Edible Products. 



230 



[September, 1911. 



Civilians or military officers were placed 

 in authority over them as the accredited 

 Agents of the Government to collect the 

 revenue and administer justice, and 

 vested with the selection of the inferior 

 headmen " —as follows :— 



Lower Ouvah (Capt. Richie), Seven 

 Korles (Major J. Andain), Pahaladolos 

 Korles (Lieut. Felix O'Hara), Matella 

 (Capt. J. Ainthill) and Four Korles 



( ). Nuwera Kalawiya was 



divided between Seven Korles and 

 Matella. 



Apparently it was not the rule at this 

 time for officers to reside in their dis- 

 tricts, for Pridham remarks :—" The 

 aspect of European society in Ceylon 

 underwent a considerable change during 

 the latter part of Sir R. Brownrigg's rule, 

 by the dispersion over the interior of 

 the island of the civil and military 

 servants, who had hitherto been concen- 

 trated at the Chief towns of the mari- 

 time provinces- This measure, though 

 depriving the places referred to of their 

 great charm, in a social point of view, 

 was politically necessary, and whatever 

 improvements have since been effected 

 are in a gi'eat measure to be ascribed to 

 the new field thus opened to the activity 

 of men, who in addition to their ordinary 

 civil duties, found it expedient to devote 

 the remainder of their time to agri- 

 cultural pursuits." But notwithstand- 

 ing this drastic measure of discipline 

 and the alleged devotion to agriculture, 

 paddy cultivation does not appear to 

 have flourished in the early days of Sir 

 Edward Barnes' tenure of office (1821-31). 

 Bertolacci's remarks that there was 

 earlier in the century a large surplus in 

 the Kandyan country, which was im- 

 ported to the maritime districts, would 

 lead to the expectation of a substantial 

 addition to the total grain revenue 

 after the annexation of the interior ; 

 but the figure for the whole island for 

 1822 was only £34,760. Rainfall returns 

 for this period are not available, but it is 

 recorded in the Sabaragamuwa, Matara 

 and Galle Provinces, " owing to heavy 

 falls of rain, and the loss in cattle, grain 

 and the destruction of habitations were 

 of an unprecedented nature." 



Indeed at this time the gross income 

 from some of the backward districts 

 was small, thus in Nuwera Kalawiya in 

 1825 it amounted to the handsome sum 

 of £11-13-5J, and from that time till 

 1833 it seems to have only averaged 

 £129-13-5." (A. O. Brodie's paper in 

 R. A. S. C. B. Journal, 1855.) 



Though between 1824-27 the Kirema 

 Dam was constructed by Sir Edward 

 Barnes' order, it is well known his 

 energies were more especially devoted 



to the formation of roads to Kandy and 

 through the interior, and for which he 

 fully availed himself of the system of 

 Rajakariya, judging by the following 

 extract from Col. Colebrooke's report : 

 " In some districts through which the 

 main road to Kandy has been carried, 

 the people called out have been con- 

 stantly employed for several years, and 

 no correct account of the numbers can 

 be procured. They have been usually 

 relieved at certain periods of the year 

 and for short intervals to enable them 

 to cultivate their lands. The authority 

 to return to their homes has on applic- 

 ation been granted by the Governor, and 

 in certain districts has not extended 

 beyond a few weeks in the year." 



Though probably this account is ex- 

 aggerated, it is not surprising that the 

 paddy crops during the twenties were 

 very short, as shown by the statement 

 made by Sir W. Colebrooke that the 

 grain revenue from all parts of Ceylon 

 gradually diminished from the figures 

 given above, £34,766 for 1822 to £19,688 

 in 1826, and the average for the next 

 three years (1827-29) was only £20,941 per 

 annum. 



On the 24th May, 1825, died Sir John 

 D'Oy ley, Bart., who had held the chief 

 administrative office in the Kandyan 

 districts since the annexation. He was 

 undoubtedly an able administrator and 

 won the confidence of the Kandyans 

 largely, I believe, by making himself 

 accessible to all classes. Regarding this I 

 was told the following story (by I rather 

 think Mr. J. A. Dunuville, Deputy Queen's 

 Advocate, Kandy, at one time, and who 

 was a grandson of Dunuville Disawe), 

 Emerging late one afternoon from his 

 office, Sir John found an old Kandyan 

 who evidently wanted to make some 

 complaint, but hesitated to address the 

 great man ; so the latter, as was his 

 wont, said "Mokada?" The Kandyan 

 had been waiting about all day, and 

 whether through anger or ignorance 

 shouted out '• Sokade " and bolted. Sir 

 John could not understand this word, 

 though he had a good acquaintance with 

 Sinhalese, and proceeded to make 

 enquiries as to the meaning, but without 

 success at first, but did not rest until he 

 discovered that— though literally it was 

 the name of the wooden bell put on 

 buffaloes when turned out to graze, it 

 was used as a vulgar retort, and which 

 accounted for the rapid disappearance 

 of the irate old Kandyan, 



No successor was appointed to the 

 Residency, but the leading member of 

 the administration after this was Mr. 

 George Tumour who was shortly after 



