CO882-(1-2) — Page 74

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

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Reference :-

C.O. 882

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COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

BE

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

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assent to levy war and expel the British, and their

preparations by collecting arms and manufacturing

gunpowder.

The chiefs, as usual, complained of the decline of See Mr. Buller's reports to the their influence, and the abstraction of their accus- Colonial Secretary, p. 101,

tomed power over the people, and the people com-

plained of the judicial system and the necessity of feeing proctors, "whereas, in former days, they could appear before the Revenue Commission, and obtain a speedy redress for all grievances.”

2nd. They complained of the sale of their chenas - by the Government.

The priests complained (not of any actual mea- sures of the Government regarding religion,) but "of its rapid decline, its ceremonies ill-attended, the offerings few, and little attention paid to the temples, which are crambling away and decaying with the religion itself.”—(Page 163.)

It is idle to argue against the probable issue of such outbursts-their hopelessness of success, and their want of organization, concert and rational plans of operation. All this is true;-but in the face of such deficiencies and wants, we have the facts of these movements and the mysterious an- nouncements of the priests as to lucky hours and astrological omens, the incredibly slavish obe- dience of the people to the bidding of their chiefs, and their literal adoration of the kingly character, implying by the very name, in this instance, Ku- mara Devyo, the Prince God.

The very facility of exciting such movements, Extent of the feeling against us. notwithstanding such difficulties, attests the univer- Bality of the feeling against us, and the impatient longing of the people to avail of the slightest opening and grasp at the wildest chance to effect our expulsion. So universal is this feeling, that the people, and even the chiefs when excited, attempt no concealment of it; and a striking instance of this, pregnant too with illustrations of the general causes of dislike to us, is afforded by Captain Wat- son's Report of the opposition offered to him in 1843, when attempting to trace a new line of road by order of Government in the vicinity of Kandy.

The Vidahn of the village, as the head of the Captain Watson's Report about inhabitants, resisted him, and drove him off, with the Koondesalee Hendrien

the assurance that the recent conviction of the

Pretender Chandrayotty, had not left them with-

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out leaders, and that every European should be killed or expelled, in order to put a stop to the sale of their forests and the violation of their paddy lands by the introduction of roads. (See Letter produced.) Chandrayotty himself, in his confession, admits that no sooner was he enlarged from gaol on a charge of treason in 1842, than he set himself to mature a rebellion in 1843. And in the same way, no sooner was Chandrayotty, the one pretender, seized, than (true to the threats of the Vidahn) a successor was found in the person of his sword- See letter of J. Dannewelle, (In- bearer Jawa or Dennis, who, we have now abun-

Recent life of the Pretender.

closure No. 3, p. 250.)

dance of evidence to prove, instantly set himself to arouse the people to a fresh revolt. And Mr. Dunewelle, the Kandyan gentleman who writes to the Maha Moodliar, states that for the last fire years he had been so engaged (a period precisely corresponding to the dates of his former trial and his late arrest.)

In 1846 the agitators considered the country again ripe for revolt, and a fresh insurrection was planned to take place, during an elephant hunt between Matelle and Dambool, the scene of the recent outburst. A King was announced to be on his way from the coast of India, and the people were turned out by hundreds to clear the roads in the vicinity of Anarajahpoora, and to open up the paths leading to the temples.

The project, however, failed, as the elephant hunt was postponed; and the conspirators, appa rently finding the people less excitable than they had anticipated, deferred their attempt till a fatare opportunity. The proceedings of the Pretender subsequently were not altogether unknown to the authorities; but there was a reluctance to entertain apprehensions, and an inclination to ridicule the ides of disaffection; to doubt every suggestion of disloyalty in chiefs or people; and to smile at the apprehension of it amongst the Kandyans.

From time to time we heard of Dennis and his movements, but they were spoken of with such aneers and comments as coupled them with contempt; and in May or June, 1848, when I heard, both from Kaigalle and Kandy, of his having been active there in raising contributions, on the plea of pre- paring for some great political movement, I wrote

• See an account of this gentleman at page