Ceylon: A General Description of the Island, Historical, Physical, Statistical. Containing the Most Recent Information, Volume 1 |
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Ceylon: A General Description of the Island, Historical, Physical, Statistical Limited preview - 1994 |
Common terms and phrases
Adam's Bridge Adam's Peak alluding ancient appears Arab Arabian Archipelago arrived Asiatic Báhu Baldæus Barboso Batticaloa Bengal Brahmins Buddhist called Cape Comorin century Ceylon chief China Chinese cinnamon coast cocoa-nut Colombo contains coral Coromandel Coromandel coast Cosmas described Dutch East eastern Edrisi elephants feet formed Galle gems gneiss gold governor Hindu Hist Ibn Batuta India inhabitants island isle J. A. S. Beng Jaffna jungle junks Kalah Kandy Kandyan king land Lanka Mahawanso Mahometans Malabar Malay Maldives Manaar Marco Polo mentions merchants miles monsoon Moors mountain natives obtained Periplus Persian Pliny port Portugal Portuguese prince probably Ptolemy Raja Rajavali Reinaud remarkable resembling Ribeyro rice river rock rubies sailed Sanskrit says sent Serendib ships shore Singha Sinhalese Southern India Sumatra supposed Tamil Taprobane Tennent trade translation traveller trees Trincomalee Turnour Valentyn Veddahs vessels Vide ch voyage Wijayo
Popular passages
Page 121 - Aryan words and ideas ; or, at all events, they lived for a long time in contact with Aryan people, and adopted from them such words as were wanting in their language. If they now stand low in the scale of humanity, they once stood higher, nay they may possibly prove, in language, if not in blood, the distant cousins of Plato, and Newton, and Goethe.
Page 174 - ... the people are robust, warlike, and able mariners ; they sail in very large vessels to the country where the odoriferous commodities are produced, they plant colonies there, and import from thence the...
Page 366 - With the old language half forgotten, the new language not nearly half acquired, the time for acquisition past, unable to apply his native tongue to the development of what precise knowledge he has learnt through the medium of those rags of English to which he yet tenaciously clings; what is left to the unhappy victim, here of half measures, there of misdirected zeal. but to lapse into the conceited, hypocritical, petitioning, honestwork-despising animal, with whom it is not too much to say our...
Page 125 - Thereafter the followers of the prince formed an establishment, each for himself, all over Sihala. On the bank of the Kadamba river, the celebrated village called (after one of his followers) Anuradho.
Page 379 - ... have risen to eminence at the Bar, and occupied the highest positions on the Bench. They are largely engaged in mercantile pursuits, and as writers and clerks they fill places of trust in every administrative establishment from the department of the Colonial Secretary to the humblest police court. It is not possible to speak too highly of the services of this meritorious body of men, by whom the whole machinery of government is put into action under the orders of the civil officers. They may...
Page 31 - ... other islands, as Ceylon. It might be considered the Madagascar of the Indian region. We not only find there peculiar genera and species, not again to be recognised in other parts ; but even many of the common species exhibit such remarkable varieties, as to afford ample means for creating new nominal species,
Page 121 - There is a remnant of words in their language of which I can make nothing as yet. But so much is certain ; either the Veddahs started with the common inheritance of Aryan words and ideas ; or, at all events, they lived for a long time in contact with Aryan people, and adopted from them such words as were wanting in their language.
Page 121 - When these statements were repeated, I tried to induce the Government of Ceylon to send a competent man to settle the question. I did not receive all I wanted, and therefore postponed the publication of what was sent me. But I may say so much, that more than half of the words used by the Veddahs are, like Singhalese itself, mere corruption of Sanskrit ; their very name is the Sanskrit word for hunter, veddhd, or, as Mr.
Page 392 - ...Those who take life are in fault, but not the persons who eat the flesh; my priests have permission to eat whatever food it is customary to eat in any place or country, so that it be done without the indulgence of the appetite, or evil desire.
Page 32 - Teiinent, had brought to their knowledge a host of facts confirmatory of the idea that Ceylon was not a dismemberment of India, but part of a distinct and antecedent continent...