Ball — A Geologisfs Contribution to the History of India. 83 



40 feet long, and about as many tons in weight, are, in their way 

 too, remarkable, though not exhibiting such ornate designs. 



In B.C. 307, according to the Mahawanso,^ the King of Ceylon 

 (or Lanka), Dewananpiatisso, was installed, and shortly afterwards 

 he sent an embassy to Asoka at Palibothra, the presents consist- 

 ing of sapphires, lapis-lazuli, rubies, and eight varieties of pearls, 

 which, we are told, rose miraculously from the earth and sea 

 respectively on the auspicious occasion. Asoka's return-gift con- 

 sisted of golden and other ornaments, and as an especial rarity, 

 " costly hand-towels, which to the last moment they are used (are 

 cleansed by being passed through the fire) without being washed." 



Now, with reference to the above, I venture to think that the 

 translator has made a mistake as regards lapis-lazuli. It has 

 never been known to be a product of Ceylon. The word possibly 

 means either the asteria (or star sapphire), or another blue mineral 

 called iolite (or dichroite), both of which occur in Ceylon. In this 

 connexion it may be interesting to note that, in some excavations 

 made recently on the supposed site of Asoka's throne,- there were 

 obtained sapphires and emeralds, mostly broken into splinters, two 

 pebbles of iolite, some beads of lapis-lazuli, coral, &c., and some 

 imitation emeralds, made of glass, Lapis-lazuli, therefore, was 

 possibly known in Asoka's time, but probably it did not come 

 from Ceylon, but from the mines in Badakshan, to be mentioned 

 hereafter. 



The hand-towels were most likely made of woven asbestos, a 

 substance which has long been known to occur in Kabul,^ and ma}' 

 very possibly have reached India from thence. 



The work by Megasthenes (302 b.c), entitled to ivSiKa, no 

 longer exists, except in fragments, which have been quoted by 

 subsequent writers. These have recently been brought together 

 by Mr. M'Crindle from the pages of Strabo, Pliny, Arrian, 

 Diodorus, &c. It is probable that these fragments represent only 

 a small portion of the whole work ; but so far as they go, since 

 the individual quotations by each of the authors are checked 

 by those of the others, we are justified in the belief that the 



^ A History of Ceylon for Twenty-four Centuries, from b.c. 543: translated by 

 Turnour, p. 70. 



2 Vide Vioc. As. Society, Bengal ; May, 1881, p. 89. 

 2 Economic Geology of India, p. 519. 



