CEYLON

AN ACCOUNT OF THE ISLAND

PHYSICAL, HISTORICAL, AND TOPOGRAPHICAL

WITH

NOTICES OF ITS NATURAL HISTORY, ANTIQUITIES AND PRODUCTIONS

BY

SIR JAMES EMERSON TENNENT, K.C.S. LL.D. &c.

ILLUSTRATED BY MAPS, PLANS AND DRAWINGS

FOURTH EDITION, THOROUGHLY REVISED

VOLUME I.

LONDON

1860

CONTENTS

OF

THE FIRST VOLUME.

PART I.

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY.

CHAPTER I.

GEOLOGY.—MINERALOGY.—GEMS.

• I. General Aspect.
• • Singular beauty of the island 3
  • Its ancient renown in consequence 4
  • Fable of its "perfumed winds" (note) 4
  • Character of the scenery 5
• II. Geographical Position 6
• • Ancient views regarding it amongst the Hindus,—"the Meridian of Lanka" 6
  • Buddhist traditions of former submersions (note) 7
  • Errors as to the dimensions of Ceylon 8
  • Opinions of Onesicritus, Eratosthenes, Strabo, Pliny, Ptolemy, Agathemerus 8, 9
  • The Arabian geographers 9
  • Sumatra supposed to be Ceylon (note) 10
  • True latitude and longitude 11
  • General Eraser's map of Ceylon (note) 11
  • Geological formation 12
  • Adam's Bridge 13
  • Error of supposing Ceylon to be a detached fragment of India 14
• III. The Mountain System 14
• • Remarkable hills, Mihintala and Sigiri 15
  • Little evidence of volcanic action 16
  • Rocks, gneiss 16
  • Rock temples 17
  • Laterite or "Cabook" 17
  • Ancient name Tamba-panni (note) 17
  • Coral formation 19
  • Extraordinary wells 21
  • Darwin's theory of coral wells examined (note) 22
  • The soil of Ceylon generally poor 24
  • "Patenas," their phenomena obscure 24
  • Rice lands between the hills 26
  • Soil of the plains, "Talawas" 27
• IV. Metals.—Tin 29
• • Gold, nickel, cobalt 29
  • Quicksilver (note) 29
  • Iron 30
• V. Minerals.—Anthracite, plumbago, kaolin, nitre caves 31
• • List of Ceylon minerals (note) 32