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



Korale. In the dissavoni of Matara, the chief source of the 

 supply of wax, and which contained the best and most loyal 

 population in the Island, and had always been administered by 

 the noblest born among the natives or by selected Portuguese, 

 a low-born Moor, a native of the country, had been 

 appointed dissava as a convenient tool for the furtherance 

 of his nefarious practices. The revenue of the district was 

 misappropriated, the natives oppressed by harsh fines which 

 went to swell the general's income, and such excesses com- 

 mitted under the pretext of trade that the scandalized natives 

 were on the verge of rebellion. No proper control was 

 exercised over the chief officials, and the captain-majors 

 and dissavas had overstepped the limits of their almost 

 absolute authority and were cruelly oppressing the inhabitants. 

 Besides neglecting all military precautions, as exemplified in 

 the case of Balane, he had acted in a most high-handed 

 fashion in regard to the royal revenues, arrogating to himself 

 various sources of income which by immemorial custom were 

 an appanage of the king. He had misappropriated gems 

 which had been collected on the king's account, and had 

 even removed some of the royal elephants in defiance of the 

 authority of the vedor. De Meneses however died at Arracan 

 shortly after his recall, but legal action was ordered to be 

 taken against his heirs for the recovery of the money which 

 had been misappropriated by him from the public revenue. 



Detailed instructions* were given to Manuel Mascarenhas 

 Homem by the viceroy regarding the administration of the 

 country ; his headquarters were to be at Malvana, which 

 was more central than Colombo, and he was to pay special 

 attention to the administration of justice. To avoid the 

 slow procedure of the Portuguese courts the viceroy himself 

 had, when general, established a council at Malvana con- 

 sisting of noble and experienced Sinhalese assisted by the 

 mohottiars of the king ; this body had authority to adjudi- 

 cate on all minor matters on their own responsibility, only 

 referring the weightier causes to the general. The oppression 

 practised by the officials was to be sternly suppressed, but at 



* Bocarro : Ribeiro, p. 151. 



