, 1879-07-08
BODY.DURNING.


Cremation OF Slf AL NcO1nHFH o"hH'3s
Cfgnn Ttinss.
Oyer LOCO persons. representing every class OF |
The Inhabitants Of Colombo. assembled in the |
uuconsccratcd portion Of tile Horella Cemetery |
uu Monday to Witness the cremation Of tic 70.
tDa{uy Of the Hon. Sir n. Coomara Swany, tho
Tamil representative in the Legislative Cosn.
CT, who, as we announced In our Inst issuc, died
OIL Sunday morning Mt his residence at Co'potty.
rhis was tile first timc, We believe, thai q cre-
nation has taken place In tile cemetery, which
probably accounts for the preacnrc OF tnany per-
suns who vera merely attracted by curfosfly;
md, as 1t may sectn somewhat stranao thnt thu
ccrcmany, which we are ubout to describe,
should take place Within few hun.
tlrcd yards OF tho consccratca por-
Lou Of tl'e cemetery .sn. we may ,..s exp1ni5 ,n
necessary permission Oil the principle that
cemetery Has for common use, anli that the
portion OF It not consecratcd could not bo dc-
lastn and whateYcr teir funeral rltca might br.
Tie necessary site was therefore 1urn!slled Tor
tic funcral pyru Of the dseeased knleht. and
was indicated BY T. somewhat nnvcl eonstrnc.
tEon. Four ptantaln trees heavily laien with
fruit were p1accd in such pts!tion tllut tlley
| formed tue corners vi kind of altar composed
| Of sluiaiwoou. T!ic silts VI the altar wgru
sctecn..l with white cloth. md the covering vas
ine rrofuselv nsel to give it an attractive ap.
ncsrarce. Nuar at liaM was lurec supply Of
| BlnuaIwood to l1c USED after thu 1uly Ind becti
deposited on thu pyrc a,d te presence o. IT,
| Ing g!,ce md other tntiann1abc ,nascr!nl lu-
tleated TINT every preca,ltton hud been taket'
! to reduco tho body to asucs rs Quickly as pos
! sib1o, 60.
| The cprtecc was announced to leave the real
icuco OF the deeeasc1. at O'Clock precisely. but
owing IN the roundabout way tlle procession
took, It was considerably past before ttarFiyed
frttu in II
covered By L crimson pail With gold fringe was
conveyed to tho Cemetery Oil afIcarse suripol1nt.
| ID hy u pagotla.st,apcl construction u willie
linen. rcitevcd witt! black n'.d studded with a
linen. As ,lle hearse Yas slowly drawn by Its
two horses, coolies p!aced long strpa Of cDttl II,
front of 1t, 50 TINT from Colpetty 10 Botcl!a the
horses feet rarely touched tin auFfaGe Of tlr
road. Behind tt,t hrarsc was striug OF nearly
| a hundred carriages, among tic oerupnnts ut
wnlrA we're Capt. Nevl lfurne, 4. D. C.,. repre-
synt,nE II. +. the dovcrt'nr, Ohsef justice
steynst, nnf lnany ohrr prominent citizens.
toguillrr with IN Influential representation oi
uifer classes, .....-
When tIlc pvrc wos reached tho hcarse waa
drawn around 1t three t!mes. ind the rotiln was
Chie!-Justieu pticar, Mr.. Justice Stewart, tllt
Hon. Mr. Vanc, a,,d tlc Hon. j. Van Lnngen
bcr9. Then bcran what was ansthlnS but =!
eIliyIng sight, Or one calGulntetl to nuh' to TIL
, sulcmuty Of tile death. 4 number Of natives
, men md women, begun to piic uycr thu COLL,
huge loga of annduwood, md secmcd 70 rcgars
the LABOR ae my p'a m4stanssltnarE character
for tiny chattn1 nndr aiI'sured' '"sna pnshetf Il
to and fro Just It they wcro unloading boa
! | In The 1ntbOr. Lug upOn loE VIA piled uDof
= Tic yo1Iit,, until at lust It was altogoer coll
. poaled frotn vlcw, ntni then two tins ot kcrnscn
9 wcru pourcl oyer the pile. while cntnpnor nns
I other ingredients TINT hare pleasant odo
!. when burnt were liberaily eEnployod, togoilc
with the ghec III The chatsics nIrcady mentioned
! tlust, when tic patience Ut ihe Europeans
exposed, many uf them, for nearly TWO hour
:. to tbe heat OF the sun, Was nearly exhallstct
the coolies, who llatl nsstuuously piled on Il!
n su,,tAlwood, were told 10 deslRt from. the'
!, work Dy tiis time the pllc OVER tllc collin tia
Il rrncI1c4 tIle CANOPY, some ot tho timber cur
Il sistiug Of wood thAt had apparently At on
J: tftno formed tlle pIllnrs Of n dWc!lang.hous'
II au!l tlMt took two mon to earry.
Then Mr. Tn1nlah, wllo took pn nctive part
directing the operations, requested the crow
to retirn form few yards. THIS request w
Willingly nrcrtlGd 10. ant. TWO nntlvcs mh!' wei
| atttret is eoulles, but who We Aro told wei
T. MurIcsts,n blew u melancholy wall for a IL
muucnts on eoncl, shells. AZ they d!d SO It
pysu wns Hired bY mcnus OF q torch, anu IN
n second nt two Wns 1nnss III 1lnnes, the i1ci
~ from which was uncomfortable. Most OK Il
"a Europeans present, having srcn this mich
Tie ceremony, at onco departe.l, but largo nuE
'1 lsrs oi natives, Ne nre informed remained II
e. I'll tho pyru was nothing hut u f'enp Of hshc
Is These aslirB, wo believe, will be carefully Ct
as irclc and after Ro1ne ceremony scattered eth
- ! III thu SeA or in river.