714 THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. [ciiAr. 



established at Colombo.^ The collector who remains a consider- 

 able time in the region, may however be able to reap a rich after- 

 harvest, less of the classical works preserved in the temples 

 than of the smaller popular writings in the hands of private 

 persons. 



We see in Ceylon innumerable descendants of the races 

 who repeatedly subdued larger or smaller portions of the island, 

 or carried on traffic there, as Moormen (Arabs), Hindoos, Jews, 

 Portuguese, Dutchmen, Englishmen, &c., but the main body of 

 the people at all events varies very little, and still consists of 

 the two allied races, Tamils and Singhalese, who for thousands 

 of years back have been settled here. The colour of their 

 skin is very dark, almost black, their hair is not woolly, their 

 features are regular, and their build is exceedingly fine. The 

 children especially, who, while they are small, often go completely 

 naked, with their regular features, their large eyes, and fresh 

 plump bodies, are veritable types of beauty, and the same holds 

 true of most of the youths. Instead of buying in one of the 

 capitals of Europe the right to draw models, often enough with 

 forms which leave much to desire, and which must be used 

 without distinction for Greek or Northern divinities, for heroes 

 or savants of the present or former times, an artist ought to 

 make tours of study to the lands of the south, where man does 

 not need to protect himself from the cold with clothes, and 

 where accordingly nakedness is the rule, at least among the 

 poorer classes. The dress which is worn here is commonly 

 convenient and tasteful. Among the Singhalese it consists of a 

 piece of cloth wound round the middle, which hangs down to 

 the knees. The men, who still prefer the convenient national 

 dress to the European, go with the uj^per part of the body bare. 

 The long hair is held together with a comb which goes right 

 over the head, and among the rich has a large four-cornered 

 projection at the crown. The women protect the upper part 

 of the body with a thin cotton jacket. The priests wear a 

 yellow piece of cloth diagonally over one shoulder. The naked 



^ The Catalogue of Pali, Singhalese, and Sanscrit Manuscripts in the 

 Ceylon Government Oriental Library, Colombo, 1876, includes : — 



41 Buddhist canonical books. 

 71 Other religious writings. 

 25 Historical works, traditions. 

 29 Philological works. 

 16 Literary works. 

 6 Works on Medicine, Astronomy, &c. 



According to Emerson Tennent (i. p. 515), the Rev. E. Spence Hardy has 

 in the Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Asiatic Societi/ for 1848 given 

 the titles of 467 works in Pali, Sanskrit, and Elu, collected by himself 

 during his residence in Ceylon. Of these about eighty are in Sanskrit, 150 

 in Elu or Singhalese, and the remainder in Pali. 



