Former and Present State of Ceylon. 36‘7 
making roads, and tlms opening the communication between 
tlie different parts of the island. It is, however, but justice to 
remark, that at the time I left the island, Govenor North was 
busily employed with every object which could tend to its ad- 
vantage. He was then on the eve of setting out on a tour 
round the island, for the sake of inspecting its state in person. 
In this expedition he was to be accompanied by several gen- 
tlemen well calculated to examine the various natural produc- 
tions with skill and accuracy. 
The revenue of Ceylon is of course an article of great in- 
terest and importance to our government ; but from what I 
have said of its present state and the improvement of which 
it is capable, it is evident that no fair estimate of the future 
revenue can be formed from its actual state. By the reports 
of the Dutch board of trade and revenue for Ceylon, it ap- 
pears that it was, from twenty to thirty years back, able to 
defray its own expenditure ; and at times the balance was 
even in favour of the island. The increase of military esta- 
blishments and expenses, how'ever, which had taken place in 
consequence of the destructive wars between the Europeans and 
the natives, joined to that corruption and inattention to public 
affairs which began gradually to undermine the prosperity of 
the colony, soon raised the expenditure far beyond the produce 
of the revenue. In 1777? and the following year, there was a 
great deficiency. In 1795, the revenue amounted to no more 
than 611,704 livres : while the charges of the establishment 
were 1 , 243,338 livres : so that the expense of Ceylon to Hol- 
land was 631 ,034 livres, or .^57,934 sterling. This deficiency was 
easily made up by the cinnamon, cardamoms, coffee, and other 
articles sent from the island to Europe, as well as by the 
