286 



THE ELEPHA^^T. 



[rAKT VIII. 



the skin, and the lightness of the colourless haks by wliicli 

 it is sparsely covered. A white elephant is mentioned in 

 the Maliawanso as forming part of the retinue attached to 

 the Temple of the Tooth at Anarajapoora, hi the fifth 

 century after Christ ^ ; but it commanded no rehgious 

 veneration, and hke those of the kings of Siam, it was 

 tended merely as an emblem of royalty '-^ ; the sovereign 

 of Ceylon being addressed as the " Lord of Elephants." ^ 

 In 1633 a white elephant was exliibited m Holland^; 

 but as this was some years before the Dutch had es- 

 tablished themselves firmly in Ceylon, it was probably 

 brought from some other of then- eastern possessions. 



^ Mahmvanso, cli. xxxA-iii. p. 254, 

 A.D. 433. 



^ Pallegoix, Siam, 8,-c., vol. i. p. 

 152. 



^ Mahmvanso, cli. xviii. p. 111. 

 The Hindu sovereioiis of Orissa, in 

 the middle ages, bore the style of 



Gaja-pati, " powerful in elephants." 

 — Asicct. Res. xv. 253. 



^ Aemaxdi, Hist. Ilih'f. des Ele- 

 phants, lib. ii. c. X. p. 380. Horace 

 mentions a white elephant as having 

 been exhibited at Home : " Sive ele- 

 phas albus vulgi couverteret ora." 

 —Hoe. Ep. n. 106. 



