LITEKARY REGISTER SUPPLEMENT: 
AND CEYLON 
"NOTES AND QUERIES." 
r^D^er this headiug, in future, we meau to give a small " Supplemeut '" with our Tropical Agriculturist 
from quarter to quarter, according as there is mutter of auiBoieat value so to be preserved.J 
APRIlLi, 1903. 
OLD AGE IN CEYLON. 
(From Census Report.) 
As many as 145 persons, of whom 71 were males 
and 74 teniales, returned ages of 100 years or more. 
Exangeration of their ages is one ot the ways in 
which the vanity of old people finds expression, 
and no credence should be given to stories ot 
abnormal longevity, unless supported by more 
trustworthy evidence than uncertain tradition or 
the memories of the old people themselves. Mr. 
William J Thomas, in his work on "The Longevity 
of Man," instances thirty cases of reported ceu- 
tenarianism investigdted by him, Jn only four of 
them was he satisfied beyond doubt that the ages 
claimed had been attained ; four he regarded as 
doubtful, the evidence in support of their claims 
being " not clear and continuous ; " and the re- 
maining twenty-two were either absolutely dis- 
proved or shown to be unsupported by any proof. 
The limit of life is of course not absolute at hundred 
years, and there probably have been, and are in 
Ceylon at this day, persons entitled to centenarian 
hononra. But, as Mr. Thomas observes, " the 
tendency to set the clock of their age too fast " is 
BO common to old people of all classes alike, that 
all statements of exceptional longevity should be 
received with extreme caution. 
In every case, therefore, where the age of a 
rerson was stated to be a hundred years or more, 
caused a special inquny to be made as to wiiether 
any and what evidence existed of the accuracy of 
the age recorded, and whether the alleged cente- 
narian remembered auy ot the incidents connected 
with the capture and deportation, which took place 
in 1815, of the last king of Kandy, Sri VVickrama 
Aaja Sinba, or other similar notable event. 
lo most case* the only proof was that furnished 
by the recollections of tlie old people themselves. 
In some cases their horoscopes were found to 
confirm their statements ; and in one case an ex- 
tract from an ancient baptismal record wa« pro- 
dtioed in evidence. As many as forty-one person* 
■ay that they well remember the capture and 
deportation of the Ia?t Kandyau king and other 
oontemporaneous events. One man, a Kaadyan 
Sinhalese, who is said to be 107 years ol age, declares 
that be was employed in the royal household and 
witnessed the cruel execution, which occurred in 
1314, of the ohil4ien of the evC Prima Minister 
EiiMlapola, who hid taken refuge with the Eaglish 
in Colombo. Amjther man (a Moor) who claims to 
Uare completed hundred yeirs, say<? thai he re- 
members the execution, and further that he 
" followed the men who were in pursuit of the last 
Kandyan king towards Urugala." A Moor woman 
(age 100) states tliat she remembers liaviuo; gone 
(when about eight years of age) with her mother 
to see a person whose hands liad heeu lopped off 
by the order of the kitig. VVheLher ihese are 
bond fide, recollections of these people, or whether 
they ijelieve that they saw with their own eyes 
what they only heard talked of in their infancy 
by others, it is impossible to say. A Tamil of 
Jaffna District, aged 102, professes to have been 
born in the year when Jaffna was taken by 
the British, (1795) and his horoscope confirms his 
age. 
The highest age returned is 120 years. The age 
distribucion of the alleged centenarians was as 
follows ; — 
Years, Males. Females Years Males. FemaUs, 
100 
43 
52 
los 
2 
1 
101 
1 
2 
109 
1 
1 
102 
3 
3 
110 
0 
1 
103 
1 
112 
2 
104 
3 
1 
113 
1 
105 
4 
6 
114 
2 
106 
3 
2 
116 
S 
107 
2 
120 
1 
^ 
THE LATE MR. C. H. CAMERON. THE 
CEYLON COMMISSIONER OF 1329-30. 
Wilhelin's Kuhe, Turret Road, Feb. 8. 
Dear Sir,— I have had Sir M. 13. Grjint- 
Dutt's "Diary" in the house, but, being a 
somewhat busy man, I hid not done more 
than glance through it and had not noticed 
the reference to niy father until I saw it 
mentioned in your issue of last night. 
It may interest you to know that the 
correct text of the .Epigram on Bacon is ;— 
Nature's deep secrets to explore tuou loved'st 
over-much 
Bat loveu'al Honour not enough ; t>h I from 
corruption's touch 
How earnestly we Britons wish, with ahama 
and sorrow stricken, 
Thou haJ'st nie-erved i iie Chancellor, and not 
preserved the chicken, c. K. C. 
Then again the lines written on suddenly 
coming upon the colossal statue of- BuddbA 
in the then almost unexplored jtuigles ot 
