( 131 ) 
and sold formerly with too little caution the 
entire property of the lands which the natives 
solicited, and notwithstanding the clauses inserted 
in the fjrants, it often happened those lands were 
either not at ail cultivateii, or only a small part of 
them, from the negligence of greedy individual-i. 
A great portion of the best lands in the interior of 
the country were also cultivated without any grant 
from the Government and taken possession of for 
several generations before it was found out. Tliab 
lauds granted, when they become profitable, were 
for a third part the property of the Government and 
those cultivated, without any grant for a half, ac- 
cording to a regulation on this head. But the holders 
almost all found means to avoid giving up any part 
of the produce. Governor Sclirender after having 
made the requisite investigations, thought the 
realization in money of the property of the 
Company in those lands would yield a very consider- 
able amount, and he wanted the possessors either 
to pay the value, or to sell the lands to those who 
offered most — a general opposition having taken 
place, he sent troops into the provinces to cut down 
by force the coconut trees ot the garden in dispute. 
This was the origin of the troubles which occasioned 
the war in Kandy in 1761. This clause in the 
grants of land stipulating the payment of ^ or ^ on 
their becoming profitable seems neither just nor 
politic, and we think it would have been more advis • 
able to have required a tenth of the produce either 
of coconut gardens or grain fields. This tenth 
of the produce of gardens (which must be the tax 
payable in the west of Ceylon instead of the former 
dues (Tuyn-geregtigheid), if equity is introduced 
into the land tax, is ditiioult of collection, because 
the trees, and especially the cocoa, which here 
formed a forest from Negombo to Deondura, give 
fruit all the year round. This is asolitary instance 
in which the land tax might be formed out, and 
it is not to be expected that the revenue will be 
very considerable during the first two years, 
because the contractor or a number of sub contrac- 
tors must receive the tenth of the fruit itself, if 
they cannot agree with the owners of th2 gardens 
to give money instead of it. But tliey must not 
be rebutted, they must persevere in receiving the 
tenth in fruit however little the contract may give 
the Government in the first years the proprietors 
will at last agree to ^ive money to the contractors 
for their tenth of the fruit, which is easily done, tor 
the natives on only inspecting the quantity and 
quality of trees in the garden, will at once tell 
nearly the precise quantity of cocoas, which they 
will produce in a year ; then best way is to let com- 
peticion or rather greediness have its course, and 
this tax will arrive at its proper value, that is to 
say it will furnish considerable sums' in the West 
and North of the Island ; with respect to the other 
districts of Ceylon, where plantation of fruit trees, 
on account ot the climate are more difficult of 
establishment, and at once so necessary, it would 
* Supposing that from the river Kaymelle to the 
Bay of Tangille, the gardens of the inhabitants of 
the interior possess only 10 millions of cooonut 
trees, and that every tree only gives 10 ooconiKs 
(though a good tree gives 60 or 80, or 100} you 
■would have 109 millions of cooos, each worth 3 
ounces of rice at least — the tenth of 10 millions in 
fruit would be at least worth 203,333i rixdollars, for 
10 cocoa give a medinde of oil, which we will reckon 
10 sons— we shall after this moderate cultivation 
only add that a tree from which toddy is taken, gives 
the doable of one from which the fruit alone is taken, 
be better for a great length of time not to tax them 
at all, but to encourage the growth as much as 
possible. It is now time to speak of the cultiva- 
tion which it is in every respect essential to 
improve. That of coffee is without doubt first 
after rice it succeeds well in the West, and in land 
lit for nothing else, its equality is superior to the 
coffee of Java or Bourbon, and approaches nearly to 
that of Arabia, whence the first plants were brought. 
Singhalese do not attend to its culture, and only 
pick up the fruit as it fall from the tree in its wild 
stats, when it only produces half the quantity of 
the coffhe tree cultivated in the American Colonies. 
We do not think that Ceylon yields more than 
250,000 pounds, but it is certain that it might pro- 
duce ten times as much and even more, it wants 
only the superintendence of experienced persons. 
Pepper is next in consideration, is of the same 
quality as that of the Coast Malabar, and the pepper 
plants would have greatly increased had the orders 
of the Governor Van de Graaf remained invigour. 
Cardamoms, though inferior to that of Mala- 
bar, are still in request in Europe, where they 
are sold with great profit, since beer-brewers use 
them in their preparation of that beverage. 
Cotton, which for its f^reat use to the natives 
should perhaps have been first mentioned, is culti- 
vated with success to the North and East of Ceylon. 
It is of very good qualioy, but as the natives do nob 
know how to spin it, they only make coarse cloth of 
it, but if even that manufacture were encouraged 
large sums of money might remain in the country 
♦ 
DUTCH OCCUPATION OF CEYLON. 
AN INTERESTING MUSEUM EXHIBIT. 
An interesting exhibit of photographs of old 
paintings of Ceylon subjects has recently been 
added to the Colombo Museum, and form a valu- 
able collection. The ci'iginal paintings by one 
C. Steiger, were painted about 1760, and are in 
the possession of the ilijks Museum, Amster- 
dam. Mr. G. A. Joseph, of the Colombo 
Museum has been in correspondence with the 
curator at Amsterdam for sometime, and has 
now had these photographs specially pre- 
pared for the local Museum. 
The twelve pictures are of the highest value 
for the topography of Ceylon during the 
period of the Dutch occupation. Of some of 
the subjects depicted there is now no trace, 
but others are easily traceable and of con- 
siderable local interest. The exhibit is in the 
central hall of the Museum opposite the 
entrance. The largest photograph is a plati- 
notype enlargement which has been in the 
Library sometime. It represents the Grand 
Audience granted by the Dutch Governor to 
the Embassy from the King of Kandy at 
Colombo in 1772. The Dutch Governor was 
Juan Willem Falck, and others shown in the 
picture are Chief Administrator Bartholomeus 
Jacobus Rachet, Arnoldus Prankena Lieut.- 
Col.,and Godfried Leonhard de Coste,Dissave, 
THE DUTCH GOVEKNOR'S KESJDEXCE. 
The illustration of the Governor's resi- 
dence is of much interest. It was a large 
winding building with many windows, and 
surrounded by the formal Dutch gardens 
of many squares and oblongs, gravel paths 
and symmetrical flower beds. In the Adminis- 
tration Report on the Museum, iuformatiou 
