No. 33. — 1886.] THE VEDDAS OF CEYLON. 



379 



wives from among the natives, and begot children by them ; 

 of the other, whom he calls Indo-Moors, who in greater 

 numbers are said to have later settled in the districts of 

 Chilaw and Puttalam, he gives no generic explanation, only 

 contradicting the opinions of Mr. Cassie Chetty, that they 

 derive their origin from a mixture of an aboriginal Hindu- 

 stani population, the Sonahars, with Arabs and other 

 Muhammadans. At any rate, however, Mr. Pridham acknow- 

 ledges that no distinction any longer exists between the two 

 groups. They are now in separate villages, portions of them 

 scattered about over the whole Island, and are the chief 

 medium of all mercantile intercourse, even with the Veddas. 



Malays belonging throughout to the Muhammadan religion 

 are to be found in the Island only in comparatively small 

 numbers, but scattered over many regions. According to the 

 representation of Mr. Pridham,* they are descended chiefly 

 from the little Rajas and their followers, whom the Dutch 

 drove either from Java, Malacca, or Sumatra, and who were 

 later by the English taken into their regiments of natives. 

 More important it would be for us if the opinion were correct 

 that the original population of the Island had been Malays. 

 This is supported by the certainly very noticeable fact that 

 the Sinhalese used double canoes, or boats with booms, just 

 such as are used in all the regions inhabited or colonised by 

 Malays, that is to the west of the Indian and Arabian coast 

 of Madagascar.! This, however, is the only foothold for the 

 hypothesis of an ethnic relationship. 



Naturally in the last centuries the different nations of 

 Europe, especially Butch, Portuguese, and English, have 

 been added to the population, but for our researches they are 

 of no importance. The same is to be said of the African 

 Negroes and the Parsees, the former of whom have been only 

 recently introduced, whilst the latter immigrated at different 

 periods, but in small numbers. 



* Pridham. I. c.,I:, p. 482, f Tennent, I. e., I., p 327; II., p. 103 (engraving). 



