A Description of Ceylon, Containing an Account of the Country, Inhabitants, and Natural Productions;: With Narratives of a Tour Round the Island in 1800, the Campaign in Candy in 1803, and a Journey to Ramisseram in 1804. Illustrated by Twenty-five Engravings from Original Drawings, Volume 2Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme ... and A . Brown, Aberdeen., 1807 - Cingalese |
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Common terms and phrases
51st regiment Ambassador ammonams appearance Aripo arrived banks Barbut Batticaloe Bengal artillery boats British bungaloe Candian territories Captain Ceylon choultry Cingalese Colonel Barbut Columbo command Condaatchy considerable coolies court of Candy cultivated Dessauve detachment divers Dutch eight elephants enemy English erected Europeans feet fever fishery formed four garrison Governor half past Hambangtotte Hangwell hill hundred India inhabitants island jungle King of Candy King's labour land lascars leway Lieutenant Macdowall Majesty's 19th regiment Majesty's 51st Major Davie Malay regiment Manaar Matura miles monsoon Mootto Sawmy morning natives night o'clock A. M. officers oysters paddee ground pagoda palace palanquin Panoa party passed pearls person pounds sterling quantity rain Ramisseram rest-house river road rock salt sand second Adigar sent sepoys side soldiers stone tank Tengalle thick Thomas Christie tion trees Trincomallee troops twenty village wood
Popular passages
Page 162 - ... the Governor promised that Major General Macdowall should be sent as an ambassador, VOL. ii. Y if the consent of the King were previously obtained to his carrying with him a sufficient military force to maintain his independence. It was at the same time proposed that, if the King should approve of it, he should transport his person and his court, for greater safety, into the British territories, there to enjoy all his royal rights, and to depute to...
Page 330 - Spyes, that there is but little done, which he knows not of. And often he gives Command to expel all the women out of the City, not one to remain. But by little and little when they think his wrath is appeas'd, they do creep in again.
Page 51 - ... it up as speedily as possible. The diver, at the same time, free of every incumbrance, warps up by the rope, and always gets above water a considerable time before the basket. He presently comes up at a distance from the boat, and swims about, or takes hold of an oar or...
Page 339 - Road, exceeding thick, 1681. that 'tis not possible for any to pass unobserved. These Thorn-gates which I here mention and have done before, are made of a sort of Thorn-bush or Thorn-tree ; each stick or branch whereof thrusts out on all sides round about, sharp prickles, like Iron Nails, of three or four inches long : one of these very Thorns I have lately seen in the Repository at Gresham College : These sticks or branches being as big as a good Cane, are platted one very close to another, and...
Page 50 - He remains in this perpendicular position for a little time, supporting himself by the motion of one arm. Then a basket, formed of a wooden hoop and network, suspended by a rope, is thrown into the water to him, and into it he places his other foot. Both the ropes of the stone and basket he holds for a little while in one hand. When he feels himself properly prepared and ready to go down, he grasps his nostrils with one hand, to prevent the water from rushing in; with the other, gives a sudden pull...
Page 59 - The labourers and overseers, however, from habit become insensible of the smell, and prosecute their business, without expressing any disagreeable sensations. Those shells which have pearls adhering to them- are thrown to one side, and afterwards handed to clippers, whose business it is to disengage the pearls from the shells by a forceps and hammer.
Page 192 - ... upon the guards and sentries during the night; and whenever any unfortunate stragglers fell into their hands, they put them to death. They knew their own weakness too well to emerge from their hiding-places during the day, or near to any considerable body of troops. A reward of ten rupees was given for the head of every European, and five for that of every other class of soldiers in the English service.
Page 345 - ... and that his relations and accounts of the Island of Ceylon which some of us have lately perused in manuscripts) are worthy of credit, and therefore encouraged him to make the same publick. / " ROBERT BLACKBOURNE, Secretary.
Page 52 - The superstition of the divers renders the shark-charmer a necessary part of the establishment of the pearl fishery. All these impostors belong to one family, and no person who does not form a branch of it can aspire to that office. The natives have firm confidence in their power over the monsters of the sea, nor would they descend to the bottom of the deep without knowing that one of those enchanters was present in the fleet.
Page 338 - But whoso gives the greatest bribe, he shall overcome. For it is a common saying in this land, that he that has money to see the judge, needs not fear nor care, whether his cause be right or not. The greatest punishment that these judges can inflict upon the greatest malefactors, is but imprisonment. From which money will release them.