10 



" method proposed, still it would often fail as had ibeeis 

 si shewn by former experience. That a striking instance 

 " of such failure occurred about the year 18x6, when the 

 u witnesses in some criminal case of importance; having 

 " been sworn in the temple of Kandaswamy near Jaffna, 

 " as being reputed a temple of peculiar sanctity, the whole 

 st of the witnesses on one side or the other were afterwards 

 4 ' found to have perjured themselves ; and that the 



practice was afterwards discontinued by the Supreme 

 il Court from a conviction of its inefficiency." 



The same. learned writer also relates an interesting 

 circumstance regarding the method whereby an oath was 

 said to be usually taken by a Khodiya, It is interesting be- 

 cause, as we believe, it has now fallen entirely into dis- 

 use:; it .formed one of those peculiar social distinctions 

 •which are so -rapidly disappearing in Ceylon, and which 

 imake it so necessary that the ethnological characteristics 

 tof the people should be carefully observed and accurately* 

 recorded, A ^question," he writes, 4 * arose in 1834 

 4< whether a witness of the Ehodiyan caste, who was e%- 



amined in the Court of one of the Southern Districts, 

 il ought toprostrate himself on the occasion of taking.lhe 

 6 ' oath, which was represented to be the ceremony 

 44 scribed by custom for persons, of that class. Thel&ing's 



Advocate, to whom the matter was referred, and who 

 st was naturally startled at a mode of taking an oath, so 

 " revolting to English customs and feelings, and so un- 

 " usual even in Ceylon, consulted the then Chief Justice 

 41 on the subject." The opinion of Sir Charles Marshall 

 was given thus : " Such distinctions unquestionably do 

 ,, exist, and are observed, almost necessarily, I believe, 



