FUBLICATIONS OF THE SOCIETY

l. Papanca Sudani, Parts I & ll2. Extended Mahavamsa (Pali Text): G. P. Malalasekera Rs. 7.50

The above are iSsued under the Chalmers Oriental Text Fund.

3. Folk Songs of the Sinhalese: W. A. de Silva and G. P. Malalasekerain Sinhalese, 247 pP. Rs. 1.50'

4. Maldivian Linguistic Studies: W. Geiger Rs.7.50

OFFICE.BEARERS FOR I945

Potron:

His Excellency Sir H. M. M. Moore, G.C.M.G.

Vice Patran:

Hon. Sir John H.oward, C.J.

couNclL 1945

President:

C. H. Collins, C.M.G., C.C.S., 1942

Vice'Pres idents ;

P. E. P. Deraniyagala, M'A., A.14.' !?11Dr. S. Paranaviiana, Ph.D. Litt.D.' 1945

Major S. A. Pakeman, O.B.E., M.A.' 1945

Ex-President:. P. E. Pieris, C.M.G., Litt. D.

ORD'NARY fiEfi1BERS:

F. A. Tisseveresinghe Hon. Mr. C. W. W-; Kannangara, LL'D', M'S'C'i. de Lanerolle - Andreas Nell, M.R.C.S.

i.-i. Mendis, Ph.D. Rt. Revd' Dr. Edmund Peiris, O'M'l'E. W. Perera, Bar'at-Law P. D. Ratnatunga, Mudaliyar\. L. Brohier, F.R.G.S. J' H'O. Paulusz

c. i$/i;i;ltlngr'",c.N.c. i;. t. c. Kadirgamar.

Hony. Secretary:P. E. Pieris

Ca-Hony. Secretory:

H. H. BasnaYake

Hony. Treasurer:

, E. W. Kannangara, O.B.E., C.C.S.

Flcasc torrcrt the numbting oJ the pagu in your topl oJ Pert I, as this should comncncc

Jrom t end na, Jrom 193.

H["'MPHREY WILLTAM CODRINGTON

Ir,r- tirc cl::rtli of ll .\|.(--odrington, rviricir occurrecl in Lo'clon o* Nor.cmber- rl t,,J-:," \ir. j1,pj'.'1. J,:rs l,rst ,,rre of its lrosl ,fi.tirji*f,"J"n.,ln,l,"rr.-: ;;. i.:ll;".lliil,'J;.,:,i ;,,:'Jilrrt",t.tt1t'il;11{i,,r1

f,, ,n" ..,i.ri:,',ltnl r',irt,,,y "na

'i'irr .ider s{rr of Irear-Adr'irar \\riliiar, (irtlri'g1rxr. c.n., ancl theI1,,'r i,lr \lls. (,r,1;i11g.tlrr. ilrrlrli,l;,"l, ti,iii;,,,,, ( t,ririrrgtr,ri rr,;rs lrc,rrr un:;,( r.itl; uI_5gIic.111Ltr. ri7(r. t'le receiretl ],i. crrll educati,rn at \\.irr_,lrt.:lpl rnr,I graduated Irinr \erv (., tf"e", OriJ'Jl 'p*.;;;'1,1, "= "r';r,let c'r'trre curorri;rl,t ir.ir Scr-ric", t,..i-lr,.,i ,r r.)(u iris off1qin1 iarc"rirr this islalrd, during the course of ,uf.,i.l, fr. frc,lcl mair1, irnportairt airpoint_

'erts until, i' rg3e, hc retirectr i.otr'r th" seivice rvrrire r,uiai'g ;h"'port or(i'vern'e't Agent rf rhe ceirtral p;"i;;r;;. Ii" ;;;,:.;;'i]F"li'" oor;nsthc first \lbrlcl \\.:rr. At-tlte,_,..t'r"ok of tl,e pr_ere't r.var he.ioi'ed the{. R. p. Service and acted :Ls rlir Raici WuJ",,.tnrn,r;il;;;;J f:,'urrrr,,.

He'rarried -fovce Marri Rre.clen i" r9i9 rttJ'"a . a."Eni;r;il t*i .orrr"[n t'e co'rse of a busl' .fficiar career, cocrrington {ounci tirne to inrzes-iig;rte var.icrus problerrrs connectecl wiih the il]rt".l.,-"irrrrlrIrr"ti,

^r_rain scriptions,of ('-s1'1nrr :mri to .t"o. *"nJ.-*is.urr.epti.,.rs rvhich prevailedaino'g schola.rs bef,re

'is t.ime. He w-'as, ., trr"-i."r.i,-i)'.#*"'g.a r"S1'riac stucies, in rvrricrr ciepartme'l

"f il;;1;l i.;;;;;s;;;,i, iitir",*_b"rtici' is acijudged br-conrpete*t a.thoritier t" b;;-i;;r"i ;*"porinnt n,r".codrington na.s, bc\-.'nrl anr,' question, ,re forerriost r,vriter on cevlonrrurnis'ratics. His irriere_st iri rlle i"uj".i'r..nrs to lrar.e becn cvirrcedirot long after rre arrir-ed i. the irr^"a',-i"r'r, b-c,,i;,;i;;;.",,ibiini r* ,l,uColombo fufuseitm, Muha,tnra,t,,, ir,-rt"irr,ipron, .pur:i'i, ir, ;;i;; ,9"4..\ numbcr- of. papcr-s de.aling rn irlr parii,:uinitgu"rri,,,,, r.elaline to nrrnris_rr;,tics trave bccrr r'rl,rished br r,;m in i;&;{.;.

"r irrirl"i,riifi il *"tt u,ir tlre rrtrrv defiurct Crt,tg1t.),,:i;,,,,;;0"n,','i'f;i,,,.,,11,Rtgistrr. ln 'is

(.rvio'(-nitts nnd ctrrt.etrc\,. rlrr.lrlished 'l1l ir," l.J',n G,,,."rr,,rrr"lrt irr r g"o,"."nJ,rr,Ilr.nioir.f tlret',,l,inrl,,,ttr,.eum,tt,ei"i,,,i;subicctt_,f tc1 lorr\umisinatics'as

been ti-eatecl i, a m<_rst .n-p."t,.r,ii re nrrO ,.notarly manner. lt rvilltto cloulrt renraiir. for- 6;111y deiacles tu *_", the standard rvork of re_ference on the sirbject.

1..:1:l,lq,:"'s e.iri,,' ,,Irlrc,l,iar'r,f Sir Joirrr Dbrli, publis'ed br t'is''t'l€t) rl r()r7, tirro*s rrrrrch liglit .rrr rhi cvents..irriing ,n; irri,l:):';illrc Sirrlralcse l<jrrurl,,rrr. His "1,,tes,--'aa'Sgn*,t

lu erplain obscure.p"irrrs i' thc i)ia'i. ini'1'g.5 rrre rea.icr-wiii, r1. ;r.i;;;,;'i"J*,..g"t'hiclr c.driirgtou po55si5.a i,i{";ljlt i"rtit.rtions ancl traditions a'dItis fanriliarilr:rriili ilrc tt,Pugr.aphr ,,{'1he *".,,,ttnn c(,lrntrv. -4s frrrtlrerL lulls ,,f this sidc,,f his stridies i,,"r b;;;;,rlJ"".f fj"l..l o',, i)),')o1,t,,l't ititi f>o I Ii tt rttl t,tr tt t t,;, i-, i,,i i'rn,,i,,,ir,,"),,i)'7,r;, r,,,"r.., iint,lJi,",,, , ur ot.lt,,rirc$.]riit ,il<irr is tlrc rler.r rrscful f,1nssn,l_tl",,l .\otir,,..horcigtr and Antli_r ist rl u'olds t,cct t'riit! i,t O.lfitit,l rt,i, ,:irjb,,i.t(( (trd ollt)) ioctlmr,ttr,{t ,rl,lnrbo, re:-i.).

(iodr-ingtorr's stiudies on the History of Ceylon were not c'nfi'ecl t. aItar.ticrrlar- pcr-ioj op {1q.r,. ln .4 .s}i,,ri'uiri); oI Cr.vtitl.' (i;;;;;, \926),jro Irirs gi'cr a su'rlrr;rr\ .f rhe isrand'ri,i;.irr-irorri tn".!.ii"rii'i_". upr,, tlre fatl .f rrre s;nrrirere kil,c;;;;;;;i;;. .t.he brei.itl r,f rrre workrr"i l'r'c'erited rrirr fr-m r,eari,ig'tii"'r'ir1.Jt ;,, tretair, but the sarierrt

J/5b JOURNAL, R.A.S, (CEYLON) ;vor. XX-{VI Ni5)98-r9451 r{uMpHRErr wrLLrA}{ coDRrNGroN

facts are passed in review andhe has made it a poiLt to include only suc\information as could be considered absolutely reliable at the time thebook was published. The bibliographies attached to the various chaptersare very helplul to a student desirous of making a detailed study of aparticular period.

Codrington also undertook the detailed studS' 6f certain periods of theisland's iistory, concerning which there was much uncertainly and dif-ference o{ opinion among icholars. In this task, he has made a criticalanalysis of fhe original documentsbearing uPon each period , examinedthe views of previdus writers and has given his own interpretation of thecoursp of events. Some l{otes ott t}t'e Da*tbadeniya Dynasty _(C. A' and1.. R., Vol. X pp. 37-53 and 88-99) was followedblt lhe.Campola

' Period of Ceyloi History, published in the journal of this Society (Vol.XXXII;' pp. z6o-3ogi. -Of tirst rate importance is his'paper^entitledIrlotes on tlLe Kandyai Dynasty iu. tlrc Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries(Ceylon Literary Re{ister, fhirdSeries, Vo1."II, pp. zpg--zg6-1nd 343;35.r)king Senasammata Vikrama Bdhu, who ruled the Udarata- in thefifteinth century with Kandy as his capital,had tillthen been confoundedwith his earlier namesake, vikramabahu III of Gampola. His successors

were very vaguely known. By an examination o{ the stone inscriptionsIeft by tie ruleri of this first Kandyan Dynasty, their sannasas andreferences to them in Sinhalese literature as well as bv Portuguese his-torians, Codrington has succeeded in giving us as coherent an accountof them as is pbssibie with the material available so far.

Of great importance to the student of history are Codrington's re-.""."1i"s into ihe mediaeval geography of Ceylon, the results of whichare embodied in a paper entltled ly'oles on Ceylon Tgpography 'in tha'

Tutetfth Centwrtt, pulliinea in this Society's journal (Vol. XXIX pp'6z-7+ and Voi. XXX pp. 7o-gl. In connection with the campaignsof Vijiyabahu I and Paiekr'amabdhu I, the Ci:i,laaarirsa mentions a large

ttrtt'td"i of place-names, the vast majoritl' of l"thich are not easily recog-

nisable in the pali forms in which they occur in the chronicle. It is, ofcourse, impossible to have a clear conception of the course of events.particularly of a military campaign, without -an

adequate comprehension6t tt.," geographical Uaikground, and the identification of these place-

names #itftfririr modern Jquivalents is a necessary preliminary to writirtga full and intelligible modeirn account of the histbrl'of the-period. Thesagacious historical scnse of Codrington, co.pled with his intimatef."%*i"Ai" "i thosc parts of the ista-"nd wnich'witnessed the historical

,rhappeniigs alludecl to--in most of which he had served, at one time or

;dJr, ;.? high administrative official-enabled him to identify beyonddoubt many dt ttre important scenes of events in the twelfth century'How much later studenis of Ceylon history ought to be indebted to Cod-

rington in this respect can be giuged bv one if he refers to the foot-notes;tl:;h;a i;G"ig;;'. translation c"f the-seconcl iraif of the great chronicleof Ceylon. One"of Codrington's discoveries,-of capital historical and geo-

graphical importance, *"Jth" fact that theCatauatitsa, when ,it refers to

?n.5"f.tfrin5p^.-"' ihe Southern Quarter' doesnotmean the southerrtpart of the isiand as a whole, Uut it the Rdiarattha. \r\ hen a Pl-ace,t;mentioned in the chronicle as located in the Dakkhi4a-passa' it shoutu

be soughf for, not in the present Southern Province, but in the Kuruna-

e"h, u?tite or Kegalla Districts,or "rr",.t

it - th;;;;ih";" half of the

Anurddhapura District.

codrington was not content rvith obtaining the materiai for his historicalresearches at second hand. whether he was clealing with tlie historv'of the earlier sinhalese periods, or with the rater porluguese and Dutcirpenods,,he went to the original sources, for the'nclersLnding of whichhe had th-e necessary attainments. This red rrim to a stu<ly of ihe inscrip-tions and sannas(6. In collaboration with that veteian antiquary,H c P' Bell, codrington wrote a criticism of some parts of wickrerna-singhe's Epigraphia Zeylanica (C. ,4. and 1-. R., Vol. IV, pp. 19*35).Two inscriptions of the.Polonnaruva periocl,edited by codiingto", n""ubeen published in this journal (Vol. XXVI, pp. 53-6; and \,'ol, XXX,pp. 27r-279). He has also contributed a n-umber of papers oir Ii{'scrip_tions and sa'nnasa', belonging to different periods, to^vtls. III and IV.oI }he Epigraphia Zeylanica. In his epigraphical work, too, Codringtonexhibits the same critical acumen uncl-.iatirre schola,rship as are shownin the other fields of his studies.

The results of codrington's researches in vet another aspect of thehistory of ceylon are embodied in one of his rite-qt publications, namery,Ancient Land Tenure and Reuenue in Cqtlora, (Co1ombo, r%7). Thematerial pertaining to this subject for the early centuries ii v".j: -"r.gr"and not always easy to interpret. After the ioming of the portuguesethere is more abundant material. Alr this material, fiom Sinharese, T.-imil,Portuguese and Dutch sources, has been br.ught together by codringtonand discussed with his usual acumen in relattio'n to tire practices stiil"pre-vailing, or w€re prevailing till recent times. in the villages. Like hiswork on cevlon Numismatics, it is the most comprehensi-ve treatmentso far attempted of the subject,and wili remain foi a rong time t. comeas a staridard work of reference.

Codrington possessed all the qualities which go to the making of asound scholar. He never allowed prejudice or se'timent to affect hisreasoning and was very exact in his meihods. He *ever arrived at hastyconclusions; but was e-ver ready to revise his jucrgment if subsequeniinformation necessitated doing so. He rvas extr:emely irra".i.io*,

"rrathorough and was never satisfied till ire liad coilccted all thc cr-idence

f,"".tn* on a particular topic in which he happened to be intercstecl.tlc,always consrrlted othe^rs working irr the sanle ficrd es he, and shared

Iitl th"ry the copious information wnich hc lracl srrcceeded in garher.ingrrom vanous sources. . Th^e present writer had many opportinities oTcoming into contact with codrington, owes. much to iii. i"lp;."iior, "rraguidance and entertains pleasan"t memorie's of his persona'litv. Neverin vain did he refer fo codrington ;- k,roi;,' ?"iil#'iririch heencountered in the coLlrse of his 6pigra.phical nria'nirto.i.a.r it'dies.

,,t:lii"glrJ wiltr u'ithuut doubr occupl r iiigh piace rmone rlrose dis_

l:g,T].ir:q Englislrmen who havc ial.loririd trcvotcd[v .rrcr disirrreresteclry1r1

et.ultdate. the pasi hi:torl' and culture nf 'arious'peoplcs

anrong whomao.mrnistrative ncc"ssitl has matlc tlrcm spcnd tlic be:t parts if theirrrves. His name will i;c rtmcrnbered rvith honnur and gratitude b)-the,lill-1:^".f,9:ylon s., long as they continue lo take an 'intere.st in

"theirrstand s hlstorv.

S. PaneNevrr.lNa