igS ESSAY ow 



This place, says our author, is difficult of access, oit 

 account of the rapid tides, and because the cables 

 aie liable to be, cut, by sharp rocks at the bottom of 

 the sea. This island was once the seat of govern- 

 ment, according lo Abul-Fazil, who calls it 

 Birum *. Opposite to Bhavi-gamv^ says the author 

 ot the Periphts, and on the right side of the gulf, in 

 the narroM^est part of it, there is a reach, where the 

 land near the sea appears much broken, and consists 

 entirely of clay. It is called Herone, and there is a 

 place called Cammoni or Camane, This reach is the 

 sea coast between the Nannadd and the Jamb usse?' river. 

 My Pandit observes, that the country between these 

 two rivers, and along the sea coast, is called to this- 

 day Camem ; but he does not know of any particular 

 place so called. There is not a single stone to be 

 seen ; and the country is flat, the sea shore much 

 indented, and there are very few trees : but it is pro- 

 bable that it was otherwise formerly; and Htront i* 

 perhaps from the Sanscrit Aranya^ which signifies a 

 thick, but not impervious forest. 



Ptolemy has confounded the points of Su^alley, 

 Dill and Jiggat into one, which he calls Balaiofif 

 proljably meant for Diu-head, a name given to it by 

 Europeans, but unknown to the natives; and the 

 nearest place of note to it is JFeylanoo in Major 

 Ren N ell's map, from which Balaion or Valaiorr 

 seems to be a corruption. The island called by him 

 Barake is Dwdraca, as obvious from its relative po- 

 sition ; and Barake may be only a mistake for Dwd- 

 racd. Besides, these two denominations are syno- 

 nymous, or nearly so, and imply a door or gate-way. 

 JO^mra is properly the opening, and Bhdr is the bar, 

 or bar}ier€, or the leaves of the door, with which 

 the opening is kept barred or shut; and it is usedy 



^ Ayin-Acberi. Vol, S(J. p, 83. 



