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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :---

C.O. 882

1 ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH---NOT TO

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The new taxes were mostly enacted by ordinance in the spring of 1848, and announced for collection about Midsummer, the changes in the import and export duties having been promulgated some months previously, and announced to take effect as above stated, as to the former from the 6th January, as to the latter from the 1st September, 1848.

The road ordinance, which was that providing for the largest amount of new taxation in a direct shape, viz., by the contribution of 38. in money or six days' labour, was finally passed in May 1848, but was not intended to come into operation till January 1849, in order to allow of time for the preliminary arrangements.

The murder in the month of August 1847, of Lord Torrington to Lord Grey;

dated September 6, 1847. Mr. Dick, a magistrate, when in the performance of Papers nct printed for Parliament. his duty, by a shot fired by a native, was made the occasion of proposing the Arms Ordinance, which thus bore the character of a police as well as a Some such restriction was financial regulation.

proposed by Sir C. Campbell in 1842, and its expe- diency had been often acquiesced in since.

338. Confirmation of the differ- ent Ordinances.

All the ordinances but one (that imposing the shop- New Papers, pp. 327, 328, 329, 313, tax) were confirmed by Her Majesty, under Lord Grey's advice, subject to the caution given to the Governor to watch their operation with attention, and with a view to the correction of all unsuccessful details. The shop-tax ordinance was reserved for Ditto p. 378. further consideration. No mention of it was for a time made to the local Government.

Though these taxes as it will be seen from the preceding statement had not come into operation in the early part of last summer (1848), and could not therefore have yet been felt as oppressive by the population, the circumstance of their having been enacted was taken advantage of by those who on other grounds were disaffected to the Government to misrepresent their red nature with a view of creating general discontent. Advantage was also taken for the same purpose of statistical inquiries which had been made by the Government. reality no other object than that of substituting authentic information in the Blue Book for returna which had hitherto been made without any know- ledge of the facts they professed to state, but great pains were taken to persuade the ignorant natives that

These bad in

New Papers, p. 135, &c.

Ditto pp. 144 und 145.

Ditto P.

159.

Ditto p. 148.

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the statistical accounts thus called for were intended to prepare for the imposition of a great number of new and burthensome taxes, to the number of no less than thirty according to some and even thirty- six according to other reports industriously spread abroad. From the operation of these causes great dissatisfaction began about the month of June 1848, to be evinced by the native population, and on the 6th July reached the height of a tumultuous but unarmed assemblage at Kandy, which beseiged the office of the Government Agent, demanded a repeal of the obnoxious new enactments known as the Road, Shop, Dog, and Gun Ordinances, and were with some difficulty prevailed upon to disperse. The Govern- ment Agent of Kandy, Mr. R. Buller, had upon unfavourable rumours reaching him visited different parts of the districts under his charge before this tumult occurred; and his report to Government of the unfavourable state of feeling he found existing had determined the Governor to depute Sir E. Tennent, the Colonial Secretary, to make an ex- tended tour of the country, in order to disabuse the popular mind of the erroneous impressions which ignorance or misrepresentation seemed to have pro- duced as to the intentions and objects of Govern- ment. On the tumult taking place, Sir E. Tennent, already prepared for his journey, hastened with sil speed to Kandy, and convened immediately a meet- ing of the people there, in which he publicly explained the nature of the new Ordinances, and freely heard and answered all doubts and objections forthcoming from the assembled throng. Sir E. Tennent parted with the meeting on friendly terms, held a second meeting a Kandy a few days after the first with the same success, though now the attendance was purposely confined to the higher clames of natives, and then proceeded on his tour through Anaradhpoora to Aripo, repeating his ex- planations at all the places of importanpe, with, to all appearance, a uniformly mtisfactory effect. But before Sir B Tennent could regein Colombo, the popular movement which · för a while appeared to have subaided under the tranquillizing influence of his conferenses with the people again' broke out, and now in a more formidhible shape.

On the 26th July, plaouette and notinen haring