167 



CHAP. IV. 



COLOMBO TO KiVXDY. 



The day after my arrival in Colombo, I took tlie oatlis 

 as a member of tlie executive council, the body which 

 acts as the cabinet of the Governor ; consisting of the 

 Queen's Advocate, the three principal officers of the co- 

 lony \ and (when the head of the administration is a 

 civilian) the General in command of the forces. 



In a Crown colony such as Ceylon (the official term 

 for possessions obtained by conquest or cession), the 

 powers of the Governor constitute a " paternal despo- 

 tism," modified only by the distant authority of the 

 Queen. The functions of his councils are consultative, 

 but the adoption or rejection of their recommendations 

 rests exclusively with himself. The Executive Coimcil 

 is the body, by whose advice his measures are originally 

 framed preparatory to their submission to the Legis- 

 lative Council, by whom they are finally discussed with 

 all the forms of parhamentary debate. But, although 

 the latter assembly, in addition to official members, 

 contains representative men, selected by tlie Crown 

 with becoming regard to the various races and interests 

 in the island'-^, still the paramount authority of the 



1 The Colonial Secretary, the Trea- 

 surer, and Auditor-General. 



^ The Lefi;islative Council of Cey- 

 lon, in addition to tlie members of 

 the executive, includes the two prin- 

 cipal civil officers of the W^estorn and 

 Central Provinces, the Sm-veyor- 

 Geueral; and the Collector of Cus- 



toms. Three unofficial members are 

 nominated from the planting and 

 commercial interests, and thi*ee may 

 bo held to represent the pnncipal 

 native races — Mr. Ijorenz, the Eur- 

 Asians ; Mr. Diaz, the Singhalese ; 

 and Mr. S, Ederemeuesiugam; the 

 Tamils, 



-M -i 



