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elsewhere wherever they met resistance or the threat of it, as at Polgahawela, Naranmala, and Kuliyapitiya, and also Giriulla. The ringleader and a very large proportion of the rank and file of these gangs appear to have been people from Beligal and Hapitagam Korales, and even their local assistants were largely low- country men, of whom there are considerable numbers in Dambadeni and Katugam- pola Hat Pattus. In Weuda Willi Hat Pattu most of the rioting was undoubtedly done by villagers, but there is some evidence that the looting at Illukpitiya was carried out by people of Matale District, and the looting at Gonna and the neigh- bouring places in the south was certainly inspired from Rambukkana, though actually done by local rowdies. Again, both here and in the Hiryala, Wanni, and Dewamedi Hat Pattus, where rioting broke out, so to say, sporadically, it has been ascertained that, with a few insignificant exceptions, it was in every case inspired, and in most cases led, by low-country men, that it broke out at what may be called certain minor centres in each division, and thence spread to the remoter villages. It is also, perhaps, significant that where a low-country agitator was arrested on suspicion-as at Wellawa-the whole unrest disappeared, and where as in Kuru- negala prominent Buddhists either left the place or were so closely watched that they were unable to stir up trouble, no trouble arose. The conclusion is thus borne in upon me that the whole outbreak was planned from outside, but that there were agents in every more or less important place, whose business it was to promote disturbances when the signal was given, accessory to the disturbances made by the gangs sent in from outside; that these local agents did not know when the signal was to be given, and somewhat blindly started their disturbances when they heard of other disturbances, and at the same time somewhat miscalculated the amount of animosity which the villager bore to the Moormen. On this theory alone is it possible to account for practically simultaneous outbreaks in places so far apart as Weuda on the south-east, Makandura on the south-west, and Galgamuwa on the north, and for the subsequent practically simultaneous spread of the disturbances to other remoter villages, and at the same time to account for the fact that on the whole so little damage was done.

20. As regards the motives, those of the ringleaders must, I think, be sought elsewhere. The motives of the local participators (villagers) were partly religious and partly greedy, and in regard to both they were undoubtedly misled by the ring- leaders. That a religious flavour was given to the riots is clear from the fact that in most places the looting or arson, as it proceeded, was punctuated with shouts of "Sadhu," and that in many cases the people were collected for the riots by stories that some well-known Buddhist shrine, local or otherwise, was in danger of being looted by the Moors. As for the motive of greed, there is little doubt that the poorer villagers were animated by the hope of acquiring rice or curry stuffs cheaply, and still more by the hope of destroying the promissory notes which many of them had given to Moormen, often for very insufficient value received. In this they were encouraged by stories industriously circulated by the promoters that Great Britain was at war with Turkey, that the Moormen were Turks of a sort, or at any rate in sympathy with the Turks, and that the British Government would not, therefore, mind or actively interfere if the houses and shops of the Moors were looted and destroyed. An extreme example of this was the "proclamation," to which I have already alluded, read at Pannala, Elabodagama, and elsewhere. It should be noted that only one death was caused during the riots-and that was probably due to a ruptured spleen and that very few Moors were beaten or suffered any personal injury, while the Moor women suffered no indignity whatever.

21. In dealing with these riots I received very effective assistance both from unofficials and officials. I have already acknowledged my indebtedness to the Honourable Mr. T. B. Moonemale and Messrs. E. G. Goonewadene, E. P. Jayawar- dene, and A. Jayawardene for assistance in keeping the people of Kurunegala Town quiet, and to these names I would like to add the names of Mr. J. Sheridam Patter- son, J.P., of Delwita estate, who organized the planting community in his neigh- bourhood, with the effect of stopping all rioting there, and Mr C. A. Pieris, J.P., of Dunkennawa, who rendered valuable assistance to the Assistant Government Agent, Puttalam and Chilaw.

22 Of the officials, I desire to bring to the notice of Government the very valuable services rendered by Mr. R. J. Tyler, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Kurunegala, to whose exertions I attribute largely the fact that Kurunegala Town

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was immune from riot and the fact that the damage elsewhere was less than might have been expected. No trouble was too great for him, and for some time he was on duty practically day and night. The police arrangements made by him in Kurunegala Town were very satisfactory, and he was also eminently successful in keeping up to the mark the sub-inspectors in the minor stations. In addition, the arrangements for scouring parties were largely in his hands, and he commanded several of them himself. In all this he was ably seconded by Inspector Mortimer, whom I may perhaps be allowed to mention, though he is a subordinate officer not directly under me, as I necessarily had a good deal to do with him.

23. Of other officials, the report of the Assistant Government Agent, Puttalam and Chilaw, speaks for itself, but I may perhaps observe that the fact that so little damage was done in Chilaw, where the Moors and the Sinhalese Catholics have been at variance for years, speaks well for the influence of the Assistant Government Agent and his officers. Good work was done at Kuliyapitiya (Dandagamuwa) by the Police Magistrate, Mr. C. L. Wickramasinha. His first orders were perhaps injudicious, but the fact remains that he was on the whole successful, and it is clear that it was due mainly to his exertions that the gang which had looted Pannala, Elabodagama, and Paragammana stopped short at Kuliyapitiya, and that no damage whatever was done there. Good work was also done by the office assistant, Mr. A. N. Hutt, not only in carrying on the office when I was otherwise employed on riot work, but also in occasionally accompanying scouring parties.

24. Of officials not under my control, the Provincial Engineer, Mr. Powell, the Superintendent of Surveys, Mr. Stronach, and the Divisional Irrigation Engineer, Mr. Bradley, were appointed Justices of the Peace, but the occasion did not arise for utilizing their services as such. All, however, did good work in looking after scouring parties, and Mr. Powell gave Mr. Collins and myself valuable assistance in assessing buildings, as also did Mr. F. Sproule, District Engineer, Kurunegala. Mr. Templer, Assistant Conservator of Forests, happened to be in Chilaw, and was of great assistance to Mr. Codrington, as also were the District Engineers of Chilaw and Puttalam, Messrs. Coradine and Crowe, and the District Judge of Chilaw, Mr. Carbery.

25. Of persons in a semi-official capacity, thanks are due to Mr. F. Daniels, Crown Proctor and Justice of the Peace, for his readiness in proceeding to Giriulla at short notice as a Justice of the Peace, and to Mr. E. B. Daniels, Chief Clerk of the Road Committee, for assistance in enrolling special constables and in sifting the various rumours with which the town was flooded when the police were otherwise busily engaged.

26. The police on the whole worked well, and there is no ground for believing that the police in this Province in any way sided with the rioters.

27. I have left the headmen to the last. In two or three instances vague charges have been made that headmen led the disturbances, but none of these have been substantiated, and I think they are without foundation. In a few other cases there is no doubt that headmen, though they took no active part in the disturbances, took no active part in suppressing them. In these cases I have dismissed the headmen concerned. In other cases there is no doubt that headmen were somewhat timid in dealing with rioters at first, but where they showed activity later generally when support came-I have thought it better to take no further notice. On the whole, however, I think the headmen did very good work, and that it is due to their influence in a large measure that more damage was not done. The chief headmen, without exception, exerted themselves strenuously, and I would especially desire to bring to the notice of Government the good work of Mr. L. Nugawela, Ratemahat- maya of Katugampola Hat Pattu. It is quite true that most of the damage done in this district occurred in his division, but it must be remembered that his division adjoins Hapitagam Korale, whence the main attack upon this district came, and it was largely due to his exertions that the original raid on Giriulla was frustrated, and to his activity and example to the minor headmen that more damage was not done. He was on duty almost day and night for several days, and I think deserves the greatest credit for his exertions.

Mr. T. B. Madawela, Ratemahatmaya of Weuda Hat Patfu, and Mr. J. G. Tennekoon, Ratemahatmaya of Kiriyala Hat Pattu, also deserve great credit for keeping their divisions so free of disturbance, despite their position on the borders of Kegalla, Kandy, and Matale Districts. In Dowamedi Hat Pattu very little