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TRINCOMALEE
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TRINCOMALEE , a See also:town and former See also:naval station on the See also:north-See also:east See also:coast of See also:Ceylon, too m. N.E. by N. of See also:Kandy. Pop. (1901), 11,295. It is built on the north See also:side of the See also:bay of Trincomalee, on the See also:neck of a bold See also:peninsula separating the inner from the See also:outer See also:harbour. There is a lighthouse on the extremity of Foul Point at the See also:southern side of the bay, and another on the See also:summit of See also:Round See also:Island. The inner harbour is landlocked, with a safe anchorage and deep See also:water See also:close to the See also:principal wharves; the outer harbour has an See also:area of about 4 sq. m. with a See also:depth of about 70 fathoms. With its magnificent harbour—one of the five or six greatest natural harbours in the See also:world—it used to be the headquarters of the See also:admiral commanding on the East See also:Indian station, with a See also:garrison of See also:infantry and See also:British See also:artillery. The breadth of the streets and esplanades somewhat atones for the mean See also:appearance of the houses, but the town generally has a gloomy and impoverished aspect. See also:Pearl oysters are found in the See also:lagoon of Tambalagam to the See also:west of the bay. A steamer from See also:Colombo calls weekly with and for passengers and See also:cargo. See also:Average See also:annual rainfall, 62; in.; average temperature, 81.2° F. Some See also:tobacco, See also:rice, and See also:palm are grown in the See also:district. See also:Attention was directed to the importance of Trincomalee as a naval See also:base in 1896, when a See also:commission of See also:officers recommended its being turned into a See also:modern fortress. The See also:work was commenced in 1898 and finished in 1904. All the batteries were rebuilt and fitted with modern appliances. The whole area was connected with See also:cable and See also:telephone communication, and armed with the latest type of guns; and the fortress was supposed to be impregnable; but in the following See also:year the station was abandoned, the naval yard closed, and the military garrison withdrawn. A See also:man-of-See also:war is still kept in Trincomalee Harbour, to work the defences. The town was one of the first settlements of the Tamil See also:race in Ceylon, who at a very See also:early See also:period erected on a height at the extremity of the peninsula, now crowned by Fort See also:Frederick, a See also:sample dedicated to Konatha, or Konasir, named the " See also:temple of a thousand columns." The See also:building was desecrated and destroyed in 1622, when the town was taken by the Portuguese, who made use of the materials for the erection of the fort. Thetown was successively held by the Dutch (1639,', the See also:French (1673), the Dutch (1674), the French (1782), and the Dutch (1783). After a See also:siege of three See also:weeks it surrendered to the British See also:fleet in 1795, and with other Dutch possessions in Ceylon was formally ceded to See also:Great See also:Britain by the Treaty of See also:Amiens in 1802. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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