102 CEYLON BRANCH — -ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY 



About the end of June the natives proceed to put the pan$ 

 in order, repair the roads, dams, &c, render the bed of the 

 large reservoir C. tolerably level, and throw into it f-om the 

 canal B. water to a depth of eig'it or nine inches. The smalt 

 beds are during this period levelled by means of tie instru^ 

 ttient termed Ooppoo-palagai see fig. B., stamped with the feet 

 and beaten with a board; water from the reservoir is introduced 

 into them, and after a few days again thrown out, they are then 

 again beaten and allowed to diy. When this has taken place 9 

 (that is about the beginning of August) the water is allowed to 

 flow back into them , filling the.n, to a depth of about three inches 

 and is left till crystallisation occurs. 



It is to be observed that these various prooesses go on simul- 

 taneously, and that thtrefore the water only remains two or three 

 days in the large bed before distribution, during which time it 

 has deposited a considerable quantity of sediment, and become 

 somewhat concentrated. The cbject of forming the small dam 

 K. which divides the set into two tolerably equal portions* is 

 to economise water which has already to a certain extent been 

 subject to evaporation, this is during the preparation of the pans 

 thrown from one side of the bank to the other as circumstances 

 may require, the upp^r and lower portions of the weikal be^ 

 ing alternately filled and dried. 



If the weather be favourable a layer of salt, varying from 

 quarter of an inch to one and a half inches in thickness, will 

 be deposited in the small beds, within eight days of the water be- 

 ing introduced. This crust is then carefully raised from the 

 mud below by means of the Ooppoo-palagai scraped to one cor- 

 ner and placed in heaps along the road F.F. where it is left 

 for a few days to dry, and then carried in baskets to the KottODS 

 H.H. After this first crop (as it is termed) has been removed, 

 a, small quantity of water containing in solution various salts 

 of lime, magnesia, &c. remains in the beds, this is not thrown 

 out, but water is simply again introduced from the reservoir bjr 



