54 



JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL, XIII. 



The removal of the seat of Government to Dambadeniya 

 in 1346, and the gradual desertion of Kurunegala by the 

 nobles and chiefs, who assembled at the new capital, reduced 

 the city of Hatthigiri to ruins, its villages to desolation, and 

 its cultivated lands to wilderness and jungle, the population 

 dwindling down to a handful of Durdvos* 



From the necessities of their position neither the Portu- 

 guese nor the Dutch saw much of the interior of the Island, 

 much less that portion of it known as the Kandyan Provinces, 

 and discouraged travellers of other nations from visiting or 

 describing it. So that Kurunegala lay buried in its insigni- 

 ficance, not even receiving a passing notice from that 

 veracious chronicler Robert Knox, who, as well ashis father, 

 was a captive in the district, and the latter of whom died 

 and was buried at Bandarakoswatta. It remained in that 

 humble condition until the memorable year 1815, when 

 the Union Jack was hoisted at Kandy, and the establishment 

 of the British dominion in the interior was proclaimed by the 

 cannon of the city, and Kurunegala was once more selected 

 as the next place of importance to the mountain capital. 



The military records of 1815 are unfortunately not forth- 

 coming, but there is abundant evidence to show that shortly 

 after the Kandyan Convention Kurunegala was created a 

 military post 



One of the earliest structures in Kurunegala during the 

 time of - the British was the Cantonment, Lieutenant-Colonel 

 Campbell, who was Commandant at Kurunegala and Judicial 

 Agent of the Seven Korales, and devotes nearly the whole of 

 the second volume of his work to his experiences in the 

 district, describes the Cantonment as — 



Built in the form of a square. In outward appearance the houses 

 and bungalows are very like neat comfortable thatched cottages, and 

 afford much better accommodation than I had cared for. The 

 Commandant's house and offices occupy one side of the square, and 

 have gardens behind them laid out with great neatness and regularity 



* Casie Chitty's Gazetteer, pp. 145-8. [Kurunegala, as the capital, was 

 bandoned for Gampola about A.D. 1347.— B., Hon. See.] 



