424 RECOLLECTIONS OF A JOURNEY 
n'ont pas le meme droit que les six autres. Le premiers 
jours passe, le mari n''a pas plus de privilege que ses freres: 
jorsque la femme est seule il peut la prendre : mais si Tun 
des freres est avec elle, il ne peut pas entrer : ainsi une 
femme suffit pour toute une famille, et tout est commun 
entres les freres; ils apportent a la maison ce qu'ils gagnent, 
les enfans ne sont pas plus au mari qu"'a ses freres, aussi les 
enfans les appellent tons leurs peres.*" Riberio dignifies 
one of the brothers with the title of husband, while he 
withholds it from the other members of the corporation. 
I never could learn that any one of the fraternity had a 
greater claim to this appellation than another. 
The Kandyans have no idea of the meaning we attach 
to the word wife. A female, Who lives as a wife with a 
man, is denominated by a word in the Singhalese language 
expressive of " the woman who cooks and gives." A Kan- 
dyan may call as many women to his bed as he pleases, 
and when he chooses he may send them back to their rela- 
tions, provided he returns the property they brought along 
with them. Separations of this kind cause no disgrace to 
either party. Knox was perfectly correct when he stated, 
the woman, after she is dismissed, becomes " fit for another 
man, being as they account never the worse for wearing."^ 
Sterility is sometimes assigned as a cause for repudiation. 
In such a case, the female frequently succeeds in prevail- 
ing upon the husband to call one of her sisters, when she 
has any. 
When a female is called by a male, the connexion is de- 
nominated diga dilaw. By a union of this kind the female 
loses all hereditary right to the property of her father'*s 
family ; she is, in fact, completely transferred to that of her 
husband. The privilege of repudiation is not reciprocal. 
A woman can only leave her husband when she proves 
that he has omitted to supply her with food and clothing 
suitable to his rank. 
