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



her way to her father with rice for him and his reapers ; 

 her descent from her palanquin to offer rice on a golden 

 dish ; the rich Brahman's espousal of the young prince's 

 cause, and his raising and equipping an armed force of 1,200 

 warriors at a cost of 100,000 pieces ; these and other episodes 

 that fall naturally into the current of the narrative are 

 more eloquent than any formal statements, and they indicate 

 a mode of life and a character of the people utterly foreign 

 to those of savage hunters and devourers of men. The 

 transformation of cannibal tribes from their characteristic 

 habits, within a century, would be impossible, and is incon- 

 ceivable ; and still more, that they should have arrived at 

 the stage of civilisation which is indicated in the foregoing 

 circumstances, including the use of money and other marks 

 of advanced social conditions. 



The inevitable inference, derivable from the history of 

 the first four centuries as recorded in the MaJidwansa as 

 regards the people, their habits, institutions, and mode of 

 life, is that they were a settled and civilised population. 



The hypothesis to which the events recorded in the 

 Mahdwaiisa led in the last Paper, namely, that agriculture 

 was the main industry, and therefore the chief source of 

 wealth, is confirmed by the fact that a supply of rice adequate 

 to the feeding of so large a* population as is implied in the 

 numerous settlements formed by Wijayo's ministers, and by 

 the works that were accomplished during the first century, 

 could not have been procured from abroad, except by pay- 

 ment, commerce, or barter, of which no evidence exists. Nor 

 could rice have been so procured except by means of 

 indigenous wealth far exceeding what would have been 

 required for its local production. As there is no evidence of 

 any such source of superabundant wealth, the conclusion 

 that the supply was locally grown seems to be as certain as 

 that rice was the staple food. Moreover, this is borne out by 

 the whole history, and accounts naturally and consistently 

 for the wealth required for the works that were done, the 

 institutions established, and the social conditions implied. 



