182 



JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON) 



[Vol XXI. 



Next I would touch on the investigation of the Veddas by 

 Dr. and Mrs. Seligmann, pressed on Government in my last 

 Address as well as in the Legislature, and finally provided for. 

 It is not quite clear yet whether European anthropologists 

 consider that Professor Virchow's wish has been fulfilled by what 

 has been termed this final inquiry, namely, that " the language 

 and customs, the physical and mental constitution of the Veddas," 

 has " in all particulars been firmly established." But certainly 

 much towards this end has been accomplished, if not all that can 

 possibly be achieved under present circumstances. 



In this connection it is important to note the continued and 

 increasing interest which attaches to Mr. John Pole's discovery 

 of pre-historic implements used by the Veddas before they knew 

 anything of iron. Mr. Bruce Foote, the chief Anglo-Indian 

 authority on this branch, and who is about to publish an impor- 

 tant work in two volumes on his own discoveries in India, 

 is delighted with Mr. Pole's finds of quartz implements, and 

 especially with his careful drawings of the same. He considers 

 that a selection of the plates is well worth publication by this 

 Society for the enlightenment of all who take an interest in the 

 pre-history of Ceylon. Here is an extract from a long letter 

 addressed to your President by Mr. Bruce Foote a few weeks 

 ago:— 



" Pole's drawings are admirable, quite artistic, and give a 

 capital idea of the very various forms produced by the old quartz 

 chippers, who were so widely distributed over Ceylon. I recog- 

 nized many of the specimens he had shown me when he came 

 to see me at Atgalla in May. The great majority of his specimens 

 are to my apprehension genuine artifacts made with design for 

 some definite purpose. 



" From their wide distribution over the Island I cannot help 

 inferring that they were the handiwork of a wild tribe who lived 

 there for a long period, but whose wants were few, and the variety 

 of the objects they produced to satisfy those wants was smal, 

 compared with those produced in other countries — India, for 

 example — where the people were more civilized ; and also because 

 they found several varieties of stone, as chert, agate, jasper, and 

 porcellanite, infinitely easier to work into useful implements than 

 the very stubborn crystalline quartz, than which no more in- 

 tractable material exists in the world. The forms recognizable 

 include knives of sorts, piercers, and scrapers, both tongue-shaped 

 and incurved. The latter, which seem to be by far the most 

 numerous objects they turned out, must have been of very great 

 value in scraping the shafts of their arrows to the sizes required . 

 while the many shapely sharp points they produced served well 

 as arrow heads. The tongue-shaped scrapers were essential for 

 the preparation of the skins they procured in the chase, and 

 which were doubtless converted into garments. The Neolithic 

 people in Southern, Western, and Central India had such abundant 

 supplies of capital chert, agate, and jasper (in great variety) 

 that they very rarely had recourse to quartz, but their artifacts 



