106 



CEYLON BRANCH 



From those great beds of rock salt which are found in 

 Galicia and other parts of Europe, it is at various points pro- 

 cured by simple quarrying ; vast subterranean chambers, halls 

 and galleries being cut out- of the beautiful sparry mass. In 

 other places it is got from saline spring waters, which either 

 appear at the surface, are raised by cumbersome machinery $ 

 or jet through the pipes of deep artesian wells. The water so 

 procured is exposed for a time to the sun ; by a simple process 

 purified from the gypsum, &c., which it contains, and ultimately 

 boiled down in large pans. Under other circumstances it is 

 extracted by simple solution from earth containing it, and 

 crystallised as before. 



Again, in those northern parts of great continents where 

 excessive cold and excessive heat succeed each other perpe- 

 tually, these opposite states of temperature are used for the 

 same purpose, namely, that of concentrating any of the weak 

 natural solutions obtained by the above means, which are then 

 boiled down. 



Lastly, we have that process where all, or nearly all, is 

 left to nature, and where a solution of common salt is evapo- 

 rated by simple exposure to the sun's rays. This method alone 

 has as yet been practised in Ceylon on a large scale and ap- 

 parently to some extent from time immemorial. (During the 

 sovereignty of the Dutch, the manufacture was left in the 

 hands of the natives, who were however bound to give a certain 

 small portion of the produce to the various officials under the 

 name of Qld6S)<fiuuli or table salt, the price at that time 

 varied from three to four-eighths of a penny per bushel.) 



The position chosen for a group of salt pans is the muddy 

 margin of some large bay or creek, having free communication 

 with the sea, and consists of the following portions, as shewn in 

 the accompanying sketch. 



