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



as his ancestors had to supply the stores of the Kings 



of Kandy with paper, being that branch of the general service 

 that had been imposed on them— a service better known by 

 the name of ' Rajakariya,' or compulsory labour. The paper 

 thus manufactured by them was not used for the purpose of 

 writing upon, but for making cartridges for gunpowder. The 

 people on whom this duty devolved were the natives of 

 Baddegama in the District of Badulla, who received grants 

 of land in consideration of the service they rendered to the 

 State. 



4 ' The tree from which the Kandyans made their paper is a 

 species of the Ficus, called in Sinhalese 6 nanitol,' which is 



found in great abundance everywhere in this country 



The following is the Kandyan method of making paper. From 

 the tender branches the whole of the bark is stripped, and 

 afterwards the inner bark (liber), which is of great tenacity, 

 is separated by the hand from the outer skin, and is put into 

 a large earthen pot and boiled with the ashes of the Erythrina 

 indica (Erabodu, Sin.) until it becomes soft, when it is 

 removed and beaten with a wooden mallet on a stone till it 

 assumes the consistency of dough. It is next put into water 

 and churned with the hand, which process soon converts it to 

 a fine homogeneous emulsion. This is poured into a frame, 

 having a cloth bottom floating in water. It is again agitated 

 with the hand until the whole becomes uniformly spread over 

 the cloth on which it settles down smoothly. The frame being 

 then withdrawn from the water, which is allowed to drain off 

 gradually, is next put to dry in the sun. When dry the paper 

 thus formed is easily removed from the cloth bottom, and 

 becomes soon fit for use. It is very tough and remarkable 

 for its tenacity, and does not appear to be liable to the ravages 

 of insects, as I have seen a specimen of the paper made by the 

 Kandyans about fifty years ago, which is still in excellent 

 preservation, although no very great care seems to have been 

 taken of it. It is only adapted for writing upon with Indian 

 ink." 



