tar 



CEYLON. 



CEYLON. 



. - 



They are found on U part* of the en coast, as well a* in the interior, 

 and in I'tilUnt district they form the mas* of the population. They 

 tolerate the distinctions of oute, and daa* UMinaelrei into four 

 order* : merchant*, weavers, nahermen, and banker*. They are a 

 ftne, energetic, indiutrioua raoe, who engroM a Urge proportion of 



(i,, , :,.:...,-. .:,.!,-..: .1 Hi hM T:.. V. i ;. | 8*4*4* 



aboriginee of the ialand, are reduced to a very low grade of savage 

 life, having neither habitation* nor clothing. They dwell in the 

 great forest* which extend from the eouth to the east and north, and 

 alao in the moet inaooiarible parti of the interior. 



The deaoeodanta of European* of unmixed blood, and the raoe 

 which ha* iprung from the intercoune of European* with the natives, 

 are called Burgher*. Pram theae Burgher*, almost exclusively, 

 individual* have hitherto bean .elected for the clerkahip* in public 

 office*, and for anbordinate magistracies. 



Laxy*ay<.~The apoken language of the Singhaleae i* peculiar to 

 themselves, but their elaarin and aacrad writing* are either in Pali or 

 in Sanscrit. The Malabar* nee the Tamul, both for colloquial and 

 literary purposes except the Brahmins in Jaffna, who write Sanscrit 

 in the 'grantha' character*. The Ceylon Portuguese prevail* in the 

 European settlement*, but ita use i* not universal among the 

 nativee. 



JUtjM*. Nloephorus suppose* that St. Thomas, the apostle, 

 preached the gospel in Ceylon ; but modern writers agree in assigning 

 to Nestorian missionaries, who accompanied the merchants from 

 Persia, the introduction of Christianity into the island. From Cosmos 

 Indioopleustes we learn that about the middle of the 6th century 

 there were churches established here, but they no longer existed when 

 the Portuguese arrived, and the permanent establishment of Chris- 

 tianity seems to have been effected by St. Francis Xavier, styled the 

 apostle of the Indies. He preached in the neighbourhood of Manaar 

 in 1 544, and 600 of his convert* fell martyr* to the faith which they 

 adopted. By far the larger number of Christians in the ialand belong 

 to the Roman Catholic communion. It numbered at the end of 

 the year 1848 about 115,000 members, under a bishop and a 

 vicar-apostolic, hi* coadjutor, and 28 apostolic missionaries. They 

 have above 300 churches, which are maintained altogether from 

 private resource*. Of the Protestants, those of the Church of England 

 are moet numerous. The establishment is under tbe presidency of 

 the Bishop of Colombo, who ha* an allowance of 16001. a year from 

 the East India Company. Hi* diocese comprises the whole island. 

 There are some Presbyterians, Lutherans, Methodists, and Baptists. 

 Buddhism prevails among the Singhalese. In conformity with the 

 treaty of 1815, the Buddhist religion U maintained in the interior by 

 the British government, but the charge of the Dalada relic, or tooth 

 of Buddha, and the temple patronage, which were important privi- 

 lege* of the kings of Kandy, and to which the British government 

 succeeded, have very properly been relinquished since 1847 to the 

 priest*. In the northern parts the Hindoo religion prevails ; its 

 professors are followers of Siva. 



Education. There are a great many village and temple schools, 

 conducted by Buddhist priests, in which reading and writing are 

 taught ; but there are few useful books in the Singhalese language. 

 The portion of the population receiving education from approved 

 source* scarcely exceeds one-eightieth of the whole. The govern- 

 ment elementary and English schools, to which scholars are admitted 

 at a very low charge, while the vernacular schools are free, had 5676 

 pupils in 1852 : in a few of the mission schools English is taught 

 aa well a* the vernacular. The advantages of education are eagerly 

 sought by the natives, and its progress is only impeded by the want 

 of competent teachers. The expenditure on the government schools 

 during the year 1852 (exclusive of rent of buildings) was 86482., and 

 the receipt* from school fees were 11211. A college has been founded 

 at Colombo under the patronage of the Bishop of Colombo, who very 

 largely contributed to the funds, for the education and training of 

 a body of native clergy, catechists, and schoolmasters for the service 

 of the church. There is also a government academy or college at 

 Colombo. The education of the native children is to some extent 

 provided for by the missionaries of different denominations, wh 

 have also translated several English religious books into the Singha- 

 leae language for the use of the native converts. 



The island is divided into five provinces, denominated respectively 

 the Eastern, Western, Northern, Southern, and Central ; and each 

 province i* subdivided into district*. The principal towns are 

 Colombo, the capital ; Kandy, the former capital of the dominions of 

 the King of Kandy ; dalle, or Point de Guile, the chief port ; Cal- 

 pentyn, Caltura, Jaffnapatam, Newerra Ellia, and Trincomalee. 

 COLOMBO, Poisn DE OALLE, aud TRINCOMALEE are noticed under their 

 respective title*, the other* we notice here. 



CatpatlfH if aituated on a peninsula on the west side of the Gulf of 

 Calpentyn, 8* 14' N. lat, 70' 58' E. long., and about 93 miles N. from 

 Colombo : population, 3000. It was anciently called Araaadi, but the 

 natives now call it Kalputti. The town conflict* of mud-thatchm 

 hot* and a few large bouse* roofed with tile*. The extensive groves 

 of cocoa-nut trees with which it is (locked, and the rich foliage of the 

 Looria, forming a line on each aide of the road leading to the bazaar 

 give it a pleasing appearance. In the town and iU vicinity are nume- 

 rous places of worship, Protestant, Roman Catholic, Hindoo, ant 



Mohammedan. A charity school U supported by government. On 



account of the ahoal* in the harbour, vessels exceeding 100 ton* are 

 obliged to lie in the bay at Mutwal, and unload and convey their 

 cargoes to Calpentyu in small boats (dhonies), of which a great 

 number belong to the place. The exports from Calpeutyn to Madras 

 and other ports on the Coromandel coast are oopperahs, coooa-uuU, 

 oil, shark's fin, coir-rope, honey, bee*' -wax, ghee (clarilicil butter), 

 Uh-oil, wood-oil, daumer, moss, ohaya root*, and palmyra timber. 

 The import* conaist of cloth*,_paddy, rice, crockery, hempen-thread, 

 spices, minerals, and drug*. The opening of the canal between Chi- 

 aw and Colombo proved very beneficial to the inhabitant* of Cal- 

 tentyn, and the trade by means of inland navigation rapidly increased. 

 The soil in the vicinity i* very productive. In and about the town 

 are about 600 grove* of cocoa-nut and palmyra trees. The gardens 

 produce every kind of vegetable, and mangoes, bananas, guavas, 

 lapavas, pomegranates, citrons, shaddocks, bread-fruit, and very fine 

 (rapes. The fisheries of Calpentyn have greatly increased within the 

 oat few years. A large quantity of lime is made from shells found 

 iere in great abundance. 



Caltura, the principal town of the district of the name name, i 

 situated on ' k the left bank of the Kalu Qanga River, about 25 mile* 

 3. from Colombo. A small fort stand* on a neighbouring mound 

 commanding the river, but it is not now garrisoned. The soil 

 of the Hurrounding district is remarkably productive. A great 

 number of Jutra dhonies belong to the port, which trade to 

 Madras and other places on the Coromandel coast. The Wesleyan 

 missionaries have a handsome chapel and school-bouse here. There 

 ID also an excellent rest-house for travellers, which is much frequented 

 in consequence of its being on the high road to dalle. The town U 

 the seat of an assistant government agent, and assistant judge. It* 

 climate is remarkably pleasant and salubrious, and the scenery of the 

 vicinity very picturesque ; it is therefore a favourite resort of invalids 

 from Colombo. Since the establishment of the government sanatorium 

 at Newerra Ellia it has however been less frequented than formerly. 



Jaffnapatam, the chief town of the province of Jaffna, is situated 

 on a peninsula at the north end of the island, 215 miles N. fruui 

 Colombo : population, about 8000. It is defended by a large fort, 

 which includes a church, the house of the commandant, and other good 

 buildings. The town is to the east, half a mile distant, and consists 

 of several broad parallel streeta intersected by smaller streets. The 

 inhabitants ore mostly Dutch and their descendants. The bazaar is 

 abundantly supplied with provisions at a cheap rate. The harbour is 

 only accessible to small vessels, the water being shallow. The cargoes 

 of large vessels are unshipped at Kails, and conveyed to the town in 

 boats. Jaffnapatam is the seat of a government agent and of a pro- 

 vincial judge. 



Kandy or Candy, formerly the capital of the King of Kandy 's 

 dominions, is situated in 7 20' N. lat., 80 50' E. long., about 65 

 miles direct distance E.N.E. from Colombo : the population is about 

 3000. The town stands in the midst of steep and lofty hills covered 

 with jungle, and is very insalubrious. It is nearly encircled at the 

 distance of about 3 miles by the Mahavelli Ganga. The principal 

 street is on the declivity of a hill, and is nearly 2 miles long. The 

 houses are of mud, and thatched, but those of the chiefs ore tiled and 

 whitewashed. There is a handsome new church ; the governor's 

 residence and the artillery barracks are the other public buildings. The 

 palace of the Kings of Kandy covers a considerable space, and contains 

 a great number of rooms. It was once a building of great magnifi- 

 cence, but has been permitted to fall into a very neglected and dilapi- 

 dated condition. Among the objects of interest in Kandy are the 

 temples and tombs of the kings, although now mere ruins. The 

 town is surrounded by a mud wall, and thick thorn hedges are also 

 extended round it along the sides of the hills, so aa to form lines of 

 circumvallation, leaving only narrow passes. Four miles from Kandy 

 is Peradenya where are the Ceylon botanical gardens, and near which 

 the Mahavelli Qanga is crossed by the great satin-wood bridge before 

 mentioned. 



Newerra Ellia stands on a lofty table-land 6200 feet above the level 

 of the sea, about 7 6' N. let, 80 54' E. long., and has risen into 

 importance since it* selection as the principal government sanitary 

 station of Ceylon. Its elevated site renders the climate though keen 

 peculiarly invigorating to Europeans, and the scenery by which it is 

 surrounded is remarkably picturesque. Pedrotallagalla, the loftiest of 

 the Ceylon mountains is a striking object from the station. The soil, 

 which is very fertile, produces all kinds of European vegetables and 

 cereals, (lame is very abundant. In the town and iU immediate 

 vicinity are houses belonging to the governor, the bishop, the com- 

 mander of the forces, and various government offices, barracks, an 

 hospital, Ac. 



Government, Law, ate. The native government of Ceylon was 

 strictly monarchical. The king was proprietor of the soil, regulator of 

 the feudal payment* and service*, and distributor of all public 

 honour* and emoluments. The classification of the people and the 

 distribution of lands being the basis of the system of government, 

 the civil and judicial administration of the country was entrusted to 

 chiefs placed over different department* and in various province* and 

 district*, with a gradation of inferior functionaries. The services of 

 all were rewarded with certain privileges or possessions. The head 



