100 CEYLON BRANCH— ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY. 



of the Singhalese authors that their race derives its origin 

 from these invaders. But the arrival of Wijaya is said to 

 have taken place on the very day that Budha died, a cir- 

 cumstance too singular not to excite suspicion ; the imme- 

 diate successors of the Prince nearly all reigned even num- 

 bers of years, reckoned by decimation ; the fourth king died 

 at 107 years of age, and yet was succeeded by his son, the 

 offspring of a marriage that took place when he was 20 years 

 old, who reigned 60 years ; and in the space of 200 years 

 there is scarcely a single incident related that is not con- 

 nected with the personal history of the kings. These dis- 

 crepancies have been noticed by Turnour, the translator 

 of the Mahawanso, and that able chronologist came to the 

 conclusion that the Ceylonese histories are not to be relied 

 on in that which they relate previous to the arrival of Mi~ 

 hindu, who introduced Budhism into the Island, b. c. 306. 



The legend of Wijaya further states, that on his arrival 

 the Island was inhabited by demons ; and it is also said that 

 a few years previous to this event, when Budha came here 

 through the air, it was in the possession of the same mys- 

 terious beings ; but I have little doubt that it will one day 

 be proved, even from the most sacred books of the Budhists 

 themselves, that the accounts we have of his visits to Cey- 

 lon are a pure fiction. In all the Singhalese books that I 

 have read, the narration appears out of the regular order of 

 events, like an after thought ; and it is entirely at variance 

 with the traditions of Nepal and Thibet. It is generally 

 supposed that by the demons we are to understand the abo- 

 riginal inhabitants, who were so called from their rude ha- 

 bits and savage dispositions, and that they are now become 

 extinct, with the exception of the Veddahs of Bintenna, 

 and the adjacent forests. But even allowing the truth of 

 this supposition, as it has been discovered since they were 

 recently brought under Christian instruction by the Rev. 

 R. Stott, of the Wesleyan Mission, that their language 

 is Singhalese, varying but little from that which is spoken 

 in the more civilized districts, it would not assist us in our 

 present researches, 



I have stated the probability that the Singhalese lan- 

 guage was spoken long before the arrival of Wijaya. Either 

 this prince imposed his own language upon the people whom 

 he conquered, or his descendants adopted the language 

 previously spoken in the Island, or there was an amalga- 

 mation of the two language? in the course of time. The 

 first supposition is the most improbable, as history furnishes 

 us with no similar example : and if the third be correct. 



