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JOURNAL. R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XIV. 



(1) Clearing the Site of the Ancient City. 



Owing to the abundance of water and the bright crop 

 prospects this year in the Inamaluwa Korale, local Sinhalese 

 labour did not " offer" until late on in April. 



In the end separate gangs, aggregating nearly 180 men 

 and boys, but fluctuating greatly in number from day ta 

 day, — thanks to that innate apathy and disregard for the 

 future born of temporary affluence, which characterize the 

 ordinary Sinhalese goiyd, — were collected from the sur- 

 rounding villages. 



This village labour was employed in further clearing the 

 forest undergrowth that still covered the greater portion 

 of the once extensive Sigiri-nuwara. 



From the " Rough Plan of Sigiri-nutvara "* it will be seen 

 that the area freed of scrub last year lies between the Rock 

 and the village path from Sigiriya to Talkotte, on the west. 



Now the wave of clearing has swept over the malid bemma, 

 or " great embankment,"! which enclosed the ancient city 

 on that side : further curling round the north and south bases 

 of the Rock it has stopped, eastwards, at the path through 

 chenas to Pidura-gala. 



The felling and burning of this additional jungle has 

 brought to light two or three important features of the ruins 

 not entered on Mr, Blakesley's survey plan of 1876 ; note- 

 worthily, a second four-square moated island,! two gateways 

 through the outer ramp on the north and south-west, and a 

 cluster of pillars, with a fine ndga-gala (cobra-stone) carved 

 from quartz, near the Pidura-gala path, east of the Rock. 



(2) Survey of Sigiri-nuwara. 

 Hand in hand with the removal of the thick brushwood a 

 careful theodolite survey of Sigiri-nuwara was commenced, 

 and to a great extent carried out, this year. Great pains 



* Reproduced, on a smaller scale. 



f The natives call this outer ramp " ml lemma." 



% First discovered in 1895 in the course of my personal wanderings 

 through the thick jungle surrounding the Rock. 



