, 1875-11-03

either preached by the Malabars or allowed to
I'LL up and become dry. The people deserted
the country for other parts, where life was
more safe and a living more easy to be made.
The fields which had once borne rich crops
selapsed into jungle, and the whole Province
soon became as desolate as it had once been
fertile. Anuradhapura, which in the days of
the Great Dynasty contained 5000 ~ecclesias.
tics, exclusive of lay inhabitants, is now q
mere hamlet with only 700 souls. The sur
rounding country, which still bears signs of
having been densely peopled, had at the last
census a population of only 16 to the square
mile. In short, if the tourist in Ceylon wishes
to impress himself with the wild desolation
of jungle scenery, be could find no more
suitable locality than the Anuradhapura coun-
try, which was some 900 years back the most
populOus and best cultivated corner Of the
island. Within the last 90 or 80 years various
projects have been mooted for restoring the
country of the ancient Kings to its former
agricultural prosperity. The old tanks still
~eXist-ruined it is true, but yet within the
possibility of repair. It was the water from
these reservoirs which had in old times made
the country so productive, and if they were
repaired there was reason to hope that the
jungle would again give way to rice fields.
In Sir Henry Wards time a member of the
Legislature put forward a scheme for restoring
the tanks and cOlOniZing the lands round about
them by Tamil immigration from Southern
India. But, though this proposal met with
general appreciation, nothing was done. Euro
peans were too much engrossed in commerce
or In coffee planting to give warm support to a
project which did not seem likely to direct
~ benefit themselves, and it was not until the
arrival of the present Governor, Mr.. Gregory,
that the restoration of the Raja-ratta assumed
a nroOfi0ol uhana Mr. Gro~Ou1 Wv 1ou7n
to Anuradhapura and saw for himself a desola-
ton equal to that which was prophesied of old
of Babylon or of EdOm; but he marked also
that there was a possibility of repairing the
ruin, and when he had satisfied himself of this
possibility be lost no time in setting to work.
His Excellency's care was to cut off the old
Raja-ratta from the Northern Province, of
which it had hitherto formed a neglected divi-
sion, and to constitute it a Province by itself
under an agent likely to give effect to his
views. Accordingly the North Central Pro-
vince, comprising ASA square miles, and q
population of 7O,720, the bulk of whom are
pure Singhalese, was formed by proclamation
In the end Of 1873. The usual provincial Off
oials were posted to Anuradhapura, Courts
we're opened, and telegraph and postal cOmmu-
~nication introduced into the district. But
engineers and roadmakers were what the new
Province wanted most. Two of the principal
thoroughfares in the colony cut the North
Central Province, the north road from Handy
to Manaar, throwing off as it approaches the
new division, a branch to TrincOmalee. But the
minor roads by which the towns and villages
are reached are mere bride tracks, and almost
impossible for a wheeled carriage. Justice
Is being done to the roads as far as the funds
at the disposal of the Province will permit,
but the restoration of the Irrigation works
must obviously take precedence, as until the
prosperity of the country has been restored by
this agency the traffic will of necessity be very
easily served.
The Irrigation works are of two classes-the
great tanks, constructed by the Kings, -
more or less in ruins, and the village tanks,
which have been allowed to go to decay by the
thriftlessness and inactivity of the people
themselves. The system which Mr.. Gregory's
Government has adopted is a most sensible one,
The great tanks are works requiring both time
and a large expenditure of money to bring them
into working order. The acres which many of
these tanks occupy makes this fact quite appa-
rent. The tank of Basawakkulam near
Anuradhapura, the repairs of which are rapidly
approaching. completion, covers an area of
about 900 acres. The tank of Madawachohiya
which is also under repair, will occupy, when
full, over $50 acres. Then there are tanks
like Mineri and Padivii, which are really large
artificial lakes. The band or dam which con.
fines the tank of Padivil contains, it il said,
100000 O cubic yards Of earth-work and ma
- 4 ~ 4" . "