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PUBLIC RECORD

OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O. 882

5 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO

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No. 9.

SIR A. E. HAVELOCK to the MARQUESS OF RIPON.

MY LORD MARQUESS,

(Received June 18, 1894.)

Queen's Cottage, Nuwara Eliya, Ceylon,

May 15, 1894.

I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Lordship's Despatch, of the 20th April, last,* transmitting copy of a question asked in the House of Commons as to a petition addressed to the Legislative Council in favour of restricting the importation of opium and bhang, and desiring to be furnished with a copy of the petition and a report upon its contents.

2. In compliance with your Lordship's request, I have the honour to forward, herewith, copy of the petition asked for, together with a newspaper report of the public meeting at which it was adopted.

3. I am given to understand that the Imperial Drugs Regulation Act, referred to in the fifth paragraph of the petition, would not prevent the excessive consumption of opium by those who are disposed to abuse its use. saying that the protection sought to be given in Burmah has proved to have failed in I believe, also, that I am right in its objećt.

4. With regard to the last paragraph of the petition, I beg leave to observe that bhang is grown in Ceylon, and that the prohibition of importation would probably lead only to an extended cultivation of the herb, while the restriction of the use of opium and bhang to the regularly licensed apothecaries and dispensers under medical prescriptions would preclude their use in directions in which they are now beneficially and harmlessly applied.

5. I have, in my Despatch of the 4th March last,† reported fully on the subject of the sale and consumption of opium and bhang in Ceylon. I am unable to add to the facts and arguments set forth in that Despatch.

6. The statement made in the House of Commons by Mr. Samuel Smith, that the petition was signed by all the unofficial members of the Legislative Council, is not correct. The petition appears to have been signed by only one unofficial member of the Legislative Council, the full number of unofficial members being eight.

I have, &c.

Enclosure 1 in No. 9.

A. E. HAVELOCK.

To His Excellency the PRESIDENT and the HoN. MEMBERS of the LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OF CEYLON.

The humble memorial of the undersigned Natives and other residents of various races, religions, and classes in the Island,

Respectfully showetb,-

1. That the people of Ceylon have never been known to grow and prepare opium and bhang for sale.

2. That the Sinbalese and Tamils, who constitute the vast bulk of the population, have not been accustomed to the use of these drugs.

3. That, until of late years, their use in this Island was almost entirely confined to a limited number of Malays and descendants of immigrants from the Straits Settlements and Far East; but latterly, in Colombo especially, through the facilities offered in licensed Native shops for the sale of both opium and bhang, Sinhalese, Tamils, and even Eurasians, are found in increasing numbers among the customers and users of these drugs.

4. That your petitioners verily believe that the indiscriminate use of these drugs will rapidly spread, to the serious injury, moral and physical, of peoples never accus- tomed to them, if their sale is not put under official and medical restrictions and regulations.

3. That there is nothing in the case of Ceylon or its people to prevent the application of the same regulations for the sale of the drugs as prevail in the United Kingdom, or, at the very least, as have been granted for the protection of the Burmese.

• No. 7.

↑ No. 6.

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6. That the Sinhalese, Tamils, and other Natives of Ceylon have as strong a claim on the attention of the British Government, in a case of this kind, as had the Burmese.

7. That the priests, teachers, leaders of the Buddhists, Hindus, and Mahommedans are quite as urgent as Christian ministers and missionaries in desiring these restrictions and regulations.

8. That your petitioners, therefore, humbly pray that the importation of both opium and bhang into this Island be, at as early a date as is possible, prohibited, save through the agency of the Civil Medical Department of this Island, and that their sale be restricted to the regularly licensed apothecaries and dispensers under medical prescriptions; while, if it is thought necessary to meet the cases of any confirmed con- sumers of the drugs in quantity, a register be opened for such, after the manner adopted in Burma.

And your humble petitioners will ever pray.

PUBLIC HALL, DECEMBER 9th, 4.15 p.m.

J. FERGUSON, H. SUMANGALA, JOSEPH GRENINE,

and others.

RESOLUTIONS PROPOSED and CARRIED at ANTI-Opium Mæting.

(1.) Moved by the Hon. Abdul Rahiman, M.L.C. Seconded by S. C. Obeyesekøre, Esq.

"That J. Ferguson, Esq. do take the chair."

2. Moved by Advocate J. C. W. Pereira, Barrister-at-Law. Seconded by Rev. A. F. Dibben, C.M.Š.

"That as no opium or bhang is prepared in Ceylon for sale, and the Natives of the Island have never as a whole or in any appreciable number-uutil very recently been accustomed to their use, this meeting protests against the unrestricted sale of the drugs in any quantity at Native shops licensed by Govern- ment, as leading to the entanglement of the people in the habit of using these drugs."-Carried unanimously."

(3.) Moved by Rev. T. C. Hillard, W.M.S. Seconded by Rev. W. Hankinson, B.M.S.

"That the case of Ceylon-with an extremely limited population of Chinese and Malays—is much more favourable than that of Burma for the application of restrictions on the sale of opium and bhang similar to those existing in the United Kingdom, with the establishment, if need be, of a register for any regular opium consumers, who could get what they want from the Civil Medical Department."-Carried unanimously.

(4.) Moved by High (Buddhist) Priest Sumangala, Colombo. Seconded by 8. C. Obeyesekere, Esq.

"That the Sinhalese population of Ceylon strongly desire the restriction of the sale of opium and bhang and the suppression of the existing Native licensed shops in Colombo and throughout the Island.”—Carried unanimously.

(5.) Moved by E. W. S. Senathi Raja, Esq., Barrister-at-Law. Seconded by N. Teyagaraja, Esq., Barrister-at-Law.

"That the Hindu population of Ceylon strongly desire the restriction of the sale of opium and bhang, and the suppression of the existing licensed shops in Colombo and throughout the Island."-Carried unanimously.

(6.) Moved by M. I. Mohamado Ally, Esq., J.P. Seconded by A. T, Shamsedeen, Esq.

"That the Muhammadan population of Ceylon strongly desire the restriction of the sale of opium and bhang, and the suppression of the existing licensed shops in ́ Colombo and throughout the Island."—Carried unanimously.

(7.) Moved by Rev. F. D. Waldock, B.M.S. Seconded by Major Jays Vers (Salvation Army).

"That the Christian population of Ceylon strongly desire the restriction of the sale of opium and bhang, and the suppression of the existing licensed shops in Colombo and throughout the Island."--Carried unanimously.

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