Chap. IH.] 



EARLY TRADE. 



441 



is ill connection with missions, wlietlier for the promotion 

 of Buddhism, or for the negotiation of marria£>'es and 

 alliances with the princes of India. ^ The building of 

 dhoneys is adverted to as early as the first century, but 

 they were only intended by a devout king to be stationed 

 along the shores of the island, covered by day w^ith 

 Avhite cloths, and by night illuminated with lamps, in 

 order that from them priests, as the royal almoners, 

 might distribute gifts and donations of food.^ 



The genius of the people seems to have never inchned 

 them to a sea-faring hfe, and the earhest notice which 

 occurs of ships for the defence of the coast, is in connec- 

 tion with the Malabars who were taken into the royal 

 service from their skill in naval aifairs.^ A national 

 marine was afterwards established for this purpose, a.d. 

 495, by the King Mogallana."* In the Suy-shoo, a Chinese 

 history of the Suy dynasty, it is stated that m a.d. 607, 

 the king of Ceylon " sent the Brahman Kew-mo-16 with 

 thirty vessels, to meet the approaching ships which con- 

 veyed an embassy from China." ^ And in the twelfth 

 century, when Prakrama I. was about to enter on his 

 foreign expeditions, " several hundreds of vessels were 

 equipped for that service within five months." "^ 



It is remarkable that the same apathy to na\dgation, 

 if not antipathj^ to it, still prevails amongst the inhabi- 

 tants of an island, the long sea-borde of which affords 

 facihties for cultivating a maritime taste, did any such 

 exist. But whilst the natives of Hindustan fit out sea- 

 going vessels, and take service as sailors for distant voy- 

 ages, the Singhalese, though most expert as fishers and 

 boatmen, never embark in foreign vessels, and no in- 



1 Tunyotm's Epitome, App. p. 73. 



"^ By King Maha Dailiya, A.D. 8. 

 Mahaivanso, cli. xxxiv. p. 211 ; Raja- 

 vali, p. 228 ; Rajaratnacari, p. 52. 



^ B. c. 247, Mahcucanso, ch. xxi. 

 p. 127. 



* 3Iahaiva>iso, ch. xl. TiTRNOrR's 

 MS. Transl. 



^ Suy-shoo, b. Ixxxi. p. 3. 



^ Tuuxouk's Ejntome, kc, App. 

 p. 73. 



