CEYLON , a large See also:

• ISLAND (O.E. ieg =isle, +land')

The largest See also:

• SHIPS

The hollow in the lofty rock that crowns the See also:

• SUMMIT

There are twelve other considerable rivers, See also:

• RUNNING

The great See also:

• GEOLOGICAL

But the rains do not reach the opposite side of the island: while the south-west is deluged, the east and north are sometimes exhausted with dryness; and it not unfrequently happens that different sides of the same mountain See also:

• PRESENT

Leaving the plains of the maritime country and ascending a height of 4000 ft. in the central districts, we find both herbage and trees assume an altered character. The foliage of the latter is larger and deeper coloured, and they attain a height unknown in the hot low country. The herbaceous vegetation is there made up of ferns, Cyrtandreae, See also:

• COMPOSITAE

The vines were introduced by the Dutch, who overcame the difficulty of perpetual summer by exposing the roots, and thus giving the plants an artificial See also:

• WINTER, JOHN STRANGE
• WINTER, PETER (c. 1755-1825)

The dried leaves are used as torches, the large See also:

• LEAF (O. Eng. leaf, cf. Dutch loof, Ger. Laub, Swed. lof, &c.; possibly to be referred to the root seen in Gr. Ma-eta, to peel, strip)

Buffaloes exist in great numbers throughout the interior, where they are employed in a half-tame state for ploughing See also:

• RICE (Greek 6p6 a, Latin oryza, French riz, Italian riso, Spanish arroz, derived from the Arabic)
• RICE, EDMUND IGNATIUS (1762-1844)
• RICE, JAMES (1843-1882)

A See also:

• LICENCE (through the French from Lat. licentia, licere, to be lawful)

Crocodiles infest the rivers and estuaries, and the large fresh-water reservoirs which See also:

• SUPPLY (through Fr. from Lat. supplere, to fill up)

See also:

• MACKEREL

. . 623,011 2,29911 Northern Province . . 341,985 3,3631 Southern Province . . 566,925 2,146; Eastern Province 174,288 4,0361 North-Western Province 353,845 2,996' North Central Province . 79,110 4,002* Province of Uva 192,072 3,154 Province of Sabaragamuwa . 321,755 1,9018 3,578,333 25,332 The table of See also:

• NATIONALITY

The Sinhalese possess several original poems of some merit, and an extensive and most interesting series of native See also:

• CHRONICLES, BOOKS OF

The result of the inquiry was to show that the services, except in a few instances, were not onerous, and that almost without an exception the tenants were willing to continue the system. The See also:

• ANOMALY (from Gr. lwvw)

The general character of the soil in the maritime provinces to the east, south and west is sandy. Large tracts of quartzose sand spread along the whole line of sea-coast, some of which, of a pure white, and very deficient in vegetable matter, is admirably adapted to the growth of the cinnamon plant. In the See also:

• LIGHT

The remains of some of the larger irrigation works are amongst the most interesting of the memorials of Ceylon's former greatness. Some of the artificial lakes were of great size. Minneri, formed by damming across the valleys between the low hills which surround it with an See also:

• EMBANKMENT

Thick forest land does not See also:

• COVER (from the Fr. convert, from couvrir, to cover, Lat. cooperire)

By 1892 there were 262,000 acres covered with tea, and 71,000,000 lb were that year exported. In 1897, 350,000 acres were planted, and the export was 116,000,000 lb. By the beginning of the loth century, the total area cultivated with tea was not under 390,00o acres, while the estimate of shipments was put at 146,000,000 lb annually. Nearly every See also:

• PLANTATION (Lat. plantare, to plant)

But even with the advantage of See also:

• PROTECTION

The cinnamon tree (wild in the jungles, cultivated as a shrub in plantations) is almost the only one yielding a trade product which is indigenous to the island. The coco-nut and nearly all other palms have been introduced. Among other agricultural products mention must be made of cacao, the growth and export of which have steadily extended since coffee failed. Important also is the spice or aromatic product of cardamoms. The culture of indiarubber was begun on low-country plantations, and Ceylon See also:

• RUBBER, INDIARUBBER

It is generally believed that the See also:

• OYSTER

Owing to the greatly increased demand in See also:

• EUROPE

The cat's-eye in its finer qualities is peculiar to Ceylon, and is occasion-ally in great demand, according to the See also:

• FASHION (adapted from Fr. facon, agon, Lat. factio, making, facere, to do or make)

Roads.—The policy of the Sinhalese rulers of the interior was to exclude strangers from the hill country. See also:

• PRIOR (from Lat. prior—former, and hence superior, through O. Fr. priour)
• PRIOR, MATTHEW (1664-1721)

Most of the See also:

• DEBT (Lat. debitum, a thing owed)

The district See also:

• JUDGES, THE BOOK OF

F. D.; C. L.) See also:

• HISTORY

929-939). In an See also:

• EDICT (Lat. edictum, from e, out, and dicere, to say, speak)

The earliest of the great irrigation tanks, near Anuradhapura, was opened about 504 B.C. by the successor of Vijaya; and about this time was established that system of village communities which still obtains over a large part of Ceylon. The island was converted to Buddhism at the beginning cf the 3rd century B.C. by the See also:

• PREACHING (Fr. preecher, from Lat. praedicare, to proclaim)

Towards the close of the loth century Ceylon was invaded by Rajaraja the Great, the Chola king, and after a series of protracted See also:

• CAMPAIGNS

In 1408 a new misfortune had befallen the Sinhalese dynasty; in revenge for an insult offered to a Chinese See also:

• ENVOY (Fr. envoye, " sent ")

Many new branches of industry were developed. Public works were undertaken on a large scale, and education, if not universally placed within the reach of the inhabitants of the maritime provinces, was at least well cared for on a broad plan of government supervision. That which they had so much improved by policy, they were, however, unable to defend by force when the British turned their arms against them. A century and a half had wrought great changes in the See also:

• PHYSICAL

The Dutch and their proceedings have almost ceased to be remembered by the See also:

• LOWLAND

AuTHoRITIEs.—Major Thomas See also:

• SKINNER, JAMES (1778-1841)
• SKINNER, JOHN (1721-1807)

Trimen, F.R.S., director of Ceylon Botanic Gardens, Ceylon Flora, in 5 vols., completed by Sir See also:

• JOSEPH
• JOSEPH, COMTE DE (1785-1870)
• JOSEPH, FATHER (FRANCOIS LECLERC DU TREMBLAY) (1577-1638)