CEYLON 



79 



covered the country. The orchid- of 

 Minuter alxmt 1;">0 * Bj)ecie8. With the excep- 

 tinii of about a dozen Dendrobiums, Erias, .ui-l 

 iiiins, and the lovely IVana-rdjith, there 

 few of a striking character. The ferns num- 

 about -7<> >|MMMI->. Among the latter is an 

 m.-iluiis variety which bears spores on the 

 I|I|MT inMejul *>f on the under Hide of the frond. 

 ne of the handsomest native trees of Ceylon is 

 i>> Muruta (Lagerstroemia Flos-regince). To this 

 ";lit U added the Saraca indica, and the lovely 

 Is? (Me&ua J'errc" ), or ironwocxl. In the forests 

 limiting-plants and epiphytes of prodigious size 

 nd striking appearance cover the trees with a 

 lass of parasitical foliage of extraordinary growth, 

 n the north of Ceylon the dry forest-region is 

 jmarkable for its valuable timoer-trees, such as 

 Palu, Halinilla or Trincomalee wood, and 

 >ny. The characteristic palm of the north and 

 the peninsula of Jaffna is the Palmyra (Boras- 

 wflaoelliformis ). 



Fauna. In Ceylon, quadrumanous animals are 

 epresented by the Lons gracilis and five species 

 ' monkeys. Sixteen species of bats exist in 

 aylon, including the flying-fox. Of the larger 

 livora, the bear and leopard ; and of the 

 mller, the palm-cat and the glossy genette (the 

 ivet of Europeans) may be mentioned. The 

 _ sr is not met with in Ceylon. Deer, buffaloes, 

 id the humped ox of India are plentiful ; the chev- 

 >t;iiii- (q.v.) are also said to be abundant. The 

 lephant, which is for the most part tuskless, is 

 iphatically lord of the forests of Ceylon. The 

 \v i 1< 1 Ijoar is also found. Whales are captured off the 

 at. Three hundred and twenty species of birds 

 found. The song of the robin and long- tailed 

 thrush, and the flute-like voice of the oriole, 

 re heard over the whole mountain-zone and 

 down into the neighbouring plains. Eagles, 

 ic beautiful peregrine falcon, owls, swallows, 

 tingfishers, sun-birds, bulbuls, crows, parroquets, 

 " jeons, pea-fowl, jungle-fowl, and many others 

 the feathered tribe, might be mentioned did 

 permit. Myriads of aquatic birds and 

 waders, amongst which the flamingo is conspicu- 

 ous, cover the lakes and lagoons. The crocodile 

 is the largest reptile in the island ; tortoises and 

 lizards are also found. There are a few species of 

 venomous snakes, and of these the ticpolonga and 

 the cobra da capello are the most deadly. 



Inhabitants. The Singhalese (Sinhalese, also 

 spelt Cingalese ), the most numerous of the natives 

 of Ceylon, are supposed to be the descendants of 

 those colonists from the valley of the Ganges who 

 first settled in the island 543 B.C., and speak an 

 Aryan language closely allied to the Pah (q.v.). 

 The dress of the men, who have delicate features 

 and slender limbs, looks singularly effeminate, and 

 consists of a comboy or waist-cloth, very much 

 resembling a petticoat ; their long hair, turned 

 back from the forehead, is confined with combs, 

 and earrings are worn by way of ornament. Poly- 

 andry still lingers in the interior of Ceylon ; but 

 this and many other customs repugnant to Chris- 

 tianity are disappearing under the influence of 

 education, of which the Singhalese readily avail 

 themselves. The Kandyans, or Highlanders, are a 

 more sturdy race, and maintained their independ- 

 ence for three centuries after the conquest of the 

 low country by European settlers. The Malabars, 

 or Tamils, have sprung from those early invaders 

 of Ceylon who from time to time swept across 

 from Southern Hindustan, and contended with 

 the Singhalese kings for the sovereignty of the 

 island. They have formed the chief population 

 of Jaffna for full 2000 years, and constitutionally 

 excel the Singhalese and Kandyans. The Moor- 

 men, who are the most energetic and intelligent 



of the native communities, are met with in every 

 movince as enterprising traders, and are generally 

 believed to be or Arab descent. The ' burghere ' 

 of Ceylon are people of European descent, who 

 have become naturalised. Those of Portuguese 

 extraction hold the lowest place, and are mostly 

 tradesmen and artisans ; but the Dutch burgher* 

 frequently fill responsible posts, and are employed 

 in the government offices. There is besides a 

 remarkable tribe of outcasts the Veddahs hardly 

 removed from the wild animals of the forest, and 

 believed to be descended from the Yakkhos, the 

 aboriginal inhabitants of the country. They 

 occupy a district in the eastern part of the island, 

 and have there preserved their ancient customs 

 and manner of living unaltered for more than 

 2000 years. 



Religion. The Singhalese are devoted to Bud- 

 dhism (q.v.), which is the prevailing religion of 

 the island. Its sacred lxx>ks are identical with 

 those of Burma and Siam, and both record the 

 doctrines of Gautama in the Pali language ; the 

 deviations are in matters of practice. The Mala- 

 bar kings adulterated Buddhism to a considerable 

 extent with Brahmanism, introducing the worship 

 of Hindu deities into the Buddhist temples, and 

 this continues more or less to be the case. More 

 than once have the Buddhists of Ceylon sought to 

 restore the purity of their faith at one time send- 

 ing deputies to Siam, at another to Burma, with 

 this object in view. The Burman or Amarapura 

 sect have long been the reformers of Singhalese 

 Buddhism, and maintain no very friendly relations 

 with the party who, supported by the priests of 

 Siam, sanction the worship of Hindu deities and 

 the employment of the priesthood in secular 

 occupations, uphold caste, and restrict the sacred 

 books. Caste was acknowledged by the Singhal- 

 ese prior to the introduction of Buddhism, which 

 in principle is opposed to it ; but so firmly was it 

 rooted that it still endures, though more as a 

 social than a sacred institution. Gautama Buddha 

 is said to have visited Ceylon three different tim- - 

 to preach his doctrine, and his Sri-pada, or sacred 

 footstep, on the summit of Adams Peak (q.v.), 

 still commands the homage of the faithful. Bud- 

 dhism was not, however, permanently introduced 

 into Ceylon till 307 B.C. The influence of the 

 priests gradually increased, and, by the piety of 

 the Singhalese kings, monasteries were richly 

 endowed, and at the present day no less than one- 

 third of the cultivated land of the island is com- 

 puted to belong to the priesthood, and is exempt 

 from taxation. The priests of Ceylon are divided 

 into two orders ; any member is at liberty to lay 

 aside his ascetic character, and return to a secular 

 life. The most celebrated Buddhistic relic in 

 Ceylon is the Dalada, or sacred t<x>tli of Gautama, 

 at Kandy, which is guarded with jealous care, 

 and preserved in an elegant shrine : but it is well 

 known that the original relic was destroyed by 

 the Portuguese, ana the present substitute is a 

 piece of discoloured ivory, bearing no resemblance 

 to a human tooth. Brahmanism or Hinduism (see 

 INDIA) is the faith of the Tamils or Malabars, but 

 the Moormen are Mohammedans. After the ex- 

 pulsion of the Dutch Christians, Protestant missions 

 to the natives of Ceylon were commenced by the 

 Baptists in 1813. The Wesleyan Methodists fol- 

 lowed in 1814, the Americans in 1816, the Church 

 of England in 1818, and Christian instruction has 

 made some progress amongst the native popula- 

 tions. Schools, collegiate institutions, and female 

 seminaries, under the direction of the missionaries, 

 are in successful operation ; and there is a govern- 

 ment system of education. 



Ancient Buildings. In all Buddhist countries 

 the sacred buildings present, with certain raodifica- 



