1889.] A Naturalisfs Rambles in Ceylon. 707 
social sense, as if surrounded by invisible walls. There are the 
Sudras, the lowest of all, then the fishermen, jaggery-people, 
water-carriers; carpenters, and so forth, up to the Rajah. Now 
the very lowest castes are not allowed to wear any jewels what- 
ever, and from the carpenters up to a certain caste they can only 
wear inferior stones, such as moonstones, carbuncles, amethysts, 
garnets, cinnamon-stones, etc., while some of the higher castes are 
allowed to wear rubies, sapphires and even diamonds up to a 
certain size, but all highly valued gems above a certain weight go 
to the Rajah, who alone may wear them, and any infringement 
of these rules is, or was, severely punished, not long ago even 
with torture and death. Thus, as a matter of course, the Rajahs 
obtained possession of all the fine stones found within their 
domains, at little or no expense. The priests, on the other hand, 
dominated over the Rajahs ; they assisted them in their tyranni- 
cal rule by keeping up the illusion of the divine right of kings, 
pooled with them, and naturally came in for a share of the 
plunder. 
