train, unaccustomed to the sight of a man, with head and eyebrows shaven, clad also in a dress they had never before seen-namely, the yellow robes of a priest of Buddha, thought that a spirit of evil stood before them, and not a human being. The priest informed the king for what purpose he had been sent to Ceylon, and put the following queries to him, to ascertain if his mind were sufficiently enlightened to understand the tenets of Buddhism: Have you relations? Many. Have you people not related to you? Many thousands? Besides your relatives, and those who are not related to you, are there others in your realm? There are no others in my realm, but there is one other, and that other one is myself. The priest, being fully satisfied of the intellectual capabilities of Dewinepatisse, by these prompt and sapient replies, commenced a discourse, illustrating in flowery language the sublimity and purity of the religion and actions of Buddha.

The

monarch listened attentively, and, approving of the doctrines inculcated, became a convert within ashort period, many of his subjects following his example. The King of Maddadisay had given a branch of the bo tree* to the priest, which was to be planted in Ceylon, if the natives became converts to Buddhism; and in accordance with this command, the branch was planted at Anooradhapoora, which was the ancient capital of Ceylon, where it miraculously grew and flourished; and the Cingalese now point out a bo tree at Anooradhapoora, which they declare to be the tree originally brought into Ceylon. The priest also brought part of the jaw of Goutama Buddha, which Dewinepatisse caused to be deposited in a dagobah, which was 120 cubits in height: wihares, or places of worship, dedicated to the service of Buddha, were built,

and the national system of religion was declared to be that of Buddha. Although we disbelieve the miraculous growth of the sacred tree, and many other fables connected with the arrival of the first priest of Buddha in Ceylon, still, from historical records, and the magnificent ruins of wihares, and dagobahs, that are to be seen at the ancient seat of governmentnamely, Anooradhapoora-we feel fully convinced, that it was in this part of Ceylon that the first wihare, or temple of Buddha, and the first dagobah, or edifice to contain relics, were erected. It is a curious and interesting fact, that in all countries, where Buddhaical doctrines are followed, the monumental buildings, which have been erected to contain relicst of Buddha, are invariably of the same formnamely, a bell-shaped tomb, which is surmounted by a spire. In Ceylon, these receptacles for the sacred relics are built over a hollow stone or cell, in which the relic is deposited, enclosed usually in a thin plate of gold, or in a wrapper of fine, white muslin ; with it are also deposited images of Buddha, pearls, and gems. These edifices in Ceylon are solidly built with bricks, which are usually covered over with chunam; and we subjoin an account of a dagobah which was opened in 1820, near Colombo, by Mr. Layard, the father of the enthusiastic explorer, and talented author of "Nineveh and its Remains." In the centre of the dagobah, a small, square compartment was discovered, lined with brick, and paved with coral, containing a cylindrical mass of grey granite, rudely shaped into a vase, or karandua, which had a closely-fitting cover or cap of the same. This vase contained an extremely small fragment of bone, pieces of thin gold-in which, in all probability, the bone had originally been wrapped-pieces of the blue sap

phire, and ruby, three small pearls, a few gold rings, beads of cornelian and crystal, and pieces of glass, which resembled icicles in shape. In the compartment with the vase were also placed a brazen and an earthen lamp, a small truncated pyramid, made of cement, and clay images of the cobra capella, or hooded snake. In an historical account of Ceylon, we read:

"The characteristic form of all monumental Buddhistical buildings is the same in all countries, which have had Buddha for their prophet, lawgiver, or God; whether in the outline of the cumbrous mount, or in miniature within the labored excavation, the peculiar shape, although variously modified, is general, and enables us to recognize the neglected and unhonoured shrines of Buddha, in countries where his religion no longer exists, and his very name is unknown."

The relic, which is considered most valuable by rigid Buddhists, is the Dalada relic, or tooth of Buddha,* which was brought to Ceylon during the reign of Kitsiri Majan, from Northern India, by a princess, in the year 310 of the Christian era; and in the 853rd year after the death of Goutama Buddha, to prevent the relic falling into the hands of a neighbouring monarch, who had made war for the express purpose of obtaining possession of the Dalada. Buddhists affirm that in whatever country the relic is to be found, that country will be taken under the special protection of Buddha; the nation, therefore, becoming, in the estimation of all professors of Buddhisim, a sacred onethus Ceylon is termed by the Cingalese, the sacred island. The Cingalese believe also, that their country never could have been completely subjugated, until a foreign power had obtained possession of the relic. In 1818, Sir R. Brownrigg, after the Kandian rebellion, took possession of the Dalada relic, and Dr. Davy, who was in Ceylon during the whole time of the war, thus writes:

"Through the kindness of the governor, I had an opportunity of seeing this celebrated relic, when it was recovered, towards the conclusion of the rebellion,

and brought back to be replaced in the Dalada Malegawa, or temple, from which it had been clandestinely taken . . . Here it may be remarked, that when the relic was taken the effect of its cap. ture was astonishing, and almost beyond the comprehension of the enlight ened; for now they said, the English are indeed masters of the country; for they who possess the relic have a right to govern four kingdoms: this, for 2,000 years, is the first time the relic was ever taken from us. The Portuguese declare that in the sixteenth century they obtained possession of the relic, which the Cingalese deny saying, that when Cotta was taken, the relic was secretly removed to Saffragam. They also affirm, that when Kandy was conquered by us in 1815, the relic was never surrendered by them to us, and they considered it to be in their possession until we took it from them by force of arms. The first adikar also observed, that whatever the English might think of having taken Pilimi Talawe, and other rebel leaders, in his opinion, and in the opinion of the people in general, the taking of the relic was of infinitely more moment."

The relic was kept by us from 1818 until 1847, and during that period was exhibited by the servants of a Christian monarch, to the priests and followers of Buddha, who came to worship the Dalada. On the 28th of May, 1828, the Dalada was publicly exhibited at Kandy to the worshippers, under the sanction of our government, the whole ceremony being conducted with great splendour; also on the 27th of March, 1846, there was an other public exhibition of the relic to the Siamese priests, who had come from their own country to worship the tooth. In 1847, however, orders were most correctly sent, by the home government, desiring the relic to be given up to the priests, to dispose of as they chose. Some of the chiefs and priests, it was stated at that time in Ceylon, proposed sending the relic to England, to be placed in the custody of the Queen of Great Britain, but this request, for obvious reasons, could not be acceded to, by a Christian government.

The superstitious belief of the Cingalese Buddhists is so well known,

that during the late insurrection, apprehensions were entertained that the ringleaders might make the possession of the Dalada subservient to their own purposes, and in Lord Torring ton's despatch to Lord Grey, dated from the Queen's House, Colombo, August 14, 1848, we read :—

"As the possession of the Buddhist relic or tooth, has always been regarded by the Kandians, as the mark of sovereignty over their country, and it was stolen and carried about in 1818, being used as a signal for rebellion, which only terminated with the recovery of it, it was judged right, by the commandant, to demand the keys of the temple, as well as of the shrine of the relic, which had been delivered by me into the charge of two priests and a chief, about a year ago. He then assured himself that this object of veneration had not been removed from its accustomed position, and converted into a signal of rebellion. But not trusting any longer to the integrity of the priests or chiefs, by whom the insurrection has been organized, the keys have, for the present at all events, been retained in the possession of the commandant."

The Dalada relic is placed in the principal temple at Kandy, which is attached to what was the palace of the Kandian monarch-in fact the Dalada Malegawa was the domestic wihare of the royal family. This temple is considered by all Buddhists as the most sacred in the island of Ceylon, from the fact that the Dalada relic or tooth of Buddha is enshrined within its walls; and during the reigns of the kings of Kandy, the people flocked from all parts of the island to worship the relic, on the various occasions of its public exhibition. The time for the exhibition of the Dalada was named by the monarch, and the nation looked upon that period as one of rejoicing the chiefs flocked to the capital, attended by numerous followers; elephants were to be seen bedecked with their richest trappings, their masters reclining luxuriously in the howdahs, which in many instances were attached to the bodies of the elephants by broad bands, studded with pearls and precious gems. Palanquins, bandies, haccories, and every description of vehicle were also called into requisition, to bear the inhabitants of distant villages to the scene of re

joicing. When the appointed day arrived, the monarch, accompanied by the whole of the royal family and chiefs, all clad in their costliest jewels and robes of state, went to worship the relic, which was exhibited by the priest of the highest rank, who reverently raised it above his head, to enable the assembled multitude to gaze thereon. As soon as the vast assemblage caught a glimpse of the sacred relic, they salaamed most lowly, giving utterance simultaneously to the exclamation of praise—“ Sadhu”—this word was repeated by those who stood in the back ground, until the air was replete with the sounds of adoration, and the joyous expression was re-echoed from hill to hill. Festivals and rejoicings succeeded in the palace and the hut, until the excitement and enthusiasm which had been called into action by the exhibition of the relic had submighty throng of chiefs and people, sided-then, and not till then, did the who dwelt in distant villages, depart for their respective homes—and tranquillity again reigned in Kandy.

The Dalada Malegawa is an edifice of two stories with a curved sloping roof, built somewhat in the Chinese style of architecture, and is approached by a double flight of stone steps. Upon entering the temple, the walls are found to be covered with sacred emblems, and decorations of brass a flight of steps lead to the sanctuary, which is situated on the upper story: this room has folding doors with brass panels, on either side of which curtains are suspended -the apartment is about twelve feet square, and without windows, consequently the sun's cheering rays can never illumine this abode of superstition. The walls and ceiling are hung with gold brocade, and white shawls with coloured borders; a platform, or table, about four feet high occupies the principal part of the room; this table is also covered with gold brocade; on this shrine are placed two small images of Buddha, the one of gold, and the other of crystal; before these idols, offerings of odoriferous flowers and fruit are placed-four caskets about twelve inches high, enclosing relics, are arranged on the shrine, in the centre of which stands the casket, or karandua, which contains the sacred tooth. This casket is in