CEYLON BRANCH ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY. 



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goods of British manufacture, and while they shew so far the 

 value of this Colony to the parent country, they will enable 

 us to judge of the progress of civilized feelings, and civilized 

 wants. 



The annual increase in the Imports of the necessaries of 

 life will of course, keep pace with the growing population, 

 but it is to articles of luxury that we must look for the 

 means of judging of the improved wants of the inhabitants 

 of this Colony. Grey goods from England, and rice and 

 cloth from the Coast, we shall find imported in a gradual 

 ratio of increase, whilst Beer, Wine, Cutlery, Stationery and 

 other articles, which in an European country would be con- 

 sidered in the light of mere necessaries, are here truly 

 luxuries, and while we find them imported in rapidly increas- 

 ing quantities, we cannot but look upon the fact as an indi- 

 cation of an improved taste, and of the spread of European 

 wants and habits. 



The growing amount of the revenue of a Government, 

 does not at all times form a correct index to a people's pro- 

 sperity. It would therefore be a matter worthy of investi- 

 gation, for the statist to determine, how much of the increas- 

 ing revenues of this Colony is derived from actual increased 

 Imports and Exports, or from its general onward progress ; 

 and on the other hand, how much arises simply from heavier 

 taxation. The knowledge of this would prevent any mis- 

 conceptions as to our real prosperity, and this may readily 

 be effected from published documents. 



Any attempt at an analysis of the revenue derived from 

 land taxation, must be carried on with assistance from Go- 

 vernment, which would, no doubt, be readily accorded. These 

 taxes would give us some useful information, relative to the 

 supposed increasing cultivation of Paddy and other grains in 

 Ceylon, and if the examination of them were carried on with 

 due care, it might lead to some useful results. 



