European; and even the.>Cingf e ^ y fhQ,,inhabit there seem, to
have lost their most ,prominent, native characteristics. The state
of agriculture, of architecture,- and manufactures, along the
coasts is so much derived from Europeans, that little of it
can be attributed to' the native . cultivation of Ceylon. In the
king of Candy?s dominions, whicli'loccupy the greater part of
-the interior, the invasion of. .Europeans has, on the contrary,
rather retarded than changed the progressive state: of civilization
and- the arts. Several features of the native character
-have indeed , undergone, some- alteration from this Cause; and
both from opposition . and intercourse,, the Europe,an manners,
.modes of warfare, and arts, haveln some degree become known -
do the» Candiaiis,.;
.h Another part of'the interior;. -hewer i r j ^ I vtiassQsp^p j y ^ , rppp
who seem to have r scarcely any tibing in^Ctg^o.m,eiIfed ^ fa i
the.Candians V Europeans. T.he Bedahs in /th e i^ f^ d f e ta n d
fountains still retain, their primitive
improved by. intercourse with their(neighbours, /jjFncli thr ^.anxiously
avoid.
Tim possession and manners of these ^jyo w^t^^the^Candia'ns
.and Bedahs, come now - to' be con§ider§d.4£, ^ ^ ^E ^ in t^M i|^ o n
which we. have ,been .able to obtain, hitherto onjjhose^
he 'still- limited and,-insufficient' to* satisfy curiosity, it is ■jjjpw-
.ever sufficiently extended to enable us to judge, how- far they
can he rendered of advantage to the_ colony. . Many fabulous
stories are told of th e interior and its inhabitants,. which/
mi°ht have indeed amused the reader, hut which at the same
time might have misled him. I have only advanced sucfyfact/
.as I either knew. to .be true from my personal knowledge, Q ;
which I found to be consistent with the opinion of the diet
informed. Several additional particulars relative to tire country^
and manners "oAsthe Candians willftbc vfyund in the/journal of
, an embassy - tbbthb'tottrfhr^Cahdi^ubjoi’fied to this volume.
The Mttjferior dfr- th<|48slltbd, ^ilftNaag' fd ^ th e # je a lo a s^ o f the
Dd?<S>* has ,-beemfl1^'fie-''ie'X|iHpred byh Europeans; j^and < any tra-
who m|g3|t: hayfewsobthihed' the permission ,‘o r the Dutch
tb' Visit it/, cohfdteor5 ha^^x&ctited' hE,vf)hrpos&.. frorp.the jea-Jj
W p t f fM h a t i i h s M '^ h ' The Candians haye<*been, driven, by.
their invaders into Wh%'imountainsriOfr file 'interior, "it has te e n ,
, th e ir» policy;' earl wily to hpr event / ’any European,’ from I sd^jng,
K9 win« li nn<iht tempt thh‘'«a\\nu'(Vot, lus ( ountRjV
|hreBf or'* sfr’crfn o’®slfvih:g<'-'%he#approaches< fey which an army»
|,ebhid’ptehCtrate^fheir mountains. I f an European! b y any/acei^.
‘ dent was /carf«d/ihto'v their t< t ritbiyt j^$hey took' every -prfecau—
•rron. ,'jtov prevent* hirri from/sf escaping?; 1 and thex»guards: statio
n e d / at thahapprOtiches^fj'oihed' to the wide and»
pathless^ woods ' wHich/dfyid'e the interipj^omi'the. ebast,: renTi
/dehidi/^M'' an ^attempt ■ almost com^letlfy^desperafe. When an,
rEthhassador/i^wts v sent - from any European,?, government*' to' Jhe
3Sj$9 fjg Candy,» le ' was iwatcheih hvith all that ,‘^traolfress and.
jealousy which the suspicious temper of uncivilized nations dictates
; and from an account subjqined to this volume of an
embassy which I . attended to the court of that monarch, it
will he seen how careful the natives were to prevent strangers-
. from making any observatibiak; Mr. Boyd, who about twenty
years. ago went on a similar embassy, was watched: with the-
same particular circumspection;; and lias therefore been able to,
iadd little To our stock of knowledge concerning the interior-,
p 'Ilhe dominions, of .the ■ ^ native prince are /completely ‘ cut off'
on' all sides from, those o f 't h e Europeans by almost iraperie