The Dawn and Dawn Society’s Magazine August 1910

Indeed all competent authorities and observers—those who have visited the ruined cities and towns of the island with their thousand and one landmarks of ancient glory marvel at the stupendous character of the works of public utility undertaken and completed by Sinhalese monarchs for the amelioration of the material condition of the Sinhalese people vestiges of such gigantic works suirviving to [...] hospitals and dispensaries asylums charity-halls and the rest of them for the relief of the old the sick the infirm the indigent and the decrepit throughout the island. [...] 133-134) Again we read in Tennent—" The emotion of the traveller of the present time as day after day he traverses the northern portions of the island and penetrates the deep forests of the interior is one of unceasing astonisment at the inconceivable multitude of deserted tanks the hollows or which are still to be traced ; and the innumerable embankments now overgrown with timber which [...] " In the southern section of the island " continues the same authority " the frequency of_the rains and abundance of rivers afford a copious supply of water ; while in contrast to this state of things the rest of the country is mainly 'dependent upon artificial irrigation ana on the quantity of rain collected in the tanks or of water diverted from streams and directed into reservoirs. [...] The drainage of wealth from our country may be checked thereby but the flow of money would be diverted frdm the pockets of the foreign capitalists—not into those of the industrial classes who are most in need of it but—into the coffers of the capitalists of India.