412 REMARKS ON SOME ANTIQUITIES ON THE 



of a foreign religion and nation into Ceylon, rendered 

 die pilgrimage to Devinoor no longer practicable. 



We may then fuppofe that, previous to the intro- 

 duBion of the Cingalefe language from the eaftward, 

 that of the Hindi/s in one of its dialefts prevailed. 

 Some of the Dutch now tell us, (as Baldeus did long 

 ago) that the inhabitants o{ Ceylon from Chilaw north, 

 and round to Baiacaloa on the eaft, fpeak the Malabar 

 (or TamulJ; while the Cingalefe to the fouthward, and 

 the Candiafis, fpeak the language faid to be derived 

 from Siam. In examining many of the names of places 

 throughout the ifland, we find many apparently derived 

 from the Hindu languages; and judging by analogy, 

 may infer that this was prior to the other, from giving 

 names defcriptive of certain qualities peculiar to thefe 

 places; a rule as applicable in India, where the names 

 of all the remarkable rivers, towns, and hills, are thus 

 derived from a language delcriptive of their qualities 

 or hillory, as to the north and well oi^ Europe where the 

 Celtick language is traced in the fame manner; and par- 

 ticularly in our native iflands oi Britain, •where the ori- 

 ginal inhabitants may be traced, from many of the 

 names, after various revolutions and fucceffive fettle- 

 Dients oi Romans, Saxons, Danes, Normans and Germans, 



The head m^.n of the village, a Cingalefe, who could 

 give no account of the origin of the ruins, propofed to 

 conducl us to another to which we went by a path wind- 

 ing among the woods about three quarters of a mile diflant, 

 gradually afcending to the face of a rifing ground, where we 

 found a fmall pagoda or deivul, built of hewn flone, flat 

 roofed, fquare, with one door and having no fpire pillars 

 or arches; it had no fculpture except fome mouldings 

 about the pediment cornices, and door; nor did any al- 

 tcir, image, or decoration appear to fliew the objeft of 

 worfhip; though from its exa6l likenefs to the plain ftyle 

 of lome of the fmall pagodas built of hewn ftone in the 

 Carnaiick, thcic can be iuilc doubt of its origin. 



The 



