ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY. 



33 



an idolatrous temple, which was done with success by the first 

 Christian Emperor who converted the temples of idols into 

 temples of the true God, the Clergy were of opinion would 

 operate to diminish the resort of so many people, not only 

 heathens but nominal Christians, both from the district under 

 Colombo and from other parts. They allude to their having 

 in like manner built a School near Negombo on the ruins of a 

 Roman Catholic Chapel, whereby the numerous pilgrimages 

 thither of Roman Catholic devotees eventually died away. 



But they did not find the same results at Calany ; though 

 there was a school, pilgrims became rather more numerous. 

 They ascribed their failure to the want of an unconditional 

 interdict from Government. They therefore requested the 

 XVII Representatives to aid them in the contest between the 

 kingdom of darkness and of light, that the cause of God might 

 prevail over the cause of the devil, by enforcing the applica- 

 tion of the placards of 1682 against the public exercise of 

 heathen ceremonies to Calany.* For what would the prohibition 

 in other places avail, if Calany, which was the seat of Bud- 

 dhism in the Company's territories, and that in the vicinity of 

 Colombo, were allowed freely to exercise its superstitions, 

 under the immediate eye, as it were, of Government. Hea- 

 thenism would continue in full force ; the people would remain 

 Buddhists ; the weak christians, who were not free from the 

 seeds of superstitions, would be drawn away ; the clergy would 

 be in danger of unhallowing the sacrament of baptism, by ad- 

 ministering it to children of parents who secretly worshipped 

 images, while there were no means of detecting them ; the 

 priests would pervade the land, and practice their worship in 

 defiance of the clergy. The local Government were disinclined 

 to forbid Calany lest it should displease the Court of Kandy, 

 and especially a certain ' Ganebandaar, and thus prevent the 

 establishing of permanent peace with the Singhalese King, or 



