CO882-(1-2) — Page 95

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

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C.O. 882

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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money, jewels, arms, and followers; prostrated himself in homage at Matelle, and only deferred joining him openly till he should be further on his march towards Kandy. And the same chief on the day before the outbreak, when too late to take pre- cautions for its suppression, wrote to the Govern- ment Agent of Kandy for the first time to make him "and that acquainted with what was coming, nearly all his own tenants and followers had joined the rebels, and with the few people he had left, he said it was useless for him to attempt resisting such a multitude."

"The brother-in-law of this very chief was taken the following morning at the head of an armed party opposing the Queen's troops, and the Maha Nilleme's report, which was timed so as to arrive too late, was merely designed as a groundwork to make his peace with the Government in case of failure." (Mr. Parsons' Letter, p. 96.)

In the same manner Kandepolle Basnaike Nilleme, a member of a chief's family, himself formerly a chief of one of the temples of Korne- galle, on the eve of the outbreak at Kornegalle, sent intelligence of the intended outbreak to the Government Agent the day before, and the next morning entered Kornegalle sword in hand, at the head of rebels, and led the attack upon the town.

--(Mr. Stewart's Letter, page 33.)

These were the only instances of authentic information communicated by the chiefs to the Government previous to the insurrection.

But independently of these expressions of opi- mon the matter is susceptible to some extent of being brought to a satisfactory test by taking the lists of the persons arrested for treason, and of those tried by courts-martial and the supreme court, and distinguishing those who are chiefs and head- men from those of ordinary rank.

And the same tests present equally intelligible evidence of the unsoundness of the assertion that those actually engaged in the insurrection were low-country men and not natives of Kandy.

I perceive that the list of the names of thama Question 4274. arrested and tried was placed in Mr. Wodehouse'i hands, and that in reply to the inquiry “whether the majority of the people who were put on trial

were what is called low-country men or headmen and

Question 4276.

False statements as to the panic of Government,

Intimations of danger.

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chiefs of districts;" he replied "that many of them were low-country men, and that he was not aware that there was the name of a chief in that list at all; a large number were low-country men but there were some Kandyans also.”

The list thus presented to Mr. Wodehouse was

that of the persons tried by court martial, printed

at

page 258 of the Blue Book of Ceylon papers.

[I shall here produce the list in question, analysed

so as to exhibit the real character and rank of the prisoners.]

Having thus described the nature and extent of the late conspiracy, its origin, its motives, its agents, and its organization, I shall now proceed to the movements of the rebels, the conduct of the Government, and the measures resorted to for its suppression.

I find in relation to this, that two conflicting representations have been made to the Government -one by Mr. Anstruther, that the intelligence of "need- the outbreak threw the Government into a less" panic, under the influence of which they adopted the most unnecessary precautions.--The other, that the intimation of the approaching dis- turbances were treated with indifference, and the rebels allowed to proceed without molestation till they should have committed themselves overt acts of high treason.

Both these representations are alike incorrect, and the measures of the Government demonstrate there was neither panic nor supineness.

The Committee will understand how difficult, if not impossible it was to get any authentic informa- tion of the treason in progress, when their own con- fidential officers, the chiefs and headmen (who are the ordinary channels through which the Govern- ment is kept supplied with information as to what is passing in the country) were themselves the chief conspirators.

Hence up to the last hour the utmost secresy was preserved, and the police themselves had no means of obtaining information, for not only are they confined to the town of Kandy itself—but not being Kandyans (as the Kandyyanakwill not enlist in the foros) they have no ommunication with Kan- dyans, and can get no information. They are ́n mere patrol, and an inefilment one.

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