34 



CEYLON BRANCH 



at least weaken their treaty with him which was about to be 

 renewed. 



It was therefore the opinion of the Civil power that natives 

 who professed heathenism should not be forbidden the exercise 

 of their religion, but only the christians prevented taking a 

 part therein, and punished when detected. The contra-argu- 

 ments of the clergy were ; that if Calany was allowed to be 

 the throne of heathenism the evil would spread, and vain would 

 be all preventive measures ; that it was impracticable to dis- 

 cover among the concourse of pilgrims to Calany those who 

 professed Christianity, that it was impossible to prevent it in 

 individual cases, unless it was universally prevented in the 

 Company's territories ; that it was to be questioned whether 

 the wish to continue Calany originated in the Kandian Court, 

 and whether its discontinuance would destroy the peace or 

 weaken the treaty ; that the whole matter was only the pre- 

 tence of theBandaar,aiid the instigation of the lower-provinces, 

 and must not these people, as the subjects of the Company, sub- 

 mit to the laws and commands of their rulers, and have no 

 intercourse with the upper-provinces ? The clergy declared 

 that they would not have troubled the XVII Representatives 

 with this matter were it not for the care and zeal they felt for 

 the cause of Christianity, which perhaps might be a blind zeal y 

 but they were not conscious of that ; they did not wish to be 

 disturbers of social peace, but as Elijah withstood the prophets 

 of Baal, so they wished to oppose heathenism through good 

 and evil report. They would leave the decision with the high 

 authorities, conscious that in thus coming forward they were 

 doing their duty. They were confident that heathenism would 

 diminish if a Christian place of worship were erected next to 

 the temple, that Cod might speak there as well as the devil ; 

 so would truth begin to triumph, as the presence of the ark in 

 his own temple caused dagon to fall. 



