a 
192 Mineralogy of the Island of Ceylon. 
of the age of the coarse limestone of the Parisian for- 
mation.” 
2. Mineralogy of the Island of Ceylon. 
A letter reached me, a few days since, from the Rev. 
Miron Winslow, American Missionary in the East-Indies, 
dated Oodooville, (Jaffna,) Jan. 11, 1821. It contains a 
number of facts, relating to the mineralogy and geology of 
Ceylon, some of which, { suspect, are not generally known 
to the readers of your valuable work. I therefore copy a 
large part of the letter, and send the transcript to you for 
examination; and, if you think it of sufficient importance, 
for insertion in the “American Journal of Science and the 
Arts,” please give it a place. Yours truly, 
. FREDERICK HALL. 
Pror. Sruiman. 
Middlebury College, 27th August, 1822. 
“] earnestly wish that hy delaying so long I could now 
say something as satisfactory to my own mind on the other 
subject,—that of the mineralogy of this Island. I did hope, 
in accordance with your request, to be able to send you 
some specimens of the precious stones, at least; but have as 
yet entirely failed in my attempts to obtain any ; and had 
{ obtained them, should have found it very difficult to for- 
ward them from this corner of the Eastern world,which has 
very little communication with any other part of India. 1a 
coming to the Island we first landed at Trincomale, and af- 
terwards at Point De Galle and Colombo, at all of which 
places I tried to obtain specimens; but could find none 
except at Galle, and there only in the hands of the jewel- 
lers, who demanded a great price for them. The precious 
stones are found only in the interior of the Island ; and as 
very few here pay attention to science of any kind, there 
have been no considerable attempts to explore mineralogic 
al treasures, that might be there found; and no cabinets of 
minerals have been formed from which one might borrow- 
A Society has lately been instituted at Columbo, called the 
ns Ceylon Literary Society,” which promises to do some 
thing in this way: and I do not despair of being able here- 
after to give you a better account of the mineralogy of this 
Island than J] now can. 
