704 



CEYLON. 



Success of 

 vaccina- 







Jdalu 



of divine vengeance, and therefore they employ no 

 charms or incantations for the recovery of those who 

 are so unhappy as to labour under it. If any one die 

 of this disorder, he is thought to be accursed by God, 

 and therefore they deny his body the common rites 

 of burial. 



The reports of the progress of vaccination in Cey- 

 Ion are peculiarly interesting, as they place in the 

 strongest light the success of that practice. The 

 ravages which the small pox formerly made in this 

 island were dreadful ; but in 1802, the progress of 

 that destructive malady was happily checked, by the 

 introduction of the cow-pox ; and from that period 

 till the beginning of 1810, the number of persons 

 vaccinated, amounted to 128,732, of whom there 

 were no fewer than 25,697 in the course of the pre- 

 eeding year, besides some others inoculated by pri- 

 vate individuals. Indeed, so completely effectual had 

 the practice proved, that, according to the best in- 

 formation, the small-pox had not appeared in any 

 part of the island from February 1808 to October 

 1809, a period of not less than 20 months. It was 

 then, indeed, introduced at Jaffanapatam, by a coun- 

 try boat from Quilon on the Malabar coast ; but it 

 attacked only a few individuals who happened not to 

 have been inoculated. We have here, therefore, a 

 striking proof of the beneficial effects of general vac- 

 cination. Contagion may be introduced into a coun- 

 try, but it dies'for want of susceptible subjects : a fire- 

 brand may be applied, but there is no fuel to produce 

 a conflagration. 



In ordinary cases, the higher ranks burn the dead ; 

 but the inferior casts bury them without any parti- 

 cular ceremony. The house in which a person dies 

 is always deserted for some months, or even for ever. 

 The water of the sea is considered as the best for pu- 

 rifying such a place ; but when this cannot be had, 

 they use the water of a stream, cowdung, and cur- 

 cuma. In order, however, to avoid this inconve- 

 nience and trouble, they sometimes have recourse to 

 the following cruel practice. When the relations of 

 a sick person despair of his recovery, they take him 

 into a wood in spite of his cries and groans, and there 

 leave him perhaps in the agonies of death. It some- 

 times happens that people thus left recover and re- 

 turn to their families, without, it is said, entertaining 

 the smallest resentment against their unfeeling rela- 

 tions. This atrocious practice is particularly com- 

 mon in the poorer provinces of the kingdom of Can- 

 dy. See Percival. Knox. Cordmer, vol. i. Asiatic 

 Researches, vol. vii. 



But besides the Ceylonese, there is a singular class 

 of people in this country called Bedahs, who inhabit 

 the deepest recesses of the forests, and whose origin 

 has never yet been traced. They are scattered over 

 the woods in different parts of the island-; but are 

 njost numerous in the province of Birxtan, which lies 

 to the north east of Candy, in the direction of Trin- 

 cornalee and Batacolo. This singular people subsist 

 entirely by hunting deer and other animals, with which 

 the forests supply them, and on the fruits which 

 spontaneously grow around them. They seem to 

 have no houses, for they usually sleep either on the 

 branches or at the foot of trees. In the latter case, 

 they surround them with thorns -and other bushes, to 

 keep off wild bea8t, or by their rustling to give 



warning of their approach ; and if the smallest noise Ceylon, 

 rouses the apprehensions of the Bedah, he climbs "*~~\'~~~' 

 up the tree with the utmost expertness and celerity. 

 Though they do not acknowledge the sovereign- 

 ty of the king, yet once a-year they send two de- 

 puties with honey and other little presents to him, 

 On their arrival at the gate of the palace, they send 

 word to his majesty, that his cousins wish to see him. 

 They are immediately introduced, kneel before him, 

 then get up, and enquire familiarly about his health. 

 The king receives them well, accepts of their pre^ 

 sents, gives them others, and orders that certain 

 marks of respect be shewn to them on their return 

 from the palace. Those of the Bedahs who skirt 

 the European territories, barter the natural produc- 

 tions of the forests with the Cingalese for the few ar- 

 ticles which their simple mode of life requires ; but 

 in order to prevent themselves from being surprised 

 or made prisoners while carrying on this traffic, they 

 employ a curious method. When they are in wane 

 of cloth, iron, knives, or any articles of smith-work> 

 they approach some village during the night, and de- 

 posit, in a place where it is likely to be immediately 

 discovered, a certain quantity of their goods, along 

 with a talipot leaf, expressive of what they wish in 

 return. On a following night they repair again 

 to the same place, and generally find the expected 

 reward awaiting them ; for although they are easily 

 satisfied, and readily allow the advantage to the per- 

 son with whom they deal, yet if their request is 

 treated with neglect, they do not fail to watch an 

 opportunity of doing him mischief. The Cingalese, 

 as they can afterwards dispose of the articles afford- 

 ed by the Bedahs, find the traffic profitable ; and in 

 some places they even go into the woods, carrying 

 with them articles of barter. The dogs of the Be- 

 dahs are remarkable for their sagacity, and not only 

 readily trace out game, but also distinguish one spe- 

 cies of animal from another. On the approach of 

 any carnivorous animal, or of a stranger, they imme- 

 diately put their masters upon their guard. These 

 faithful creatures are, indeed, invaluable to them, and 

 constitute their chief riches. When their daughters 

 are married, hunting dogs form their chief portion ; 

 and a Bedah is as unwilling to part with his dog, as 

 an Arabian with his horse. Sec Percival. Asiatic 

 Researches, vol. vii. 



The learning of the Ceylonese consists chiefly in Literature; 

 eome pretensions to skill in astrology. It appears, 

 however, that they were formerly possessed of some 

 literature, and had attained some refinement in the 

 arts. Their language consists of two dialects, which 

 differ considerably from each other, and have sepa- 

 rate grammars. To read and write are no ordinary 

 accomplishments among the natives of Ceylon. In 

 Candy, they are chiefly confined to the learned men of 

 the sect called Goeries, who are retained by the king 

 to execute all the writings of state, and those which re- 

 late to matters of religion. The Arabic is the charac- 

 ter which they employ on these occasions. In writing, 

 they commonly employ, instead of paper, the leaf of 

 the talipot tree. From these leaves, which are of an, 

 immense size, they cut out slips from a foot to a foot 

 and a half long, and about a couple of inches broad. 

 Having smoothed the slips, and .aken off any excres- 

 cences with a knife> they are ready for use without 



