CO885-(1-2) — Page 168

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

TTTTC.O.

885

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

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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The Governor was of opinion that these ordi- New Papers, pp. 188 and 226. nances, though much complained of, had little to

do in originating the rebellion, which was rather the periodic return of the similar attempts of past years, and due he thought to the disappointment of the chiefs and priests at the results of British rule as affecting themselves, in which view he was sup- ported by Sir H. Maddock, Deputy Governor of Bengal, at that time on a visit to Ceylon, who thought the Cingalese and Kandians far more lightly taxed than our most favoured subjects in India.

The priests, the Governor considered, were parti- cularly exasperated at the conduct of Government in regard to the Buddhist religion, beginning with the refusal years ago to compel the attendance of the people at religious festivals, going on to the deliberate omission on the part of Government to appoint religious officers, and the disallowance never- theless of the ordinance which was to enable the priests to make valid appointments of themselves; and finally, not stopping short of the abdication of the custody of the tooth. a measure Lord Torrington himself had recently carried into effect under ex- press orders from the Secretary of State.

But it seems to have been admitted by the Governor upon reconsidering his measures, that some of them, in their details at least, involved just cause of complaint, and that others, though unobjectionable in reason, must be altered or aban- doned for the sake of appeasing dissatisfaction and reconciling the people to the enforcement of those And it was on a which were to be adhered to. general review of his position, resolved by the Governor to abandon on the latter ground the shop- tax and dog-tax altogether, to make the arms-tax a single charge once for all, instead of an annual one,

Ditto, P.

290.

and to give a more popular character to the road- Ditto, p. 268.

tax by devoting a portion of the proceeds to the

repairs of tanks, and by exempting the priests from its operation. This last change was almost admitted by the Governor to be one of necessity, as in the first place, a priest could neither own money nor labour with his hands, and hence could not per- sonally obey the ordinauce without either violating his vows or losing his caste; and in the second place the plan of procuring substitutes by which it

New Papers, p. 268. Ditto, p. 300.

Not printed for Parliament.

Ditto, p. 262.

Also see despatch dated Decem

ber 11, 1848, p. 301, containing

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was originally thought this dilemma would have been avoided, had proved, upon examination, to be beset by unforeseen difficulties. It was further admitted by the Governor, that the system of arms registration had proved very burdensome to the people, and that the price of 28. 6d. fixed for the license on each piece was too high a proportion to the entire value of the weapon (the proportion in question being often one-third,) to be in justice or by possibility continued as an annual charge.

The changes thus resolved upon by the Governor were to be necessarily embodied in ordinances, two only of which, one amending the road ordinance and one repealing the shop-tax, have been as yet. received in this country.

Lord Grey, although by no means concurring in the change of measures, has informed the Governor that he should advise Her Majesty to disallow none of these ordinances, his Lordship being un- willing to throw obstacles in the way of the local Government at a time of considerable difficulty. For similar reasons his Lordship has not declined or delayed to advise the confirmation of the Bill of indemnity, though he has pointed out to the Governor that he is not altogether satisfied with its provisions.

The Governor has thought he may anticipate from the satisfactory state of revenue as compared

a view retrospective as well as with expenditure for the first half and indeed the prospective, of the financial af- fairs of the Colony,

first three quarters of 1848, that in spite of these changes in his original plan and the extra expendi- ture caused by the rebellion, the finances may recover their balance, with the single assistance of a loan of 50,000l. which, to cover the latter, was obtained on the 1st September, 1848, of the Oriental Bank at 5 per cent. on condition of repayment by Mid-

Ditto, p. 263.

Ditto, p. 312.

summer 1849.

It is however proper to observe that a later view of the Governor's, being the last as yet received, is not so sanguine, and that in framing the estimates for the new year 1849, he has proposed that Her Majesty's Government should relieve him of the obligation of making positive provision therein for the payment of the usual military contribution of 20001. a mouth; he desiring that this should be made contingent on the productiveness of the II