No. 38.— 1889.] THE DUTCH IN CEYLON, 1602-1757. 123 



Corles and in the Company's lands insisting on their return, 

 but great suprise was felt by the Chalias denying that they 

 had ever written the olas signed by marks ; whilst these 

 presumptuous people returned the aforesaid mandatory 

 ola enclosed in another ola containing the above explanation. 

 Meanwhile the rebel peelers tried to induce others who were 

 still occupied in the woods of the Company's territories to 

 join them. 



The peelers of Gale and Mature took up the same cry of 

 unjust treatment by some of the chiefs, and refused to work 

 any longer, so that we could not satisfy the demands from 

 the Fatherland and Batavia. But later on some gangs of 

 peelers came to the Governor soliciting the reinstatement of 

 their former superintendent and his interpreter, denying 

 that they had ever been maltreated by them. Their 

 request having been granted, they promised to make good at 

 the later harvest that which had been lost on the principal 

 one. 



The inhabitants of Salpitty Corle now also commenced 

 to agitate, for which the chiefs could assign no apparent 

 cause : tidings also came of disturbances in the Raygam 

 Corle. The rebels of the Salpitty Corle threatened those 

 who remained faithful, that they would burn their houses 

 and destroy their gardens if they refused to join them. 



In the Hewegam Corle the rebels commenced to rob the 

 peaceful inhabitants, plunder the wayfarers, make the 

 roads unsafe, and commit other depredations ; while an ola 

 without signature was received from them enumerating their 

 grievances, such as the burdens of the cinnamon service, ill- 

 treatment, school fines, the sale of their gardens for the half, 

 the conditions of the garden rents (Wattebadoe), and various 

 other things. Whereupon the Governor despatched the 

 Modliaar of the Attepattoe to them, to advise them to desist 

 from further disturbance, and lay their complaints either 

 before the Governor or the Dessawe. But the rebels, who 

 already numbered some thousands, replied that if they are 

 allowed to fell timber in the chenas, were freed from having 



