I J& Air O.I M

VOL. XXXYIIJ.J APRIL, 1948 [No. 8. BROWN BOOKING-HAM I J& Ai£ r O.I m T Hit is a typical example of the really good value CONT -.NTS " which is to be found in any department at Millers. There's 'nothing- showy about it, vast a pleasing sensibly shaped earthenware teapot which is thick PAGE Lftterh on Ceylon 37 enough to keep the iek hot ■ s.ad poxtrs without; 1 . any fuss. Available in 4 convenient sizea, 2 Genealogy of the Family ot Kelhu' of Ceylon 50 ( TliuMraiion apprQ.riwate ) 3 Genealogy of the Family of Albert Jansz of Ceylon 57 4 Genealogy of the Family ot Thiedeman of Ceylon 63 1 cup w,e Rs. 3-00 4 cap sh',e l?s. 4-00 3 „ „ „ 3-35 r 5 Annual General Meeting . 72 Pnce# are Netf, 6 News and Notes 77 Contributions are invited from }nentbers on subjects calcula- I ted to be of interest to the Union. 3ISS. must be written on one \ side of the paper only and must reach the .Editor at least a fort- i night before the date of publication of the Journal. | Published quarterly. Subscription Rs. 51- per annum, 2>oht COLOMBO I free. Singh fvpi^, if available, lit*. ISO to he had at the \ D. B. V. Hall. VOL. XXXVIII.] APRIL, 1948 " [No. 2 LETTERS ON CEYLON BY CAPTAIN L. DE BUSSCHE [In 1817 there appeared a publication bearing the , title " Letters on Ceylon; particularly relative to the Kandyan Kingdom" by Captain L. de Bussche, of the 1st Ceylon Regiment, Captain de Bussche ivas an officer attached to the staff of Sir Robert Broivnrigg, who was both Governor of Ceylon and Commander oj the Forces. De Bussche,. who seems to have been of foreign descent, as he says in his Preface that he has " written in a language which is not his own", resided in Ceylon for several years, and like the military men of the early days, ivas of a literary turn of mind. He accompanied the Gov ernor on his expedition to Kandy in 1815, and his account of the opera tions, as ivell as of the early history and administration of the island, possesses features of special value. De Bussche appears to have main tained a long correspondence with a friend abroad during his stay in the island, but only four of Ms letters have been published, dated res pectively , 19th June, 1815, 7th July, T816, 24th July 1816, and 3rd March, 1817. The book is now rare, and'it is hoped that the re-publi cation of the letters (without the appendices) will bring the work to the notice of a wider circle of readers. The old spelling of names has been retained—-Ed.} Letter I Colombo, Island of Ceylon, 19th June, 1815. Dear Sir, More -than eight months have elapsed since my last letter was written ; and although I am well aware that the public prints must, long before this, have informed you, generally, of our military operations in this Island, yet our success has been so complete,; and its results so im portant, that I cannot deny myself the pleasure of giving you a more ample detail of our short, but' effective campaign, The conquest of an extensive, rich and beautiful country; its annexation to the 38 THE JOURNAL OF THK CUTOB: BUBGHER UNION 39 British Crown; and the downfall of one' of the most savage and The wife of Eheylepola, and his four children, vrere butchered in wanton tyrants that providence ever permitted, for a time, to the presence of the King,, with every refinement of cool-blooded cruelty. • scourge the human race, have been achieved .in forty days, without The infanta were decapitated in the presence-of their agonized; mother, the loss, on our side, "of a single man. who was then forced to pound their bleeding heads-in a -mortar.-:'-After ' " A victory is twice itself, when the achiever this, her own throat was-cut, and the body, with the remains of her " Brings home full numbers." children, cast, into the lower tank-of .Kandy. SHAKESPEARE. The third instance almost equals in atrocity, the last,-and as;" what- d ; . The- cruel, career of Yikrimi Rajah Singha (for such is the name of have just noticed as the operative cause-of our -preparations for wars ■ the deposed King of Kandy) is at an end.,' and his perfidious and which by this act became .unavoidable, with.any regard to national.-' inhuman conduct towards the sickly and enfeebled garrison at Kandy If, honour - and .the -protection-'due to those; under ■ our < allegiance. .Ten -• in 1803, in breach of a solemn treaty, at length amply avenged. native merchant^- our subjects*--regular.traders'- in> cotton> cloths, ■■ etc;, . The country, which he held by usurpation, and which groaned under « passed the' limits [of the Kandian-.Territories', :about twelve.months ago. his misrule, hails■ its deliverers. It is ours, both by the" dominion of ' (July 1814),' as they 'had-been allowed to'do for the last-ten years, when -. arms and the ascendancy of opinion, and the tyrant himself is a prisoner on a sudden they -were ■ seized; accused of being spies,-and. without-any .- in his fort. ■ trial, in the presence of the'King, mutilated in-the-most-horrid, .manner. My last letter .told you, that asmall corps of observation was formed Their noses'were first'cut off, ^ and. then an arm and an ear-of ^eaciu ? in November last, under the command of Major'Hook, second Ceylon Seven of "these unfortunate ^sufferers, died .under the operation, ;.or in J regiment;, it was shortly'afterwards ordered to. Hang-well, a small fort consequence'of it.:i- three; alone-survived-to reach', our,.frontier^ .and-'; ; in our old territory, and thence to Ayisahwelle, a villlge on OUT frontier, announce the fate-of their companions and themselves. -about thirty miles from Colombo. These and-other such acts ■ of ferocious despotism produced appli-i • Other corps, from different points, ,-as I shall- state hereafter, were cations -;.-to-our.i government: for protection and assistance, from-many.; ordered to be held in readiness for service; quarters; not only-from our-own .subjects^ but also -from. numerous The preparations, were imperiously, called, for by the. outrageous and^ bodies of: .Kandians/-- Discontent and -.disturbances prevailed in all the - . barbarous conduct ..of the '.King .of Kandy towards some of .our unoffend- Kandian provinces, .which induced our. Governor to order Major Hook's ■; .. ing .subjects,. who. had ;passed the,. frontier ior,the purposes ,of trade, as Corps tothat-frontier, dn.'the .neighbourhood of which-the King of they had been accustomed to do, under the implied sanction of hie Kandy's -troops1,. and ..the insurgents under Eheylepola, were principally ;. • government, and at a time, when no misunderstanding with our own had assembled. '■ ...been avowed, and when no provocation, had been given.or meditated. The ■ necessity ■ of- -a war- gained, -every- - day strength, ■ .and" it became ■ - . The necessity of those, preparations, became .more, pressing, from the more urgent-tomake preparations for offensive- operations.' . Our -means- *" .. increasing disaffection.of his own subjects, alienated by his oppression, were, comparatively speaking, few, not only in the-number of-disposable- . .and looking, towards .us -as .their only source of .relief. Amongst the troops, but. also for the conveyance of ammunition and. provisions. To ■ many. and.flagrant instances of cruelty.and.injustice which.this..monster ' increase the former, an application had been made to the government of was daily..'guilty.of,' I will only.mention three of the..most prominent. Madras for about two thousand five hundred men, which were readily , Pelame Talawa, the first; Adikar (or ..Minister), by-whose:.assistance the promised, and actually put in motion to join-us; and in furtherance of - tyrant had usurped the throne, and who at all times had served him , the letter, the civil officers of government, in particular the collectors "of faithfully, was, in the year 1809, on some frivolous pretence, treacher districts (as more nearly connected with our field operations) assembled," ously murdered. To, him succeeded. Eheylepola as Adilcar, whose by incessant labour, the necessary number of camp followers and bullocks influence for. a while was considered unbounded. He, however, in the ) for the transport-of ammunition, ■ camp equipage and provisions, and ■ course of last year, fell under the displeasure of his master, and was thus enabled the different corps to take" the'-field. I heed not say, that.'': ordered- to court, to answer a complaint urged against him in his every officer-and- soldier hailed with satisfaction ■ the order which :was absence. .Well-knowing what' the consequence of such a summons now issued to 'prepare for field;service.>|: There were indeed not want--: would be, whether guilty, or innocent, he retired into the province of ing persons ■" who, from : past experience,- and reverting '.to ■ former mis- Saffragam, of which he was also Vessave or chief. There he assembled fortunes, were--adverse-to-the expedition; but I must-render justice to— ; his friends, with a view to resistance, but being defeated, helled into every one in-Ceylon by saying, that whatever their private opinions.:. the British territory for protection. Had he fallen into the hands of his might be, as to the impolicy or-danger of the measure, it had no .effect;; ■ offended sovereign,-his rebellion might have justified the utmost severity; ■ but who can read* without shuddering with horror, of the revenge which *The order was not issued till the'21at No'vember-1814, mOnths'-after-the- out-*-' was inflicted :by this monster on the Adigdr^s guiltless family, who, rage committed on oursmbjects^so that fulltime was jnven to the tyrant of .Kandy ,: according to the custom of the' Court of Kandy, bad been detained at the to have explained this -act,, had it-admitted of explanation^ or had he been disposed ■ capital as hostages for-his fidelity ! to give it.

Load more