PERCIVAL’S ACCOUNT OF CEYLON. 
itrons, limes, tamarinds, &c. grow spon- 
taneously in the woods. ‘The following 
‘are among the most ‘esteemed and va- 
“Yuable vegetable productions: Ceylon 
_ produces two species of the bread-fruit 
tree: one of which is specifically called 
_ the bread-fruit tree, and the other jacka or 
_jack-fruit. These fruits are invaluable 
preservatives against famine, and are 
eaten by the natives with great relish. 
- Every part of the cocoa tree is useful: 
Mr. Percival has given a very full and 
"Interesting account of its various quali- 
* ties. The nuts of the defcl-tree are in ge- 
neral use, and form a great article of 
trade among the natives. Ceylon, 
_ which has been so long renowned for its 
| Spices, produces several sorts of pepper : 
* cardamoms, coffee, and the palm or pal- 
mira tree grow here; the leaves of 
this latter are used by the natives to 
_ write on; a tough whitish skin, like 
| pine-apples, oranges, pomegranates, 
that found at the root of the betel leaves, » 
‘covers the body of the tree, and, like it, 
is employed by the natives to hold their 
‘victuals, their arrack, water, &c. The 
_ sugar-tree is a species of palm found in 
several parts of the island. ‘It bearsa 
flower distinguished by the variety of 
its colours: on cutting off the flower 
and making an incision in the place from 
_ which it sprung, a juice distills, which 
_ by a slight process of boiling and strain- 
“Ing, yields as good a sugar as that ex- 
tracted from the cane, and far superior 
to the jaggery.” The sugar-cane has also 
been imtroduced into the island, and 
lantations of it are found in the neigh- 
botkhnod of Caltura. The éea-plant has 
been discovered native in the forests of 
this island, and of a quality said to be 
equal to any which grows in China. 
That experiments should be made by 
overnment in the cultivation of the two 
st-mentioned plants, is a matter of im- 
ediate and peremptory importance. 
he tal pot-tree derives its highest estima- 
on from its leaves, which, as we have 
already noticed, are used by the natives 
for writing. i 
~ . The leaf is completely circular, termi- 
nating in the most bewutifal rays, it folds 
tha plaits like a fan, which in figure it 
“Nearly tesembles. In size and thickness it 
completely surpasses alznost all other leaves. 
The pebadith of the diameter, is from three to 
four feet, and the length and thickness is in 
Proportion: it is large etough to cover ten 
men from the inclemency of the seasher. 
Tt is made into wimbrellas of all sizes, and 
) ferves equally to protect tlie natives against 
47 
the intolerable rays of the sun, and the rains 
which at particular seasons deluge their 
country. As it is of such an impenetrable 
texture as to defy cither the sun or the 
monsoon, it affords a shelter even more se- 
cure than their hats. During the violent 
rains it is not unusual to see the natives prop 
up one end of a talipot leaf with a stick two 
or three feet long, and then creep under it 
for protection.” 
The benyan, the cotton-tree, the tic kavoods 
andthe beautiful celamander, together with 
that singular plant the nepenthes, are in- 
digenous here: rice is cultivated on a 
very large scale, and constitutes the chief 
food of the natives, But the staple com- 
modity of Ceylon, the most valuable 
and the most important article of the 
whole, is ciumamon. Mr. Percival has not 
suffered it to pass without that attention 
to which its superior value entitled it; 
he has given a minute account of the 
different sorts, and theix respective qua- 
lities; of the soil best adapted to its 
growth; of the general appearante of 
the plant, the properties and uses of its 
various parts; the manner in which it 
is cultivated, barked, harvested, housed, 
prepared for exportation, &c. &c.; and 
lastly, he has suggested some hints for 
the improvement and extension of its 
culture. The chapter is altogether very 
interesting and important. ‘The interior 
is not so well adapted for producing this 
plant as the loose suil about the coasts 5 
but of late years less has been produced 
there than formerly, in consequence of 
the cruel exactions and impolitic avarice 
of the Dutch; who at length reduced 
the king of Candy to such desperation, 
that he resolved, says Mr. P. to secure 
himself against their future attacks, by 
leaving nothing in his dominions whiciz 
could excite their covetousness. With 
this view, since the last treaty he was 
forced to make with them, he has em- 
ployed every means to prevent the - 
growth and propagation of the cinna- 
mon tree. 
We are now come to the minerals of 
Ceylon, which has scarcely been less 
celebrated for its precious stones than 
for its spices. In addition to the ruby, 
the’ topaz, and the diamond, are to be 
foundthe saphire, amethyst, aquamarine, 
andtourmalinesof various colours. Pearls 
have already been mentioned as forming 
a considerable. article.of revenue and 
trafic. Lead, tin, and iron ores are found 
in the interior; but to disappoint the 
avarice and rapacity of the Dutch, they 
are never Wrought or applied to any pur 
