304 JOURNAL R. A. S. (CEYLON). [Vol. III. 



as compared with other countries. The annual averages of 

 these convictions in the various Courts stands thus : 



Convictions, per cent, of cases. 



Supreme 



Court ... 



28 



= 65 



District Court, Colombo ... 



24 



= 24 



Do. 



Kalutara ... 



5 



= 50 



Do. 



Ratnapura 



6 



=== 55 



Police Court, Colombo 



1311 



= 37 



Do. 



Negombo 



230 



. = 20 



Do. 



Kalutara 



261 



= 12 



Do. 



Kegalla 



108 



= 11 



Do. 



Ratnapura 



110 



= 12 



The total of all these averages gives us the annual number 

 of 2,082, which, as I before stated, yields a proportion of 

 one in each 264 of the entire population of the Province. 



Unfavorably as this result contrasts with the statistics of 

 other countries, it assumes a very different aspect, if subjected 

 to analysis ; and separating crimes from mere offences, we 

 draw a comparison between Ceylon, India, and England, as 

 regards these two classes of offenders. The result will then 

 be altogether in favour of Ceylon, as respects real crime 

 though still leaving a heavy balance of mere offences against 

 the population of this Island. This analysis shews, that while 

 there is but one person in every 13,419 who yearly commits 

 a crime, there is one person in each 269 inhabitants who 

 annually commits an offence : crimes standing in the small 

 proportion of 2§- per cent, of all offences against the laws 

 In Bengal, crimes and offences are about equal. In England 

 and Wales, they stand as 15 per cent, of crimes. In Ireland 

 as 27 per cent. 



Comparing the total convictions in all the Courts of this 

 Province on an average of three years, with the number of 



