1889.] A Naturalist's Rambles in Ccylo/i. 699 
but afterwards they should carefully search the ashes, in which 
they would find some relic of him, which they were to preserve 
and treasure as the most sacred thing on earth. Whatever nation 
had possession of this relic would prosper to the end of time. 
Buddha's body w^as faithfully cremated by the twelve, and when 
they searched the ashes they found nothing but a tooth, a single 
tooth, as all that was left of him. This tooth of Buddha, as 
Singhalese history shows, has been preserved for more than two 
thousand years at Kandy, the ancient capitol of the Singhalese 
Kings, and has been worshipped as something more than .sacred. 
A magnificent temple, the " Maligawa Dalada " (temple of the 
tooth), was specially erected, which is .still one of the wonders of 
the island. I have often visited this temple during my .stay at 
Kandy, and was always treated with great politeness and kind- 
ness by the Buddhist priests. A broad marble .stair leads to a 
kind of raised platform, in front of the temple, whence .several 
passages lead to the interior of the latter. The central one termi- 
nates at a curious round tower in which, behind a strong iron 
grating, is to be seen a miniature Buddhist pagoda, about three 
feet high pind made of gold. In this Buddha's tooth is preserved. 
Since 1820 no human eye had seen it, for it may only be expo.sed 
once ever>' hundred years, except when .some great calamity is to 
be averted, — for in.stance in times of great drought or pestilence. 
Then it is brought out and exposed with great pomp and circum- 
stance in front of the temple, and the evil, of course, speedily 
vanishes. A kind of altar in front of the iron grating is covered 
day and night with beautiful red Mogra blossoms, which are 
mostly brought by women as a .sacrifice. 
Two years previous to my arrival in Ceylon the duke of Edin- 
burgh visited the island, and it \\'as then vainly attempted to 
induce the chief priest of the temple to show the tooth as a 
curiosity, but he indignantly refused to expose so sacred an ob- 
ject to the profane gaze of even a duke of Edinburgh. While I 
was in Kandy. in March, 1876, it so hapjicned that the Prince of 
Wales came to Ceylon. He had been sent out on a \o>-age to 
India, as a matter of policy, b\- the go\ernment, to show him.self 
among the natives and make the English royal house more popu- 
