GENERAL HISTORY. 



[189 



the British army. This article 

 is said to have been lately in- 

 fringed ; and the consequence has 

 been, that the Candian chiefs 

 have become avowedly hostile to 

 us, and had brought over the 

 people at large to their senti- 

 ments, who had proceeded so far 

 as to put to death not only some 

 of our officers, but even some of 

 the civil residents who had fallen 

 into their hands. This part of 

 the mischief is ascribed to the 

 conduct of the military establish- 

 ment on the island. The occa- 

 sion of complaint on the part of 

 the commercial residents has 

 arisen from causes of a different 

 nature. It had been the custom 

 for the conmiercial transactions 

 of the island to be entirely subject 

 to the control of the civil resi- 

 dent government; but it being 

 found that the general interests 

 of our commerce were suffering 

 under this mode of management, 

 a proclamation was issued, de- 

 claring that the plan would be 

 discontinued, and inviting persons 

 from this country to settle in the 

 island, and declaring that uncon- 

 trolled liberty of trade was 

 intended to be established. Many 

 persons, on the strength of these 

 assurances, opened commercial 

 houses in Ceylon on a scale of 

 great magnitude ; they had, how- 

 ever, the mortification to dis- 

 cover, that the civil government 

 still continued to carry on its 

 mercantile functions, and that a 

 successful contest with such a 

 rival was utterly hopeless. They 

 therefore remained greatly dis- 

 contented, with disappointed ex- 

 pectations and shattered fortunes, 

 complaining of the breach of 

 that faith in reliance on which 

 they had acted. 



This statement will probably 

 be found to partake of exagge- 

 ration. The next Ceylon govern- 

 ment Gazette speaks of the flame 

 of rebellion being confined to 

 the southern and eastern parts of 

 Ouva, where the Pretender, and 

 his chief adherent, the Rebel 

 Dessare, are using their most 

 strenuous efforts to keep it up. 



The Gazette dated January 

 31, 1818, gives a relation of the 

 progress of the rebellion from the 

 last communication. 



Its progress was sufficiently 

 declared by a proclamation 

 issued by his Excellency Lieu- 

 tenant - General Sir Robert 

 Brownrigg, on the 18th of 

 February, giving orders to all 

 the king's officers to punish all 

 persons in any manner assisting 

 in the rebellion v/hich now exists 

 within the provinces of Hewahette 

 and Doombera, and has broken 

 out in the most violent and daring 

 attacks upon his Majesty's 

 forces. The Gazette likewise 

 speaks of the same rebellion 

 which has burst forth in the 

 above-mentioned provinces. 



Sir Robert Brownrigg issued a 

 farther proclamation on Feb. 21, 

 commanding martial law to be 

 executed through the whole of 

 the Candian provinces in which 

 treason, sedition, robbery, or 

 other outrage or misdemeanor 

 whatever, sliall be practised; 

 with the exception that this pro- 

 clamation shall not extend to the 

 authority of the ordinary' magis- 

 trates where the same can be 

 peaceably exercised, confining 

 the same to civil actions only. 



By a second proclamation, 



published on the 2nd of March, 



Ellepolla, formerly Adikar, by 



his flight from the town of Candy 



* without 



