430 REMARKS OX SO?vI£ ANTIQUITIES ON THE 



It would be vain to look here for any traces of the 

 earlier race: being naturally the thorough-fare paffage 

 into Ceylon^ from the oppoiite coaft, it would receive 

 the impreffion of each luccefiTive race of invaders: ac- 

 cordingly we find its inhabitants now compofed of a 

 mixed race of Portugucfe^ Malahars^ and Cingalefe, with 

 fome Lobbees, the delcendants of the Arab race, (the Mo- 

 pillecs of the Malabar coaft,) who fubfid here chiefly by 

 fifhing. I obfcrvcd on this ifland fome of thofe Byraa^ 

 gees^ io well known on the lower roads of the oppofite 

 coafts, conftaiuly journeying from Benares to Raviefur, 

 carrying pots of the water of the holy Ipring, or Ganga 

 water, (lung on crofs bair.boos, and diftinguilhed by 

 their tawny orange habit: thcfe faid that they were on 

 their way to vii'it a famous pagoda in the interior parts 

 oi' Ceylon, but I was not able to learn whether they had 

 been uiually permitted to crofs over by permiffion of 

 the Dutch government, or that they availed themfelves 

 of this opportunity of croffing in our boats: it fhews 

 at lealt that the connettion of a fmiilar religion has not 

 been altogether loll. 



Manar is memorable in Cingahfe hiftory, as giving 

 refuge to the queen Donna Makgaret, the laftfcyon 

 of the ancient royal race, whom the Fcrtugiiefe thence 

 carried into the heart Oi'Ceylon, to cover their interference 

 in the government, until they were driven out by the 

 weight of accumulated crimes and degeneracy, to make 

 way for the fordid monopolizing yoke of the Dutch, 

 which locked up from mankind the natural treafures 

 tind valuable produftions of this celebrated ifland. It 

 was then divided into parifhes with their churches. 

 The fort is on a fmall fcale, fqiiare and regular, nearly 

 what Baldf.us and Valentyn more lately delcribe 

 it, but the city exifts only in a few tiled houl'es of the 

 officers of government, and lirjine low huts covered and 



up the pafTci'iTe at Pamha/i; this ficnns founded on miftake, and thcfe 

 Fortugur/c t'rigrites mixft iiave been light Ihallops or floops drawing little 

 water. — Pai^is 706. 



enclofed 



