No. 58.— 1907.] 



ANNUAL REPORT. 



135 



Some protection had to be afforded at the lowest ladder to 

 ensure against accident on the narrow space where it rises from 

 the steeply sloping sides of the ruined " Lion-staircase-house." 



A four-feet half -wall was, therefore, built, curling round the 

 ladder on the off side so as to unite with the Rock. 



This necessitated swinging the lower ladder itself inwards at 

 right angles to the Rock's face, and a small landing stage being 

 added between it and the upper ladder. 



(&) " Fresco Pockets.^ — The netting in of the two " Fresco 

 Pockets " was virtually finished in 1905. 



The wire netting had only to be tightly stretched and screwed 

 down, an iron frame door with padlock fixed, and the roughly 

 laid floor of the caves smoothed in cement. Except the door, 

 these few remaining touches were put to the work in the " pock- 

 ets " during the short season at Sigiriya of 1906. 



IV. — Epigraphy. 



The lithic records of Ceylon are yearly disappearing owing to 

 the invasion of its wilder parts by ignorant and unscrupulous 

 treasure seekers, and their wanton destruction of inscripticns 

 under the fatuous belief that these mark treasure spots. 



In England Mr. Wickremasinghe has still to issue Part II. of 

 the Epigraphia Zeylanica* Parts HI. and IV. are also over- 

 due. This slow progress justifies the Archaeological Survey in 

 collecting and storing material for future use before it is too late. 



Nearly all the inscriptions of the North-Central Province have 

 been eye-copied, and of the majority ink " squeezes " taken, as 

 well as photographs where practicable. 



But there is a vast field of epigraphical work almost untouched 

 in the Northern, North-Western, Eastern, Central, and Uva 

 Provinces, besides some records in the Western and Southern 

 Provinces. 



The Government has granted from 1907 a sum of Rs. 1,000 for 

 the systematic work of copying yearly, until completed, of 

 inscriptions throughout the Island, still unrecorded. 



The overseer specially trained by the Archaeological Commis- 

 sioner for this work will tour through the several Provinces to 

 make " eye-copies " and " squeezes " of all known inscriptions. 

 As his work comes in, the " estampages " will be photographed ; 

 and a permanent record thus preserved, to be utilized whenever 

 desired. 



V. — Archaeological " Finds." 



The large and varied collection of metal work and coins collected 

 by the Archaeological Survey in the course of fifteen years' work 

 was overhauled, chemically treated (to prevent further corrosion), 

 and docketed by the Assistant to the Archaeological Commissioner 

 in the course of the year. 



* This Part has since appeared (1907). 



D 



