62 



ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY,- 1 CEYLON BRANCH.) 



destruction of the agricultural prosperity of this island by 

 foreign invasions and internal commotions during the long 

 period which preceded the British conquest in 1815, the 

 number of cattle in the Island, as we gather from casual 

 observations of travellers, diplomatists, and historians, 

 was greater at that date than they are now. It is a 

 positive fact that the Island now produces, annually, less 

 than the number slaughtered by honest or foul means,. 

 Though, perhaps, the number killed by the butcher exceeds 

 that which falls a prey to the knife of the cattle-stealer, 

 yet, few — very few, people have a correct conception of the 

 great loss which the country, and the interests of agri- 

 culture in general, have suffered, and suffer by cattle 

 stealing. 



To prevent this great evil, or rather to promote the 

 agricultural interests of the land y various enactments have 

 been ordained from time to time by the legislature of this 

 country. Two proclamations declared it penal to introduce 

 into healthy districts cattle, suffering from contagious 

 diseases. When, in 1816 and 1828 an extraordinary mur- 

 rain produced an extensive mortality among cattle, the 

 Government unconditionally prohibited the destruction for 

 a time of "cows and cow-calves," under a penalty of 

 Rds. 50. In 1836 eat tie-stealing increased so much that 

 the legislature prevented the private killing of cattle by 

 restrictions of different kinds, of which the description of 

 the animal by its " marks " was made a condition precedent 

 for obtaining a ticket authorizing its slaughter. Besides 

 other measures, by which even the possession of beef, unless 

 satisfactorily accounted for,, was made criminal, a provision 

 was made by the Ordinance No, 2 of 1835, amongst other 

 things, for the registration and the branding of cattle 

 \_see cl. 7.] However leniently this law is enforced, the 

 practice of branding cattle is carried on by all parties 



