CEYLON. 
believe then in Buddah? Yes, certainly. Mr. North did not swear 
him as a Protestant. I have no doubt, however, that even this 
nominal Christianity is an advantage, as it has an effect in destroy- 
ing their prejudices, and their children become real believers by 
means of education in the schools. 
With respect to these schools, I must make a few observations. 
In the time of the Dutch they were blended with the ecclesiastical 
establishment, were carefully attended -to, and became numerous 
and flourishing. Upon the conquest of Ceylon by the English, the 
salaries of the masters were unpaid, and the schools went rapidly 
to decay. Mr. North, upon his arrival, sensible of the importance of 
these institutions, re-established them with improvements, abolish- 
ing at the same time a tax upon native marriages, which had been 
levied for their maintenance, but which was found to promote 
concubinage. The number of parochial schools was raised by him 
to one hundred and seventy, besides an academy at Columbo. The 
school-masters were bound to act as notaries in their several dis- 
tricts; so that the whole expense of the establishment, amounting 
to £"4,600. was not to be set down to the account of education solely. 
Had this, however, been the case, the benefits arising from a plan 
calculated to improve the morals of the rising generation, to en- 
lighten them in true religion, and attach them to the British govern- 
ment, would have been cheaply purchased at such a moderate ex- 
penditure. Such, however, was not the calculation made at home ; 
for, in 1803, Mr. North received orders to limit the expense of the 
schools to£*J500. per annum, whence those in the country districts 
were necessarily given up. This change has not answered the 
economical purpose intended by it ; since, in consequence of the 
VOL. I. E R 
