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



circumstances. Out of the forest they lose all energy, all 

 vitality. All their faculties centre in the life of the forest, 

 and when they were brought in contact with the life and 

 ideas of Europe their hour had sounded. 

 The Veddas have succumbed to civilization. 



7. His Excellency invited remarks on the Paper, which he 

 characterized as very interesting. 



Mr. F. Lewis read a report of a debate which took place in the 

 Legislative Council on November 17, 1840, in the time of Governor 

 Stewart Mackenzie, with regard to the Veddas : — 



Mr. J. A. Stewart Mackenzie made reference to a grant that 

 he proposed making to the Veddas in Bintenna. Instructions 

 had been sent to him as early as 1838 to inquire into the state of 

 the Vedda population, that he had intended visiting the Vedda 

 country, but had been prevented by unforeseen circumstances. 

 Accordingly, the Governor of that date suggested to Mr. Atherton, 

 the then Resident Assistant Government Agent of Batticaloa, 

 that he desired his investigation as to the number and condition 

 of that portion of the Vedda population designated Rock Veddas, 

 from the circumstance of their having no other habitation than 

 in the rock. Mr. Atherton appears to have been accompanied 

 by the Rev. Mr. Stott, a Wesleyan Missionary of Batticaloa, and 

 the report then made was that in Bintenna alone thirty families 

 were found inhabiting rocks, with scarcely a rag to cover them. 

 The Governor goes dn to comment on this state of affairs, and 

 added that the suggestion to the Assistant Government Agent 

 was that he was to endeavour to induce these inhabitants of the 

 rocks to locate themselves upon portions of land to be given 

 up to them for cultivation, with a grant of land, &c. Continuing 

 his remarks further, the Governor proceeded to refer to the 

 number of these people, and he said : " There are other families 

 of Rock Veddas in Bintenna, the exact number I cannot state, 

 but it probably does not exceed twenty families." He also 

 added in his next sentence : " It is proper to explain that this 

 class of Vedda is entirely distinct from Village Veddas, who are 

 very numerous, scattered over a wide extent of country, very 

 poor and destitute." The Right Hon. gentleman, in closing his 

 remarks on the subject, drew a painful picture by saying : " Such 

 was the destitution of some of these families that they possessed 

 but one mamoty among them to cultivate the soil. Such was 

 their want of weapons for defence or pursuit of game to live 

 upon that but one arrow was left in the family, to the head of 

 whom the Assistant Agent afforded what the aged Vedda could 

 scarcely count, a dozen of their missile weapons." 



Mr. Lewis added some interesting observations of his own as 

 to the distinction between the different classes of supposed Veddas, 

 one of whom he found spoke Tamil and another Tamil as well 

 as Sinhalese. In a part of the Province of uva an old and very 

 intelligent Korala corroborated to Mr. Lewis the statement made 



