Civil and Military Establishments.
sufficient to dazzle, the1 natives of ,nCahdy,I are no ; better than
the G(^pi’ES|©f “afimai^tnMg(®egimeht. j
edLoud ihdiseh wbichi-seCmaytil enteninto fa ll. btfevi^as; g of ; grandeur
among a barbarous people, is never omitted in the train
ofiithe ytoohaEGfa.-; Hisi jpfg^i'^sSgis alwaysygttqnfJdd by !a;.*inuna-
fier:: of> pfeBforme^©]||^arious SBstffumeats»yguehLj asi(>tom-*torris.
ox.Gdruife^fiiyayrQusDsiles^^stein^tHrd, squalling' clariqnets, tpipes<>
ffo.gclp.ts, a.-sort of bagpipesi and pieces, of -brass- and iron. jingled
by ways of triangles.. The ! discordant noise produced by
ail [ thesejOsoundediarid. clashed at briae,ojwith^Mfte^mal|e^<g|^^
feitronittC8sfcime‘:soE){haEniony, is extremely.; disagseeaM% * ta b tbs
■ears of a. European. •
a But the most, remarkable.attendants .of. the monarch are a
set of people -furnishedI with long, whips of a peculiar kind,
who keep running -before the procession with -strange.; gestures
like madmen, to 1 clear thc^way, and announce the approach of
the king: .T h e whips are made of hemp, coy a , grass,..- or hah;*,
and. consist j.ojfi a thong : or lashi&om,;eightj to twelve feehloug,
■without 11 any ..handle. .The Toud . noise; .which -the. '
produce- with their whips, as well, as the ,'dexterity with which
they /avoid touching. those ■ in their;/way ; ishtruly
astonishing; although an European,; from ■ th e ^ hidiseriminate
mannermn t which Thbysappeaii to:. deal their lashjes, cannot fjbelp
feeling alarmedaforthis.’safety. I n .all the interviews, which the
embassy T attended had at the'..court of .Candy,;.thenerernouy :0;f
the whip-crackefsiv.wasifhav&ihmmitted, to. the great annoyance
of our troops, who where..very■ sulky,;and displeased; on the occasion.
J Indeed it . was impossible for the ; men under.; ..arms to
attend to; -«[hat they .were; about.; while these-jong; whips were
kept 'continually brandishing; and cracking a b o u t. their e^TS;
I I B iW P P y V'';> ’ ' v, - gjft
and foa? my own, part, altho^gh.-I^as- well^eonvineedj of th©
dexterity of those who wielded, them, yet I could not help
expecting -..every moment to j.;eome in;..;.: |op: I my share of chastisement
p
The civil and military ..establishment- of Candy is adjusted to'
the . despotic . form - of its .government, and promotion, and appointment
of all j sorts depend- wholl y cm the. .pleasure o,f the
prince-. The. .. institution of casts, hpwever, is preserved inviolable,
and officers of a..certain rank;must always be chosen out
of a certain class. White men rank, with the highest.,. The
regular troops, or standing army, do duty in . the interior, and
aye kept near! the -person, of the king, while: the defence, of the
frontiers is entrusted, to the j adjoining inhabitants,; who .compose
;a .sort of militia, and are obliged, to keep constant watch oyer
the entrances, into the country. .■ The various officers under the
king haye -various-,privilegns.mycpyding .to...their rank.
The,highest officers of gtate/are the Adigars^, or prime minis,-
.tqrs. They are two in number, and may ..by; said, to : share all
..the. power of the Scornt between .them.-, I : haye already, -mentioned
the, causes; which render the power ofy the present chief Adi-
■gar so.- formidable:; but, even .at .other times. have afforded
much eause o f fear and jealousy to the monarch,i To counteract.,
any dangerous designs which their ;tpo:.preponderating in-
fluence. might dnspkenit is the.-.policy off the king -to appoint
Jhs 0, Ad-igars,;:-of different disppsitionsfiaed, ppposife factions,
and thus prevent an union which might.(over.vyheiin him. . .The
distractipns;,whi.c-hr. these jarrin g : .interests, must-always produce,i;
and the fpogistatnt; and anxious; attention, which., the;king; must
bestow in 'preserving' a balance/,;between, -them, form. part, of th.e-
miseriek faataihgd; on a ;despptic. ’monarchy, which cannot', sub