CHAP. I.] 



RIVERS. 



41 



unsurpassed in magnificence and beauty. On reaching 

 the plains, the boldness of their march and the graceful 

 outline of their 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-arching mangroves mark where their 

 waters mingle with the tide. 



Of all the^Oeylon rivers, the most important by far 

 is the Mahawelh'-ganga the Ganges of Ptolemy 

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

 more than one-third of the mountain zone 1 , 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 which belong entirely to the plains in the northern 

 and south-eastern portions of the island. The principal 

 are the Arive and the Moderegam, which flow into 



1 See ante, p. 12, for a definition of what constitutes the " mountain 

 zone" of Ceylon. 



