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



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from this citation any important conclusions regarding the 

 physical constitution of the Sinhalese. I will not, however, 

 pass over in silence the fact that according to an old tradition 

 already mentioned by Valentyn, the Sihala dynasty, from 

 which Wijayo the conqueror was descended, had their 

 residence in Tenasserim ; so that according to this a Siamese 

 origin is ascribed to the Sinhalese. Since, however, all the 

 more recent investigations agree in this, that the dynasty, as 

 well as the language of the Sinhalese, is derived from 

 Magadha, the present Behar, that is, from the very midst of 

 the Ganges land, there is no need of our following up the 

 tradition. Besides, it is not the search for the Sinhalese 

 origin which claims our first interest, but fathoming the 

 derivation of the Veddas. 



Even in case we consider the Veddas to be, as some say, 

 savage Sinhalese, or the Sinhalese to be tame Veddas, as 

 others say, — thus deducing both from one and the same 

 original stock, — we cannot but begin our investigations with 

 the Veddas. A reverse order would be justified only if we 

 assumed that the Veddas had sunk back from a condition of 

 higher civilisation to the most absolute savagery, in which 

 condition all travellers have found them for many centuries. 

 The theoretical objection to such an assumption I have 

 pointed out already, and will not bring it up again. But I ask, 

 what signs of an earlier civilisation have actually been found ? 

 Have the remains of a higher culture been discovered any- 

 where upon the Island, which, with any show of proba- 

 bility, might be attributed to the Veddas ? To my knowledge 

 there is nothing of the kind, not even rubbish-heaps 

 Qtjokkenmoddinger') such as are found in an excellent state 

 of preservation in the neighbouring Andaman Islands. Not 

 one stone implement, such as even the Australian possesses 

 in manifold forms, has been found. Now it is just conceivable 

 that these gaps may be filled by further researches, especially 

 since the above-mentioned remark of Mr. Hartshorne 

 awakens at least a hope of stone axes. But what will be gained 



