570 THE RUINED CITIES. [Part X. 



as its equivalent in money), to be applied exclusively to 

 the formation of roads in the immediate locahty of the 

 contributors. The opportunity was tempting to represent 

 the new taxes as a national grievance ; and the facihty was 

 increased by the simidtaneous issue of blank forms for 

 collecting the agricultural statistics of the colony to be 

 embodied m the Annual Eeport to the Secretar}" of State. 

 Tliese were represented to the Kandyans, by some of the 

 disaffected cliiefs, as a device for carrying out the mtention 

 of the Government to impose an onerous tax on the entire 

 thirty or forty articles to be enumerated in the retmiis ; 

 and in the course of a few weeks the alarm became so 

 general that tmnultuous assemblages forced then- way 

 into the town of Kandy to demand explanations fi'om 

 tlie officials. 



Information having been received by the Government 

 from all quarters of the pains that had been taken to 

 misrepresent their intentions and to disseminate discontent, 

 it became necessary that I should visit the disquieted 

 districts, and by personal exposition of the ordinances, 

 disabuse the minds of the native population of the 

 delusions by wliich thek credidity had been imposed 

 upon. 



In the discharge of this duty, I met the people in pubhc 

 assembhes at Kandy and in the principal towns and 

 villages throughout the central provinces of the island, 

 traversing it northward fi'om MateUe and Dambool to the 

 ancient capitals of PoUanarrua and Anarajapoora, and 

 returning by the west coast, through Putlam and Chilaw, 

 to Colombo. Thence by sea I made tlie ckcuit of 

 the island, stopping at every town on the coast, from 

 Galle and Matura to Hambangtotte, Batticaloa, Trinco- 

 mahe, and Jaffna. 



As regarded its effect in removing the delusions by 

 which the native races liad been misled, my journey 

 was signally successful. Tlie Moors around the sea 

 coast, the Tamils in the north, and the peaceful inhabi- 

 tants of the great central forests, rephed to my addresses 



