A. D. 73. 



from the interior 



Turtle-rhell, of a kind called Chry- 

 fonetiotic (from a golden ifland), 

 and alfo from the iflands oppo- 

 fite to Limyrica. 



172 



Malabathrum 

 country ; 



Diamonds *, hyacinths, and a va- 

 riety of other pellucid gems ; 



The inveftments of the Grecian traders, which our author has not 

 fpecified, undoubtedly confifted of all the articles, native and imported, 

 found in the place. 



Balita, Comar, Colchi, (near which was the principal fifhery for pearls, 

 performed entirely by condemned criminals) Camara, Poduke, and So- 

 patma, were ports in the fouth part of India which do not appear to 

 have been frequented by the Egyptian Greeks. But a great coafting 

 trade was carried on in them, partly by veflels belonging to other parts 

 '^ India, and partly by their own. From Limyrica, and other northern 

 pii'r b of India, they received the various articles imported from Egypt, 

 ti.^'^ether with the native productions and manufodures. Some of their 

 Vcifjls, confining of large canoes joined together, were cMed fangara j 

 and Qt^hers, called kolandlophofitn, which were of the largefl fize, were 

 uled in the trade with the River Ganges and the countries beyond it f . 



The produclions of the large ifland near the fouth end of India, for- 

 merly called Taprobane, but at this time Palaefimundi, were pearls, 

 gems, turtle-fliell, and muflins J. 



On the continent oppofite to this ifland was Argali, a country pro- 

 ducing a kind of muflin called ebargaritid, and pofl^efling a pearl fifli- 

 cry ; Mafalia, ftretching into the interior, where much muflin was ma- 

 nufactured ; and, adjacent to it, Defarene, a country abounding with 

 elephants of the fpecies called bofare. 



Though our author's account of the countries beyond the fouth point 

 of India, being all from report, is much inferior to the refl: of his work, 



* Pliny fays [L. xxxvii, c. 4] that the anlients 

 knew of no diamonds larger than cucumer feeds, 

 but in his time there were fome even as large as 

 the kernel of a filbert nut ; a proof that no very 

 large diamonds had yet been carried to Rome. 

 Arbutlmot, fjy a curious overlight, tianfiates eivcl- 

 lana walnut, inllead of filbert. 



f I here recapitulate the names of the feveral 

 kinds of Oriental vclTels noted by our author, viz. 

 madarat^, fmall velTels joined together by fewing, 

 in the IVrfian gulf ; tni^'piiga and kolymba, long 

 veffcls, ufcd by the fifliermen and pilots of Bary- 

 gaza ; fangara, (whence the pirates called Sangar- 

 lans perhaps took their name) feemingly like the 

 double canoes of the South-fea iflands defcrlbed 

 by Captain Cook ; and kolamri'jphnnta, of whicli 

 there is no other dcfcription than their great bur- 

 then, and capacity to perform dillant voyages ; in 

 hopes that thofc who arc acquainted with the 

 Eaflcrn fcas may perhaps be able to trace the 

 names in the language of the prefent race of a 



people, among whom manners, laws, religion, and 

 language, have ever been, in fpite of conqueds, 

 pcrfccutions, and devailations, fo much more lla- 

 tionary than in our quarter of the world. 



\ Not a woid of cinnamon (fee above, p. 149) 

 as a produftion of this ifland. The name of it, if 

 we may trull entirely to Grecian information, was 

 remarkably fluctuating. Tiiprobanc, the name un- 

 der which it was firll announced to the wcltern 

 world by Oneficiitus, had now given place to Pa- 

 helimundi, whicli in Ptolemy's time was fuperl'eded 

 by Sa/iie, and by Seria, the name given to it by 

 Panfanias, an author of the fame age. \^Eliac. L. ii.J 

 But libout the beginning of the fixth century Ta- 

 probane was again reflored, at leail among the 

 Greeks, as we learn from Cofmas Indicopleufles, 

 who adds, that the genuine name was Siele-iiiba, 

 {^Silc-iliv, the ifland oi Scle) a flight pcrverfion of 

 which produced the Sal'tke of Ptolemy, and alfo 

 Ceylaii, Ceylon, isfr. the names now given to it by 

 the Etuopeani. 



