the District of Nooiverakalaiviya. 175 



It is probable that the system of allowing Headmen to hold 

 land tax free, will soon be altogether done away with. It has 

 been maintained, probably with the intention of obtaining the 

 services of men personally interested in their own divisions ; 

 but this object can be otherwise secured, and a constant source 

 of demoralization cut off. At present, quantities of land are, to 

 escape tax, entered in the names of Headmen, who after the 

 lapse of some years claim, and frequently take possession of 

 the lands themselves. At the same time, I see no objection 

 to employing unpaid Headmen, so long as the offices are ea- 

 gerly sought by the people. The Singhalese love of honour and 

 distinction, though carried'to somewhat unreasonable lengths, 

 is in itself laudable, and gives a point oVappvi to those who 

 wish to elevate the people. In our own country, many offices 

 unconnected with salary are eagerly contended for, and I see 

 no reason why the same system should not be followed here. 

 That unpaid headmen would take bribes is not more true than 

 that the paid headmen now do so. 



The Headmen are, on the whole, inferior in activity and in- 

 telligence to those of adjoining districts. This may be attri- 

 buted to the fact, that the people were, until lately, almost 

 debarred from intercourse with others ; that the district was 

 formed of fragments taken from others, and which are only 

 beginning to amalgamate into one homogeneous whole ; that 

 the resident Civilians have been frequently changed ; that the 

 establishment is necessarily broken up annually ; and that 

 formerly the Wannia caste had a sort of monopoly of the head- 

 menships ; and even now, many of these people, while they 

 think that they have a right to be made Korales and Eatte- 

 mahatmeyas as opportunities occur, yet totally neglect their 

 own education, on the plea that they can pay others to read 

 and write for them. I think that a bad effect has been 

 produced by the unceremonious way in which headmen are 



