and .
attacks of the insect kind, still lay across the top of the
opening. The opposite walls of the fosses were perpen-
dicular, and we had to clamber up as best we could with the
aid of jungle roots. A. little further on we passed, wonder-
ful to relate, a spring of fresh water, and a few steps still
further brought us to the summit of the peak. This is
.3rowned with an oblong stone building, the thick walls of
which are still standing, though the roof has fallen in. We
climbed on to the walls, startling as we did so a jungle-hen,
who flew away, deserting her nest and eggs. Then we were
rewarded for our pains by a :fine view in the H unasgiriya
direction. We spent some time in exploring the locality,
finding everywhere on the southern and eastern slopes the
remains of mouldering walls, by which the steep hill-sides
had been shaped and fashioned into battlements and bastions
and escarpments, after the manner of a western medireval
. J.; ,
NOTE A. 1
M~damahanuwara was a place of refuge, and was so used by many
of the Kandyan kings during internal dissensions and at the ti1ne of
tl1eir wars against the Portuguese and Dutcl1.
King Senarat, who reig11ed from .A.n. 1627 to 1634, embellished the
place by erecting the rook fortress Gale-nuwara, a royal palace, and a,
Da!ada temple, as the following translations of two extracts f1"om
tl1e Rqfa1.naliya and Siyr..1./ni61Jasa'(}ipaddi.vata will show :-
Rajavaliya.-" King Senevirat retired to the city which he had built
at Kalagatwatta in Malepane. Having afterwards erected the fortress
Gale-nuwara in M~damahanuwara, he publicly held court there. He
had three sons, viz., princes Rasiy., Vijayapala, and I{umarasiyba.
--------------------------
1 By N. don M. de Zilva Wiokremasinghe, .Assistant Librarian of the.
Colombo Museum.
'
No. 36.-1888.J MJPDAl\1:AHANU\VARA. 325
Siy.haJaya (the hilly po1,.tio11 of tl1e Isla11ll) wa8 clivicled by ki11g Ser1e-
virat into three parts, and each son was assigned a part. Tl1e eldest,
prince RasiJJ, was crowned king of Bint~n11a a11d Alut11uwara."
Siya11i6pasa1r1i1'Jadciwata.-" King Se11aratna ordered the erectio11 of
temples for the Da!ada relic ( Daladti ni~1icl't1 c.i) i11 several of tl1e 1
Ecctract f1oni a Report nictcle to tlie I-lo1z. tlie Gove11i11ieut I1geut, KtlJlllJJ
Nilgala Wttlawwti, Ju11e 16, 1880.
No stone cannon balls ,ire now to be found 011 the top 0 MCtdan1al1a-
n11wara peak. They have been from time to time re1noved by the
villagers or various purposes.
Last year I went up to the top with Mr.. H~i111ilto11, then Police
Magistrate, i11 search of some remains of its antiquity, but returned
unsuccessful.. Since I have sent up my headmen, witl1 no better
res11lt.
I have, however, been able to 1)roou1e three stone balls founcl i11 the
possession of villagers of Bombure, at the foot 0 the peak, a11d said
to be some of tb.ose that have been found on the peak .
H. P. RAMBUK'\V)JlLL~.\,
Ratemahatmaya .
CEYLON BRANCH
() 1f' 'l'HE
'' The desig-n of the Society is to institute and promote inquiries into the History,.
Religion, Literature, Arts, and Social Condition of the pre.sent and tbrmer
Inhabitants of the Island, with its Geology, Minera.logy"l its Climate and
Meteorology4 its Botany and Zoology . "
COLOMBO~
GEdRGE J. A. SKEEN, GOVERNMENT PRINTER,ACEYLON.
1890.
'
Introduction to a History of the Inc1ustries of Ceylon.-
By GEORGE WALIJ,
...
EsQ., F.r.J.s . , U'.J::..A.s., Vice-President 328
..a.11cie11t Industries of Ceylon . -By G1~01et: 1~ vV.ALl,, Es<i.,
F.r.J.s., F.R.A.s., Vice-President ... . .. 350
~ Collection of Notes on the Attack itntl Defe11ce of
Colombo, in the Island of Ceylon, given over to the
English on February 16, 1796.-Translated from the
French of MONSIEUR DE J;A TII<.>1\i1BE (T/"oyt,qe altX
Iilcles 01~ierttales) by the late Colonel the Hon. A. B.
FYE RS, R.E., Surveyor-Gener~tl of Ceylon .. . 365
ft
ERRATUM.
zlaMt . . b-
.At page 397 011iit tl1e two signatures .A. K. KoRDEERT and .J . M ..
,TARTJIOJ.. OMETJSZ.
JOURNAL
OF THE
,:.? ;..~ n-r. fact that important changes have taken place in
:~f v),.- 1 ,3gard to the local industries of the Island in the
jsl.':"~\~ 1ast suggests that a review of their history with
1eference to their present condition and future
prospect would probably prove useful as well as interesting.
Much has alreacly been done by previous writers, and
especially by the indefatigable compilers of the '' Ce'j1"lon
Handbook and Di1~ectory,'' to show the present state and
recent progress of local enterprises; but m.uch remains to
be said respecting the causes which led. to the condition i11
,vhich the British found them. These did not fall within
the scope of that useful work, but have a special interest of
their own and .will. amply Iepay the attention necessary to
follow their operation.
85-90 B
328 JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. X.
The nature and development of all industrial pursuits
depend, to a considerable extent, upon certai11 conditions and
economic principles which are largely independent of those
natural resources, the primary importance of which is so
obvious as to generally obtain for them a degree of regard,
even beyond what they really deserve. A due conside1ation
of those factors is therefore necessary to a right 11nderstanding
of existing ind11stries; and if they be ove1looked and natural
resources only be considered, much misapprehension .may
arise, of which some remarkable examples will be adduced
in the ,sequel. In order to discuss those principles fully,
much more space would be required than could be given
within the compass of this Paper, but it is necessar)r to review
them briefly in so far a,t least ns they bear upon the course of
i11(lust1y in this Islancl.
It may .be premised that in every community ,in which
agriculture is carried on, however p1imitive its constitution
may be, the cultivators of the land prod11ce a surplus, of
_greater or less extent, over and above their own p1imary
requirements. In other words, the p1oduce of the lancl
exceeds, to some extent, the necessary consumption of the
labourers employed. The proportion of the s11rplus so arising
and the manner of its disposal are important factors in deter-
mining the development and progress of industry. The
former depends very much upon the natura~ resou1ces of the
country and 11pon the local advantages it may possess, such
as facilities. of transport, access to markets, &c. The latte1
is dependent upon the character and aims of the ruling
powers, the disposition of the people, and the relations which
.sl1bsist between the workers and the powers that direct ancl
,control their sinew.
Wheresoever the surplus accumulates, and wealth accrues,
the fact affords evidence of the capabilities of the country ;
but, on the other hand, the absence of accumulated wealth is
no criterion of poverty of resource, inasmuch as the total
income may be, and not 11nfrequently is, consumed, either
hy the State or the people, not in the necessaries of life, but
NO. 37.-1888.] INDUSTRIES OF CEYLON. 329
in various forms of luxury, waste, and war. The rulers may
,.and often do expend the surplusage in pomp and pageantry,
in displays of regal and monumental splendour, in religious
ceremonials and in court luxury. And the people, if they
have the means, may lack the inducement to thrift. In such
,cases capital ivill not be created nor material prog1~ess
11iade.
In some countries accumulatecl wealth has proved to be so
great a source of danger that it has been sedulously avoided,
lest it should attract the predatory incursions of powerful
neighbours ; or it has been protected at prodigious cost.
Hence China endeavoured to guard its territory ancl pos-
sessions by constructing one of the greatest works eve1
achieved by man, a wall of over 2,000 miles in length, whicl1
probably absorbed more labour and material than all the
pyramids of Egypt together. The immense armaments of
Europe in the present day, with the vast expenditure
necessary for their maintenance, l1ave the same object, and
in like manner consume a large portion of the natio11al
.surplusage unproductively. .
Wealth offers the strongest and one of the commonest.
inducements for aggressions of one country upon anothe1,
and for the oppression of the weaker by the more powerful
-classes of the people. It is, however, in regard to individualR
rather than to collective boclies that the clanger of possessing
wealth operates most influentially in preventing the accumu-
lation of capital. Under native rule, it was not safe for any
private individual in this country to possess riches, as they
were certain to be seized by the ruler, 01 by his more
unscrupulous officials in his name. Knox says that the
Siyhalese will do '' only what their necessities force them to
do, that is, to get food and raiment. Yet in this I must
:a little vindicate them, for what indeed should they do with
more than food and raiment, seeing as their estates increase
so do their taxes also ! And although the people be general!)~
-0ovetous, spending but little, scraping together what they
.can, yet such .is the Government they are under, that they
B2
330 JOURNAL, R . .A..S. (CEYLON). [VOL. X ..
are afraid to be l{nown to have anything lest it be taken
away from them.''
The Government tl1us refe1red to was that of the native King
{>f Kandy, amongst whose subjects Knox passecl the twe11ty
}ears of his captivity, living as one of themselves, and the1e-
fore knowing tl1ei1 ideas, habits, and feelings more i11ti1r1ately
than any other of their European l1isto1ians. Unde1 the ci1-
cumstances th11s clescribed, ind11stry wo11Icl not only be useless
but injt1rious. In later times the officers of Mohamet Ali's gov-
ernment in Egypt habitt1ally employecl the basti11ado to ex--
tort levies from 1Jeople whom they suspected of having secret
possessions. Thus the me1e s11spicion of their having any
SJ)are means exposed the Egyptian fellaheen to penalties
,vhich are generally reserved 01 the punishment of convicted
criminals. Indt1stry, in st1cl1 case, would only aggravate ex-
tortion ; self-denial and thrift, the virtues which elsewhere
insure wealth and create capital, inct1r the penalties of
crime. The truest wisdom and policy of labot1rers so treated
is to leave nothing t1nco11st1med that could attract the
State inquisitor ancl his a11med retinue. Tlie 1naterial
prog1"ess of sucli a JJeople is i11ipossible, and de1rioraliscttion
inevitable.
Hence it appears that though tl1e natural resources of a
country and its means of creating surplusage may exist
a,bunclantly, its material advancement does not depend upon
the extent of wealth so arising, but upon the way it accrues,
and the manner in which it is employed; whether, in fact, it
be consumed in luxury, 01~ wasted otherwise unproductively;
or whether, on the other hand, it be converted into capital
for developing the resources and economising the means of
the cot1nt1y.
The ruins of Yucatan, the remains of Nineveh, the pyra-
mids of Egypt, ancl the irrigatio11 works of Ceylon, all afford
striking evidence of the great natural resources of those
countries at the time when these works were constructed;
and each contains a chapter of local history, which may be
read in the nature and purposes of the structures themselves.
N.O. 37.-1888.] INDUSTRIES OF CEYLON. 331
Much may thereby be learnt 1especting the condition of
the people ancl the character of the rl1le1s of those times.
Probably Egypt is the most remarkable exam1)le in the
world's history of the profusion of natl1ral resources. There,
in fact, little is left for the labourer to do but to reap ancl
garner the harvests 01 which the soil is p1epared and tillecl
by the fertilising floods of its great artery, the Nile. These
bri11g every year fresh soil from the mot1ntains of the in-
terior and spread them over the sunny surface of the country,
ready to receive the seed from the husbanclma11, ,vho follows
the retreating waters in his pt1nt. So lavish has natl1re been of
he1 bounties there that 11otwithstanding the ,vaste involvecl
in the stupenclous mon11mental edifices that still stand to
attest it, the national ,vealth sufficed beside for the constr11c-
tion of one of the granclest exam1)les of economic engineering
tl1e world has ever prodl1cecl,. the river of Joseph. By its
means ,vas the Nilotic alluvil1m extencled artificially over a11
area almost eqt1al to that of its natural reacl1. The ruins of
this maivellous work, like those of our own magnificent
tanks, are eloquent witnesses of the results of the arbitrary
proceedings of despots, ancl of the consequences of their un-
checked control of a col1ntry's sinew and resot1rces.
In strong contrast to these instances of the profusion of
natural resol1rces ancl the waste or neglect committed by
those who cont1ollecl them, may be citecl that of the British
nation, where sur1)ll1sage has been obtained under compara-
tively aclverse conditions, and where, nevertheless, the fruits
of labol1r have so accrued, in accordance with true economic
principles, that capital has accumulated to an extent greater
tha11 that of the nations most highly favou1ecl by nature, and
has raisecl the country to an l1nrivalled pitch of industrial
wealth and glory. The production of capital in North
America has been even more rapid than in Britain, the un-
bounded extent of virgin soil there having been utilised in
<.:onformity with p1i11ciples favourable to the development
.and progress of industry.
These illustrations sho,v that natural reso11rces conduce to
332 JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. X ..
the growth of industrial enterprise, and to the material
advancement of a country, only in so far as the surplusage
of its products is turned to account in the form of reproduc-
tive wealth, or capital. Whatsoever is expended in luxury,
pageantry, wars, and other forms of unproductive expendi-
ture is lost to all ,beneficent pu1pose, and is productive, at
best, of a transient glory, clestined either to perish in
oblivion, or to endure as proof of the neglect or selfish ambi-
tion of irresponsible despotism.
It must not be supposed that educational and religious
institutions are ranked as wasteful or ttnproductive. In so
far as they tend to increase knowledge, instil virtue, and
extirpate vice, they are in the highest degree useful and profit-
able to the State by promoting order, peace, and mo1ality.
They only become indefensible when they fail to honour
God, or when they minister only to the pride and vanity of
man. Moreover, k11owledge is itself one of the most valuable
forms of reproductive capital, and ought therefore to be in--
culcated assiduously as an important element of industrial
success and material advancement. Knowledge, however,
is also powe1 as well as capital. Despots, therefore, must
needs keep their subjects in ignorance, or they would lose
their power of oppression. This fo1midable two edged
instrument is sedulot1sly kept by despotic r11lers out of the
grasp of the people, who are thus made helpless and depen-
dent, and therefore in no way responsible for the condition
' of the countries they call their own, no1 for that of the in-
dustries in which they labour.
In ancient times almost all countries were governed by
despotic rulers, or patria1chs, who regarded the labouring
class as inferior beings, to l1e 'kept in abject ignorance and
dependence. Their labour, and often also their persons, were
regarded as chattels at the disposal of the State. They were
required to work for little if any other recompense than tp.e
food and shelter necessary to enable them to perform the
requisite service. The surplusage of their labour inured
entirely to their rulers, who therefore had the absolute .
No. 37.-1888.] INDUSTRIES OF CEYLON. 333
disposal of the entire income of the country. Hence the:
fruit of industry was consumed, wasted, or converted to
reproductive use as capital, according as the taste and temper
of the sovereign for the time being might determine. One.
animated by beneficent ideas, might devote the labour of the
people, the resources of the country, and the energy of his.
own characte1 to the construction of an useful work; another,.
more vain and selfish, might 11eglect such work, and, like
Cheops, a1)ply tl1e national wealth and sinew to a stupendous
pyramid, for no higher purpose than to calculate his horoscope,
or to perpetuate the memory of his personal vanity. Wisdom
or f oily, fanaticism or l)ride, by turns directed the ever-
varying aims ancl objects to which the labour of the people
was applied; and the same fitful and uncertain policy
clete1mined their condition. The histor)r of Ceylon and its
industries under native dynasties is a record of sucl1 alter-
nations, in which great achievements were succeeded by
rl1inous lapses, in periods of fitful duration, when the condi-
tion and even the nt1mbers of the people must have fluct11ated
between wide extremes. Such have been the general results,
as attested by history, wherever the resources of a country
have been conce11traterl in the control of despotic r11lers.
Though tl1e interests of both rulers and people 011ght theo-
retically to be identical, seeing that the surpl11sage produced
by the latter is the measu1e of tl1e me1tns of the former, yet
i11 practice it has provecl that pride, ambition, and greed have
generally prevailed over the dictates of policy and reason.
Hence, insteacl of progress of wealth and happiness and the
l)lessings of contentment extending to all classes, the naturaI
results of the p1inciples and conditions of native despotism
have been the ruin and desolation which are to be seen in the
co11ntries so governecl. The rui11ed tanks, and the 11nhappy
people who still cling to the ex1)iring remains of the grand
enterprise they represent, are the natural consequences of.~the
system pursued by native despots, whereby the wealth and
capital of the country were concentrated in one hand, subject
to one will, and were not available for individual enterprise.
does not represent the true state of the case, and that it fails.
entirely to expose the real evils that have been the effective
causes of discouragement in the past, some of which have, in
conseque11ce, remained in operation, and are still unremedied.
The ready accepta11ce which this superficial theory has
received has proved a very se1io11s impediment to progress,
and a grievous injury to the people, especially to that large
section of them who are still suffering helplessly under
adverse conditions, for which they are not in any way
responsible.
Those writers who adopt this theory, and their followers.
quote the evidences of ancient prosperity and plenty con-.
tainecl in the ruined irrigation works to show what has
actually been done, and they refer for proofs of more modern
indust1y and success to the vauntecl riches extracted from
the co11ntry in former times. But they generally overlook the
fact that the foundation on which those superstructures of
past greatness and wealth were built was, in both cases,
l1nstable. Under native rule the whole resources of the
country and the sinew of the people were in the power of the
State and were devoted to one enterprise, dependent for its
success on vast works, which the State alone could maintai11.
The failure of these works therefore i11evitably sealed the
doom of the unhappy people, who had no escape from tl1e
ruin imposed upon them. They lived 11nder artificial con-
ditions of which they were not the splenclid authors, but
011ly the miserable victims. It was not nature that was cruel
to them, nor were they responsible for the violation of her
laws. Equally unnatural and impolitic was the conduct of
ot1r immediate predecessors, and though it operated in very
different ways it was not less effective than that of the native
rt1lers in crushing out the vital principles of industrial
enterprise.
The authorities whose writings and opinions have been,
referred to may be divided into two classes, viz., those who,
have apprehended the true state of the case, and have
sympathised deeply with the suffe1ers ; and those who, on the
No. 37.-1888.] INDUSTRIES OF CEYLON. 347
,other hand, have disregarded the effective agencies, and have
eontemned and 1eproached the people for their misfortunes.
The former class, though small in number, is strong in all
that gives value to their evidence and weight to their
opinions. Sir Henry Ward is a type of this class; he saw
the countryfor himself, and investigated pe1sonally, with all
the force and acumen of an experienced statesman, the
.actual conditions of the country and the people. The result
was a cleep sympathy with the st1fferers, and strong invective
against the real authors of the evils under which they
suffered. Knox belongs to the same class; and writing as
one of the people themselves, afte1 living as one of them, he
c1escribes in his na1ve and simple ,vay that the peo1)le clurst
n<)t possess anything that could attract the cupidity of their
rulers, nor had any incluceme11t to procluce more than the)-
C<)uld consume, '' having no vend for anytl1ing they might.
get.''
In the masterly Minutes of Gove1no1 Wa1d, and in the
unvarnished description of the honest captive, who spent
t,ve11ty years in tl1e village life of the Si1Jhalese, are contained
the true principal causes of the backward condition in which
the BritiRh Government founcl the inclustries of the country
,vhen it asst1mecl the 1ule.
Those ,vho, on the other hand, att1ibute the condition of
tl1e country to the apathy and idle11ess of the people have
written apparently withol1t any intimate kno,vledge of the
character and ideas of the labou1ing classes of their own and
. other count1ies.
The writings of those who belong to this class, and of their
followers of the })resent day, would lead thei1 readers to the
supposition that, if it ,vere 11ot for the supineness and crass
idleness of the Si1J,halese, the whole Island would be a -verit-
. able garden of Ecle11., teeming with all the products of tropical
_growth, besides some peculiar to itself. It would take up
pages of this Pa1)er to me1ely enumerate the -various products
which, according to Bennet and others, would yield fortunes
.to any one ,vho would take the trouble to reap them. He
348 JOURNAL, R.A..S. (CEYLON). [VOL. X...
(Be11net) is pa1ticularly stro11g in regard to indigo, cotton,.
opium, pepper, and tea. The two first mentioned grow wild,.
and he says there are 4,000 square miles on which cotton
might be grown. As regards tea, which he also describes as-
indigerious, he may have only followed Percival, who w1ote
about twenty years previously, and says that '' the tea plant
is found i11 the greatest abunda11ce i11 tl1e northern parts of
'
the Island, which are most unfavourable to other kinds of
produce '' ! He says further '' that it is eqt1al in quality to-
any that ever grew in China.''
Another enthusiast of more recent date, C. W. Payne, has.
published, besides his book on '' Ceylon, its Proclucts, Capa-
bilities, and Climate,'' a map of la1ge size, ancl of very re-
markable character~ At page 11 of his book he says that
Ceylon '' will be founcl to be far more p1oductive in mineral
wealth than any othe1 country.'' He estimates '' that the
exportation of cotton from he11ce would give freight to 500,000
tons of shipping annually, ancl would annihilate the slave
cotton supply from America.'' Of tobacco he says '' a11 ac1e
produces one and a half to two tons.'' Wine of superior
quality, and that to a great extent, could be made here ;
indeed ''it would be difficult,'' he says, '' to find a climate or
soil better adapted for the cultivation ancl growth of the
grape than some parts of the low country.'' In his rambles
he '' gazed around him witl1 astonishme11t to see the herds of
wild cattle g1azing upon the beautiful green pasture,
resembling our home parks, but far more luxuriant. Count-
less herds of wild cattle wander through the forest, and over
the valleys ; they have also their camping grounds, park-like
IJlaces, shadecl with trees. Every herd has several of these
camps. So strong is their attachment to place that they have
been known to travel back 100 and even 200 miles to their
old haunts.'' ''Here,'' he says,'' is a wide field for the slaughter
house; beef and venison in abundance.'' '' I have myself"
seen,'' he goes on to say, '' herds numbering two to three
thousand heads without owner or master. Why, the very
hides of these animals would make a fine export trade, while
NO. 37.-1888.] INDUSTRIES OF CEYLON. 349
their flesh would be food for~ the Eastern army and the em.i-
grant ! '' This gentleman assured
Lord John Russell that '' in
a few years he could produce a surplus revenue of 1,450,000
sterli11g, after deducting expenditure.'' Still, extravagant as
is the picture drawn by this author and resident of the coun-
try, he is in one respect mo1"e just than most other w1"iters ;
for he admits the need of capital for the execution of m.ost
of his projects, whilst they expect the pove1"ty-st1"icken
people to do everything by merely shaking off their sloth,
and harvesting the natural products of the country, am.angst
which they include some that are neither indige11011s nor
cultivable, things that never did nor ever will grow here.
Such are some of the misa1)prehensions into which ,:1lriters,
including some who have e11joyed the advantage of personal
observation duri11g considerable periods of residence in the
country, have been lecl by judging from superficial appear-
ances ancl overloolring the conclitions wl1ich determine the
nature and development of i11dustry. A fair a11d reasonable
consideration of the subject with refere11ce to those con-
ditions will be found to explain some apparent a1101nalies, to
account fo1' the decline of some industries and the extinction
of othe1"s, and to place the character of the Si:g.halese race in
a light which relieves them, to a great extent at least, of the
charges commonlJ.,. laid against them, both as rega1~ds their
industry and their intelligence. .As to the rest, they ca,nnot
be expected to exhibit the characte1"istic virtues of Christianity,
which as yet are but little u11derstood amongst them .
350 .JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. X.
"
'
F-:~ P.YT~ON is fortunate in possessing .a connected
I; ; ~-- -\ ~ : ~tory of the last 2,300 years, of which Turnot1r,
JJi,~~
. .
"'""
~
: most competent authority, says that "it is
authenticatecl by the co11cul'rence of every
evidence ,vhich can contribute to verify the annals of
any country.'' Like all ancient and nearly all mocler11
histories, however, the histories of this Island are almost
exclusively records of great national events and the pro-
ceedi11gs of rulers, princes, ancl priests, a11d afford little, if
any, information respecting the i11dust1"ies of the people.
Historians, even to this day, fail to recog11ise the fact that
potentates are not possible ,vithout a people, and that a
people is notl1ing witho11t its i11dustries. In other words,
tl1e position, }Jower, ancl resources of kings are clerived
entirely from indust1~y as the f1111damental source of all
wealth. Tl1e fact tl1at t1nless tl1e people earn by their
labour somewhat more than the necessa1..ies of life there is
no resoul''Ce for either princes or l)riests, 011tside of the ranks
of the people themselves, is ge11erally regarcled by historians
as un,vorthy of 11otice in a national record. It is nevertheless
a fact of s11ch importance, and is so relatecl to all those events
that fig11re 1)1..ominently in history, that the condition of a
country, and the industries in which the sinew of the peo1)le
. is employed, may, to a great extent, be logically inferred one
from the other. The slight mention of trade and commerce
in SiJJhalese histories is attribl1ted by Mr. Turnour to the
fact that they were exclusively written by B11ddhist priests,
who are debarred from all secular pursuits.
No. 37.-1888.] INDUSTRIES OF CEYLON. 351
The monuments which remain to attest the resources, and
to exhibit the national character of ancient races of mankind,
seem to show that wheresoever the surplus products of
labour were devoted to luxury, pomp, and unproductive
purpose, the improvident races so employing them perished,
and their epitaph is inscribed upon the memorials of their
,vasteful policy ; and on the other hand, that whe1esoever the
sinew and resources of an ancient people are represented by
reproductive works, the race and its industries survive, even
where these have bee11 crushed by the weight of unproductive
national burdens, as i11 Egypt, or have been subject, as in
Ceylon, to the frequent incursions of rapaciot1s neighbours,
and to the vicissitudes of ever-changing and despotic Govern-
ments. Had the ancient SiJJ.halese possessed the wisdom and
foresight which led the Chinese to fortify their cou11try
.against invasion a11d to protect thei1 indt1st1ies from ha1assing
interruptions by erecting that st11pendous barrier, the great
,vall, this cou11try might have e11jo:yecl, like that, a con-
ti11uous progress of permanent and enduring wealth. And the
Siyhalese wo11ld almost certainly have attained a degree of
intellectual and moral refinement a11d culture ,vhich are
fairly foreshado,ved by the art dis1Jlayed i11 the clesign and
decoration of tl1eir religious eclifices, the science exhibited in
the co11ception and execution of their stupendous irrigation
works, and in the beautiful ideas of womanly Llevotion and
female virtues which form a staple subject of their best
poetry. But, instead of a11y st1ch provident regard for the
sect1rity of their possessions a11d industries, the Siyhalese
attracted their rapacious neighbours to thei1 Llefenceless
coasts, by lavishing upon their religious edifices a profusion
. of precious metals and gems, which were higl1ly prized and
easily carried off by their enemies. Hence it followed that,
thro11ghot1t their history, from the most ancient times, when-
ever the Government was weak, parties of Tamils invaded
the Island, and either despoiled it, or seized 11pon and
,exercised for a time the supreme power. It is astonishing
how easily these marauders established themselves, and how
352 JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. X~
i.:",
No. 37.-1888.J C.A.PTUR:E OF COLOMBO. 369
All the merchandise and effects of the Company which
were at Tuticorin were transported to Colombo : some
families also came to seek refuge there. It [Tuticorin] was
entirely evacuated, ancl the English took possession without
firing a shot.
While these events were proceeding, two merchant vessels
ar1ived from Batavia, which were fo1tunately laclen with rice
.~1nd various other provisions. They brought also clespatches
for the Governor which co11fi1med the alliance of Holland
with F1ance, and the news of the departu1e of the Stadt-
holder ancl l1is family fo1 England. These vessels were to
l1ave been reloacled at once and sent away to the Isle of
F1ance [Mauritius], but the clifficulty of fincling co1tli.r, or
slaves, or other cause not possible to get l:\,t, delayecl their
<.lepartu1e.
The Governor had assu1edly many means of p1ovisioning
his Fort and posts and securing a,gainst the misfortune
"
'
'
No. 37.-1888.] CAPTURE OF COLOMBO. 379
of troops came out of the Fort, and arrived at half past
one in the morning at Passe-Betaal, a post which the
enemy sought to occupy. Major Vaugine marched so as to
approach Grandpass, and then debouched to the left in order
to reach the wood and a narrow path: he had several
:streams and abattis to l)ass, but he was not disturbed
,during that night.
The following day, February 6, 1796, the Majo1 began
stationing posts all along the river, and sentries on the two
banks. '
The minister Greffeni11g, who lived not far off, came to visit
the post, a11d offered his services, observing that from the
Leper Hospital (lcr, 111,cr,ison des Leprettx) on the other side of
the river, it wo11lcl be easy to surp1ise it. The1eupon a
dozen men under Lieute11ant Fortmann were postecl there, as
much to guard this point as to observe wl1at migl1t occ11r
on the Mutwal side. The enviro11s of the latter consist of
cocoanut gardens watched by natives.
A quarter of a league further 11p [the river] to G1anclpass
was [stationed] Tavel's company.
At the ferry there was a small house occupiecl by an
invalid corporal, whose dt1ty was to examine those crossing
the river. He had Vi7ith him five SiJJ-halese :fishermen to
work the ferry boats, but they all took flight on the arrival
-of the detachme11t. Tl1e officers stationecl tl1emselves in
the veranclah of the Postholcler's house, and the soldiers
under the trees facing the ferry. At three in the afte1-
noon of the same clay Major Vaugine received orclers to
return to the Fort with one company of G1enadie1s and one
of Malays. He for,varded Captain Legrevisse a copy of his
instructions, a.ccording to which he was to maintain himself
in that position, ancl wa1ned him that Captain Mittemann
would replace him in the commancl of his company. He
thereupon we11t to Mutwal, where he hacl learnt that the
enemy wished to effect a landing.
On February 7 Captain Legrevisse receivecl orders to send
;another detachment of Malays to the Fort to assist at a
JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. X..
funeral ; and they sent him the same clay one office1, a
sergeant, a corporal, and an artilleryman, with six four-
pounders mou11ted on naval gun~car1iages. They we1e
}Jlacec1 on the right ancl left of the troops :faci11g the ferr)r.
Platforms were made of cocoanut branches and sand, and
a hut of cocoanut bo11ghs to serve as a depot for the provisions ..
M. Legrevisse then sent out a patrol as far as Gra11dpass..
The sergeant in command 1eported tl1at the English were on.
the other side of the river.
Indeec1, during the night of the 7th ancl 8th, several men.
were really seen, who with torches appea1ed to be searching
for the roacl leacling to the mouth of the rive1.
At daybreak the drl1ms announcing the march of the
enemy were heard. During the mor11ing Sepoys were seen
coming from the mouth of the rive1 : 011e party marchec1 in
column. The spies gave warning that the enemy were
coming from N egombo with artillery.
Captain Leg1evisse at the sa,me time receivecl instrt1ctions,
from the Governo1 not to }Jass the river, ancl to 1emain in the
position that he occupied. In the afte1noon four English
officers were seen examining this post with glasses, a11c1 the
follo,ving nig11t moving up tl1e 1iver six shots we1e fired
ac1oss tl1e garcle11 under the belief that troops we1e most
probably encam1Jed the1e.
Captai11 Winkelmann of the Wurten1.berg 1egiment with--
a.re,v to Granc11Jass with a strong cletacl1ment. He established.
a post on a large rock situatec1 near the mo11th of tl1e river.
I11 tl1e event of a 1etreat Captai11 Legrevisse was to go up,
the ri,e1 by the ga1cle11s as far as M. Tavel's cou11t1y
reside11ce, from there to join Winkelmann's detachment, or
to 1et111n to Colombo by the ,vooc1, if he coulcl 11ot hold
Mutwal, whithe1 he received in tl1e eveni11g orders to retire.
On February 10 he })lacecl his com1Jany at tl1e entrance of
the ,vood leading to Colombo. The Sepoys were 11ear, and
the compa11y of mounted Malays in a ga1de11 on the road
leading to Pctsse-Betact,l.
The hamlet of Mutwal was abandonecl. At five in the
No. 37.-1888.] CAPTURE OF COLOMBO. 381
evening the enemy crossed the river at Passe-Betctctl. The
Sub-Lieutenant Deville, after firing on the e11emy, overturned
his field-pieces into the water: the gunners 1etired to Grancl-
pass, a11cl he ancl the rest rejoined Captain Legrevisse.
The order came afterwards to withdraw to C(Jt(,rteboo111,.
Captain Legrevisse made his way there by a nar1ow path i11 ,
the woocl, the road being obst1ucted b)T abattis. I-Ie took
up his position on the 1~oad, and M. Mittemann ancl his detach-
ment at the e11tranc.e to the woocl leacling to Mi1twal.
Captain Winklen1ann l1ad orclers to retire from G1a11dpass,
,vhere tl1e enemy l1ad tu1ned his position. Lieutenants
Bockmann and Vogle 1eceived orders to go to Cct1vctte-
B1eitqif;e, anc.l in the eve11t of their l1earing ca11no11ade 011.
tl1e Mutwal side, to enter the Fo1t after comml1nicating ,.
tl1e above order to M. Tulittema1111.
011 tl1e 11th the soldie1s were without 1)rovisio11s, a,11.cl
occupied some empty huts. Captain Leg1evissa took OVl\l'
commancl from M. Mittemann, w 110, tl1ro11gh l\f. P1osalot, hau
1eceivecl the Governor's 01de1 to return to him.
At n1iclday an English co1vette ca1ne ve1y near la11ll to
exa,mi11e a11.cl souncl tl1e ba)' The Fo1t allo,vecl it to ap})l'<>~t(:11
without :firi11g a single sl1ot. M. Legrevisse the1e11po11 ,vith-
d1ew his t1oops to the cover of the wood in orcle1 to save
tl1em f1on1 the b1oadside which the vessel ,vc1s reacly to fi1e
hn,d op1Jortu11ity o:ffere<.1. After beating abo11t for some hol1rs
she p11t 011t to sea again.
Captain Mittemann in the ~tfte1noon 1eturnecl ,,,ith the
01der to 1eti1e to Malaba1 st1eet (let 1'1(;e des .1.1.fctlctbct'Jes).
His
deta,chment statio11ed itself the1e in a garden Sl1rro1111tled
by walls and 11ea1 Cr;i1,'lteboo1n. i1. Legrevisse placed his in
s11ch a position as to guard the st1eet clo,v11 to the se:1, as
well as the ave11t1es leacling tc> G1ancl1)ass. A soldier of his
compa11y, who was 1epl'oached with havi11g quittecl l1is post,
clesirecl to be punisl1ed, or to be clea1ed by blo,ving out his
own b1ains.
An English f1igate having approached the D11tcl1 vessels
in ha1bour, MM. Honline, Pabst, a11d I{uyper, artillerJ
382 JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. X.
,officers, fired on her, and were immediately put into the
mainguard for having done so without the Governor's
order.
A quartermaster, coming from Passe-Betaal by Grandpass,
.assurecl Captain Legrevisse th_at the English had all
crossed the river, and were in the garclen of P1eside11t
Gceffening, and were going to push on that very evening to
Mt1t,val.
At three on the morning of the 12th, M. Raymond, late
Lieute11ant-Colonel of the Lt1xeinburg regime11t, came of
his own accoid from Colombo with two companies of
Malays to join M. Legrevisse. The latter profited by tl1is
rei11forcement to make a sortie. When he reached the entrance
to the wood he took a by-path, but scarcely had he aclvanced
.a few steps, when he hearcl ve1" daw ('' who goes there'') t
And althot1gh he replied ct1n1: (''friend''), he received a
volley on advancing, whicl1 l{illed t,vo men of his com1)any
and several Malays : there were besides several ,vounded,
amongst tl1em M. Ra3rmoncl l1imself, ,vho 11acl the bo11e of
his right thigh b1oken. He rep1iec1 smartly, and the fire
ceasecl. He immedja.tely sent out to 1econnoitre, bt1t ,vithot1t
success.
Meanwl1ile, a part of his company ancl the Malays ,ve11t to
Mut,val along tl1e seashore: soon afterwards he heard them
engage<.1 ,vith the enemy, who ,vere there in fo1ce. He imme-
cliately proceedecl there witl1 the rest of his troops ; but the
e11emy h:td already taken post the1e, ancl :fi1ed grape shot
from their field-1)ieces into the wood. Captain Mittemann
havi11g 1eft1sed to support him, ancl not being able other-
wise to tu1n tl1e English positio11 by the 1ight of the road,
as tl1ey occu1Jiecl the communications to Gra11dpass ,vith
supe1ior forces,-this brave officer was forced to retire on
Co't(J'teuoo1n, where Captain Mittemann ,vas already. The
position of the Jatte1 was bad; the sea being in his rear
n,nd the wood on his left flanlr, He directed M. Legrevisse
to withclraw, bei11g himself ordered to remain alone in that
positio11.
No. 37.-1888.] CAPTURE OF COLOMBO. 383
After M. Legrevisse had e:ff ected his retreat through the
wood, h~ perceived on his right a detachment of MalaJrs
and of the Wurtemberg regiment coming from Oarvate-
Breuque, which proceeding on the road to Colombo, took
11p a position on the right. At the same moment the
enemy debouched on the road and vigorously attacked the
t1oops of these two captains, ,vho were driven back and
o l1liged to retire to Kayman's gate (la JJorte des Octy,nans ),
having been cleserted by the Sepoys. It was ve1y fortunate
fo1 them that the enemy was contentecl to take up its position
.at Oourteboo11i.
This was the only encot1nter of a11y importa11ce that took
lJlace before the sur1ender of Colombo.
A.t I{ayman's gate M. Leg1evisse found three companies
of the National Battalion: the Grenadiers, the company
()f Captains Thirback and Hoyer, as well as a cletach-
1ne11t of artillery placecl under his orders, to support
l'lim if the enemy approached. He stationed these troops
1tt all the avenues, and the artillery and his own detach-
On the 13th all the gates of the Fort were shut, "ancl the
bridges raised. Legrevisse's company was directed to guard
the ravelin of the Delft gate.
M. Sl uysl{en, Director of Surat, who hac1 come to Colombo for
his health, wrote to Colonel Stuart, Commander of the English
a1my, for permission to leave the Fort with his family. The
permission was granted, and he withdrew to a country house
On the Grandpass road. A.t the same time similar permis-
sion was offered to the ladies and private indivicluals who
384 JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. X.
might desire to avail themselves of it, and a safeguard was.
promised them: but 110 one accepted it.
The enemy then came and took up its position in Malabar
street facing the old Portuguese battery, also at Wolfendahl
(Volsendan1'ie) at the Disavany (Dessavon'ie), and beyond the
lake.
Oa1)tain Legrevisse was ent1usted with the clefence of the
bar1ier of the raveli11 of the Delft gate as fa1 as the powder
mill at the Rotterdam gate. Gunners unde1 the commancl
of an officer were stationed at the barrier, as well as at th&
raveli11, at the bon11et of the covered v,ray of the powcler-mill,.
and at the powder-mill itself.
Firebombs were thrown cluring the night from all the
batteries and from. inside the Fort to enable them to ascertain
what was going on on the espla11ade, in the lower town, and
in the harbour. A strong detacl1ment of Sepo)rs, com--
mantled by an Eu1opea11 sergeant, patrollecl the lo,ver tow11.
He had orders to go as far as I{ayman 's gate, a11d went out by,
a flying briclge communicating between the 1avelin a,nd the
coverecl way of the po,vcler-mill. TI1e E11glisl1 011 thei1 side
communicatecl throughout the night with thei1 ships at
Oou1teboo1ri : they had ligl1tecl fires fo1 this pur1)ose all along
the coast.
On February 14, at I. P.l'rI., Major Agnew, an officer of
the enemy's army, ca1ne with a fl.l:1.g of t111ce to Kayma11's.
gate. They app1ised the Gover11or of it, wl10 sent l1is Aicle-de-
OamJJ, Major P1osalot, in a ca.r1i,tge. He retu1ned witl1 the
English officer, IJ1ececled by a11 uncle1~officer car1yi11g a :flag of
truce ancl. by a clrumme1. A council was held i11 the after-
noon, ancl the English office1 with the flag of truce ret11rned
in the evening. Thereu1Jon tl1e repo1t sp1ea.d that there was
a s11s1)ension of hostilities for some days. Incleed the gates
remainecl open, and whoeve1 wishecl went out as fa1 as
:Kayman's gate; part, too, of the Moors, of the artillery, and of
those who had been formed into battalions under p1etext of
going to see tl1eir families took advantage of it to clesert.
On February 16, at 6 o'clock in the morning, all the
No. 37.-1888.] CAPTURE OF COLOMBO. 385.
troops thinking, and with reason, that they we1e bet1ayed,
,vere ripe for revolt. Several guns went off in the Rotterdam
quarter, where two Wurtemberg companies were stationecl.
Firing then commenced at several other points of the Fort,
and notably f-rom the barracks of the Water-gate, where
the Malays ancl Siyhalese were stationed. It was entirely
directed towards the house of Gove1nor van Angelbeck.
At the same time Captain Legrevisse, wl10 had received orders
to re1Jair with his company to the mainguard, received a
counter order, to the effect that the Fortress was give11 over to
the English. This was done at 10 o'clock in tl1e mo1ning.
Tht1s was Colombo, tl1e pri11cipal fortress of the Island of
Ceylon, sur1endered to the English. All the t1oops we1e so
inclignant with the Gove111or, that if tl1e E11glish Colonel had
not sent him a detachment as bodygt1a1cl, he ,vould certainly
have falle11 a victim to the fi1e which dest1oyecl his house
ancl menaced the inte1ior of the Fo1t.
Subsequently tl1e Gover1101 himself ,vas so hor1ifiecl at
his own treason, that l1e blew out his brains.
The te1ms of the capitulation were, tl1at the ga1riso11
shoulcl march out ,vith hono11rs of war, a1ms and baggage, with
drums beating, matches lighted, and colours flying ; that it
should keep its artillery, which would follow it, and that the
officers should be allowed to ca1ry tl1ei1 side-arms.
Accordingly the whole ga1rison assemblecl at la 11lac(!
d' Amsterda?7i, and leaving the Fort by the Delft gate, laid do'Vi n
1
216
Outside the Fort ... 84
I
Total... 300
:388 ,JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. X.
The Coehoorn mortars, for firing grenades, were placed on Ley-
,den, Hoorn, Delft, Middelbo11rg, Briel, Baettenbourg, and on tl1e
-cttrtain before Government House.
Sixteen more pieces of various calibre were stored at the arsenal.
Tl1e magazines were very well stocked with powcler, though much of
it was ..Eound to be damaged.
There were in the arsenal small arms for a garrison of three times
the strength.
""Ul~1..... Ill JI I
1Yat01ial TrooJJS.
Grenadie1" Company.
Captain Frantz, t,vo lieute11t1nts, one sub-lie11tenant, 011e assistant
s11rgeon, 11nd 90 non-commissio11ed officers and men.
Fusiliers.
1st Oompany,-Oaptain Legrevisse, 2 lieutenants) 2 sub-Iieutenar1ts,
l ~issistant surgeo11, and 93 no11-commissioned officers a11d me11.
2nd Company.-Captai11 Tl1irback, 1 lieutena11t, 2 sub-lieutenants
1 assista11t s11rgeon, and 115 11on-eo1nmissioned officers and 1nen.
3rd Company . -Ca,ptain Hoyer, 2 lien.ter1a11ts, 2 sub-lieutenants.,
1 asRistant surgeon, and 92 non-comn1issionecl officers and mer1.
4tl1 Company.-Captain Va11destraaten, 2 lie11tenants, 2 sub.lieute-
nants, 1 assistant surge 011, and 08 non-commissioned officers and men.
Also attached to tl1e Gre11n,clier Co)llpany, a drum-major, a sergeant, a
banclmaster, corporal, ancl nine bandsmen.
vVurtemberg Regime11t.
Van Hugues, colonel; Ve11agel, major; Hoffmann, lieutenant-adju-
tant; Franck, surgeon-major; Stalinger and Bleshe, ensigns of the
colours; a clrum-major, corporal; bandmaster, sergeant, and eleven
:bandsmen.
No. 37.-1888.] CAPTURE OF COLOMBO. 389
. Colonel : Captain-lieutenant Reitzenstein, 1 lieu.tenant, 2 sub-
~ lieutenants 1 97 non-commissioned officers and men.
,.,_,
-< Major : Captain-lieutenant Halovax, 1 lieutenant, 2 sub-lieute-
a
8
nanbs, 78 non-commissioned officers and men.
Fusiliers: Captain Winkelmann, 1 lieutenant, 2 sub . .lieutenants,
78 non-commissioned officers and men.
Artillery.
Hupner, major commanding ; Proberg, captain, assistant major ;
Tresseler, sub-lieutenant, acljutant ; Stekler, sub-lieutenant, adjutant ;
Aleps, lieutenant of the arsenal ; an assist~nt surgeon.
1st Compa11y.-S0hreuder, oaptain, 2 lieutenants, 3 sub-lieutenants,
44 non-commissioned officers and soldiers, 30 sailors, 5 workme11,.
28 Moors.
2nd Company.-Erhard, captain 1 2 lieL1tenants, 3 st1b-lieutenants, ~14
non-commissioned officers and soldiers, 30 sailors, 6 workmen, H4
Moors.
3rd oompany.-Ducrok, captain, I lieutenant, 5 sub-lieutenants, 4-1
non. .oommissioned officers and soldiers, 29 sailors, 6 workmen, 38,.
Moors.
4th Oompany.-Lagarde, captain, 2 lieutenants, 4 sub . .Iieutenants . .
42 non. . commissioned officers and soldiers, 29 sailors, 4 workmen, 3~
Moors.
No. 37.-1888.J CAPTURE OF COLOMBO. 391
Engineers.
Foenander, captain commanding; Duperon, captain-lieutenant;
L11zon, captain-lieutenant; Walberg, sub-liei1tenant Ulembeck Cheva-
. H ernian, and Welsinger, cadets ; Keller, sergeant
11er, , in charge' of the
works.
Invalids.
Heicom, lieutenant in command, and 43 officers and soldiers.
Scoiits ..
Van Mittemann, captain commanding, and 500 Ohalias.
Coni11iissa1'iat.
Van Stroure, captain, and Jonson, dubash.
Ar1rioury.
Nette and Demere, captains.
Sti1~geons-1.l!lajo?'*S of the fo1tress, suoo1'*di1zate to the Surgeon-Ge1ieral .-
Pool, Switz, and Heyden.
In addition three companies of Si1Jhalese, each 100 strong, retainers
of the Disava, and an European corpo1. al for each company.
There were besides one company composed of the clerks and two of
citizens.
APPENDIX A.
[Correspondence extraotecl from the D11tcl1 Records, Colombo. ]
PROCLAMATION,
proprietaire.
LE OHL. CHARLES DE MEURON.
Goudelour,
ce 30 Fevrier, 1795.
Our principal forts are, thank God, well provided with everything
that is necessary for a vigorous defence ; and therefore we are not so
much in want of the supply which has been offered. But nevertheless
it will be agreeable to us, if the Government of Madras will now return
the friendship which we showed it last year, with an equal qt1antity
of eight hundred Europeans, of which tl1ree hundred ought
to be placed in the fort of Ostenburg, three hundred near Colombo
in the forts of N egombo and Kalutara, and two hundred near Galle in
the fort of Matara. But thereby we ougl1t to inform you, that we are
destitute of money, and therefore unable to pay those troops, and
thus we beg that your Government will charge itself with the pay-
ment, to be indemnified hereafter by our superiors.
With this supply we trust tl1at we will be sufficiently able to repel
the enemies wlrich may attack us, and frustrate their designs, and this
our confidence is grounded on the strength of the forts, the quantity
of the garrisons, the stock of all tl1at is req1.1ired for a vigorot1s defence,
and the firm resolt1tion with which all our officers and troops are
animated to hazard their lives a11d property for the defence of the
establishments which have been committed to our care.
The recommendation of his Serene Highness our Hereditary Stadt- 1'
holder and Chief Governor-General to give every possible help in our
harbours to his Britannic l\:1ajesty's ships, shall be obeyed according to
our power. But respecting the proposition of Lord Hobart to put
our settlements under the protection of his Britannic Majesty, I am
obliged to answer tl1at we are in duty and by oath bou11d to keep
them for our superiors, and not to resign the least part of them. I
trust that this declaration will be approvecl of by you, as the letter of
his Serene Highness the Prince of Orange on which his Lordship
grounds his proposition cloes not make the least mention thereof, as.
you will see by the copy which joins this.
This is also not reqt1ired to attain the pt1rpose, as we are, thank Godr
able to defend the establishments which have been committed ta our
care, especially if the English Government pleases to st1pply us witl1
the aforesaid troops, and that his Majesty's ships please to co-operate
for the defence of our coasts and harbours.
As I c1o not doubt but that this my just declaration will be accepted,.
the Major and Commandant Fornbauer is ordered by me to take in
three hundred Europeans, and to station them in the fort of Ostenburg,.
and to deliberate with you about the measures which ought to be '),.
',,
pursued for that garrison, and to deliver to the Commandant of the
fort, cannon, stores, and other goods according to an exact inventory,
for which purpose, according to Lord Hobart's propositio11, the junior
No. 37.-1888.] CAPTURE OF COLOMBO. 397
merchant Fraercken is sent from hence to assist jointly with the
administ1. ator Martensz, as Dept1ty at the inventorisation.
SIRS,
Your obedient servant,
Colombo, July 27, 1795. J. G . VAN ANGELBECK ..
I II Iii 11111'1.. &b&d I 1:1i
.ARTICLE 9.
Tousles munitions, les magazins,
papiers, et proprietes publiqt1es
seront delivres au Commissaire
nomme de la part de sa Majeste
Britannique.
PETER RAINIER.
Fort d'Oostenburg, J. STUART.
ce 31 A.out, 1795.
We feel the most sincere concern that the harmony and good under-
standing which had so long subsisted between the two Governments
,should have suffered an interruption by your not having conceived
'
alone by them.
Major Fornbauer sl1ould then without hesitation have complied with
its contents, and we have therefore left the consequences of his refusal
to his account.
We nevertheless expected with much reason that the Commanding
Officers wot1ld have contented themselves with the aforesaid Ma.jor'e
offer, to ask additional orders, and then to comply, in ~which case this
nnfortunate mis11nderstanding could have been adjusted within a few
days.
But as they commenced public hostilities by invading our territory
and summoning both our Forts, we were obliged by.. our letter of
.. August 15 to repeal our peaceable offer.
We will suppose for an instant that the misdemeanour of Major
Fornbauer had given the Commanding Officers a right to commence
hostilities. But with what reason can the conquest of Batticaloa.,
Ja:ffnapatnam, and Tuticorin be justified? The chiefs of those places
406 JOURNAL, R ..A..S. (CEYLON). [VpL. X.
having made liberal offers for the admittance of your troops, what
right or argument can you allege, My Lord and Sirs, except your
superior force, to summon us to deliver our establishments in the
manne1~ you have done by your letter of September 22ilast P
Respecting the capitulation which the Count de Meuron has entered
into with your Government for the Swiss Regiment, we declare he had
no power to do it, because he had consignecl his regiment permanently
to us, as long as tlie Company might want it, as appears by the 25th
Article of the Capitulation, of which a copy is annexed. He says in his
letter to his brother the Colonel Commandant, that the Government
with whom he capitulated is dissolved, and that therefore he had
resolved to withdraVv;.-,1his regiment :from the D11tch Army. Bi1t the
Government is not y~t dissolved, as will appear at the conclusion of a
General Peace in the Netherlands. In the meantime we are here the
representatives of the, ~ame, and as such you acknowledge us by your
letter of September 22 .1~ ,t.
But although we are J.eprived of that part of the regiment which is
here, and which consists of five hundred men; we are, however, not
destit11te of resources tt1 defend what has been confided to us, and if
we are at last crt1shed by a superior force, we will find sufficient con-
solation in the reflection tl1at we have done all that could be expected
~;. from loyal officers, who prefer their honour and their duty to every-
other consideration. i
We have the hono11r to be, &c.,
J. G. VAN ANGELBECK.
0. VAN ANGELBECI<:.
D. C. VON DRIEBERG.
J. REINTOUS.
B. L. VAN ZITTER.
A. SAMLA.NT.
J. A. VOLLENHOVE.
D. D. V.A.N RANZOW.
A. ISSENDORP.
Colombo, October 13, 1875. T. G. HOFLAND.
I have, &c.,
,J. G.. \l' AN A.NG Ii~ [.DECK.
Colombo, Noven1ber 12, 1795.
APPENDIX B.
[Percival's '' Account of the Islarid of Ceylon,''
pages 112-118.J
TFIE English landed at Nigombo in Februa1y, 1796, "\\rhen they made
themselves masters of it without opposition.
After the taking of Nigombo, General Stewart, with the 52nd, 73rd,
and 77th regiments, three battalions of Sepoys, and a detacliment of
Bengal artillery, marched to attack Columbo. The road through
which he bad to pass presented apparently the most formidable
obstacles. Those rivers which add so much to the beauty and richness of
the country, and those woods which afford so much comfort to the
.. traveller, presented so many bars to the march of an army, and
opportunities to annoy it. For twenty miles the road may be con-
sidered as one continued defile, capable of being easily defended
against a much superior force. It was intersected by two broad, deep,
,,,
<
' '
:,,)
and rapid rivers, and several smaller ones, besides ravines whose
bridges had been broken down. Each side of the path through which
our army marched was covered with thick woods and jungle, from
whence the enemy had an opportunity of destroying their adversaries,
without even being seen themselves. In such a situation General
Stewart every moment expected an attack, and was exceedingly
surprised, as were all the officers, at being suffered to ~pass through
such a strong and difficult country without the smallest oppositio11.
Nothing can give a more striking idea of the degraded state to which
the D11toh military establishments at Ceylon were reduced, than their
suffering an enemy to advance unmolested in such circumstances.
85-90 . G
"
'"
APPENDIX C.
[Welsh's '' Military Re1niniscences,'' Vol. I., pages 26-40.J
TRINCOMALLEE.
for :firewood !-the useless cost and labo11r being carried to the
account of experience and geographical knowledge. Leaving our boats
to carry on the heavy articles, for which cattle could not be procured,
the army marched by land_, and arrived within our miles of Columbo,
without meeting the slightest resistance, as it was not until after we
had crossed a broad and rapid river that the enemy attempted to
impede ot1r approach.
COLUMBO.
'l
'
Advancing at daylight, we crossed the great ferry, called Grand
Pass, and forming on the other side, moved on, uncertain what recep-
No. 37.-1888.J C.A.PTURE OF COLOMBO. 413
tion we were likely to experience, when all of a sudden a peal of
musquetry, and shower of balls, arrested our attention. .A. body of
eight hundred or one thousand Malays, followed: by Dutch troops, gave
us this salutation, which being rett1rned with interest, they immediately
took to flight, leaving, amongst others, a Colonel mortally wounded on
. the ground. His remains were interred with military honours, and we
took up our almost peaceable abode in the Pettah and environs, abo11t
two o'clock the next day: having, however, had a most ridiculous
alarm during the night, which terminated fatally for one of our com-
rades. Being with the advance-, I was posted in a thick grove, with
one of the picquets for the night; the next party to us was furnished
by the Bombay Grenadier battalion, in similar ground. .A.11 the
sentries were loaded, and told to challenge distinctly any one who
approached them; and, if not satisfactorily answered, to fire at the
object. The night was dark, and all had remained still, till towards
morning, when suddenly, '' Who comes there?" was bellowed out
from the Bombay post, and immediately after the report of two
mt1squets, followed by others, resounded through tl1e grove. "Fall
in! fall in! prime and load!" followed on our part, to which a dead
silence ensured ; and then one of those uncertain pauses, the most
trying to the nerves and patience of a soldier. Matters remaining in
this state for some time, we ventured to enquire what had occurred to
ot1r comrades on the right, and found that a buffalo had suddenly
advanced on two drowsy Ducks/\ and, not giving the countersign, was
immediately fired at ; the remainder of the picquet turning out, loaded
their pieces, and also commenced firing, when a shot from a better
marksman than the res-t killed one of our own sentries, and was even
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