Cn.vr. I.] 



KIVEKS. 



41 



they exhibit a succession of rapids, cataracts, and torrents, 

 unsurpassed in magnificence and beauty. On reaching 

 tlie plains, tlie bokhiess of their march and the graceful 

 outline of thek sweep are indicative of the little obstruc- 

 tion opposed by the sandy and porous soil through which 

 they flow. Throughout their entire course dense forests 

 shade their banks, and, as they approach the sea, tama- 

 risks and over-archino- mangroves mark where tliek^ 

 waters mingle with the tide. 



Of all the Ceylon rivers, the most important by far 

 is the Mahawelli-ganga — the Ganges of Ptolemy — ■ 

 which, rising in the south near Adam's Peak, traverses 

 more than one-tlurd of the mountain zone ^, drains up- 

 wards of four thousand square miles, and flows into the 

 sea by a number of branches, near the noble harbour of 

 Trincomalie. The following table gives a comparative 

 view of the magnitude of the rivers that rise in the hills, 

 and of the extent of the low country traversed by each 

 of them : — 



In addition to these, there are a number of large 

 rivers wdiich belong entirely to the plains in the northern 

 and south-eastern portions of the island, the principal 



^ See ante, p. 12, for a definition of what constitutes the '' moimtiun 

 zone" of Ceylon. 



