December, 1911.] 



503 



Edible Products. 



empowered the Gangsabawa or Village 

 Council to try and punish for breaches 

 of such rules by fine. 



This measure was readily accepted 

 and acted on in many parts of the island, 

 and the Ordinance was especially put 

 in force in all parts of Batticaloa, 

 Trincomalie, Uva, Matale, Matara and 

 Sabaragamuwa districts, and there were 

 further sixty-seven districts proclaimed 

 in the Western, fifty-nine in the North- 

 Western, fourteen in Nuwaiakala wiya 

 (then of the Northern Province), and 

 two in Kegalle. 



The general interest taken by a number 

 of district officers in holding meetings 

 and framing rules, and the operation of 

 the rules themselves, undoubtedly gave 

 a great impetus to the cultivation of 

 paddy, but to adequately judge of the 

 benefits which resulted from the import- 

 ant step it is well to notice shortly the 

 condition of the industry during the 

 years immediately preceding 1856. The 

 production of paddy in Ceylon apparent- 

 ly touched bottom in 1849, in which year 

 there was a greatly deficient rainfall 

 and the Revenue fell to Rs. 33,510 (the 

 lowest figure since 1830), though the price 

 of paddy has been rising and was then 

 about 60 cents a bushel, and the equi- 

 valent crop about 2| millions bushels. 

 From this depth there was slow recovery 

 by 1854, when the probable crop was 3£ 

 million bushels. There was probably 

 some further advance in 1855-6, as the 

 climatic conditions were more favour- 

 able, but unfortunately I have not the 

 figures to continue the comparison ; 

 there was, however, a serious outbreak 

 of murrain amongst cattle in 1855, all 

 through the island but especially in the 

 Central Province, which may have 

 affected cultivation. 



After 1856 the efforts of District 

 officers to give effect to the compulsory 

 co-operation provided by the new mea- 

 sure were heartily seconded by the culti- 

 vators, and as Bailey recorded in 

 reference to Uva, " The people are 

 astonished at the abundance of water 

 which has been the consequence of their 

 being legally obliged to do the work 

 necessary to their own interests." 



Once more the truth was vindicated of 

 the old proverb that "Heaven helps 

 those who help themselves," as in the 

 (agricultural) years 1857-1858 the rainfall 

 exceeded 100 inches, and the crops 

 secured rose to 4'75 in the former year, 

 while that of 1858 was probably six 



Note, — The only moteorological record for 

 thisyear I can find is published in A. S. Journal, 

 which gives the rainfall at Batticotta (Jaffna) 

 for the first nine months of the year as 3 46 

 inches. 



million bushels, a record never pre- 

 viously equalled in Ceylon. The fore- 

 going figures have been deduced from 

 the Revenue returns, but the earliest 

 Blue Book returns now available to me, 

 give the crop of 1862 as five million 

 bushels, off an acreage of 578,000, though 

 the rainfall was decidedly moderate. 

 But the most important and visible 

 results were in Batticaloa where Wood- 

 ford Birch's* energetic administration 

 secured a considerable outlay by Govern- 

 ment in irrigation works and resulted 

 between November, 1857, and May, 1861, 

 in no less than 7,400 acres of new land 

 being taken up for paddy cultivation, 

 while the area actually cropped rose from 

 22,638 acres in 1856 to 41,380 in 1867, and 

 the revenue from Rs. 24,000 to Rs. 60,690. 

 Further, the increased tithe on the lands 

 benefitted by the new irrigation works 

 amounted £950 or 5 % on the total sum 

 spent, or 7 % exclusive of the outlay on 

 the foundations of the incompleted 

 Sengapaddi dam which were however 

 utilised in later times and added to the 

 success. No wonder then that the 

 exports of Batticaioa paddy coastwise to 

 Jaffna amounted in 1866 to 94,000 bushels 

 and reached 105,000 in 1869, besides the 

 quantity converted into rice and sent by 

 tavalam to the Badulla Estates. 



(In this connection perhaps it's as well 

 to correct an amusing mistake by Sir 

 John Keane, who, as proof of the present 

 prosperous condition of Batticaloa, 

 states that the importation of 43,000 

 bushels of rice and 6,000 bushels of 

 paddy in 1869 was for " the use of the 

 population !" Needless to say it was all 

 sent on to the Badulla Estates for the 

 Tamil coolies by tavalams, which com- 

 peted successfully even after the cart 

 road was opened as late as 1890 to some 

 parts of Madulsima.) 



Brodie,t (who had already done good 



* He was acting Assistant Agent at Batticaloa 

 from August, 1658, to May, 1862, but was District 

 Judge for two years before and two years after, 

 so was connected with the district from March, 

 1856 to September, 1864. 



f Brodie's career had a romantic side which 

 deserves record. After serving at Anuradha- 

 pura he went home on leave, married and 

 induced by a rich uncle to proceed to America 

 under promise to make his heir, he resigned 

 the C. (J. S. But it was found that to suc- 

 ceed to bis relative's immovable property, 

 Brodie would have to be naturalised. This 

 involved, however, not only tainng an oath of 

 allegiance to the United States, but a special 

 abjuration of allegiance to the Queen of Eng- 

 land. This latter he refused to do, and on his 

 uncle's death he only received a moderate 

 settlement in money. On a representation of 

 the circumstances to the Secretary of State, he 



