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Of the Jaffna formation and fossiliferous limestone 

 I know nothing personally, but from descriptions of its 

 fossils I confidently believe it to be contemporaneous with 

 Indian rocks, such as those of Pondicherry and Arrialoor. 

 Under any circumstances there is no doubt it is 

 far more recent in its origin, than the district we treat of, 

 and probably originated as an Island, when the sheltering 

 , influence of the Central Province protected the intermediate 

 plain from the wash of a secondary ocean. 



So far as I have had opportunity of examining this plain, 

 west and north of Kornegalle, there is no doubt it is in 

 a great measure the combined result of a gradual elevation-* 

 and a rapid silt from the sea, as is shewn by the sand for- 

 mations daily increasing at Hambantota on the south-east, 

 and Arippo on the north-west, which doubtless result 

 from the decortication of the submarine formation of the 

 south-west coast. Hence it seems to me, the district we 

 specially treat of, is primary land of secondary and tertiary 

 elevation. The secondary Jaffna formation subsequently 

 originated as a late secondary or tertiary island, while later 

 than both there gradually rose the tertiary alluvial plains 

 of the Northern, North- Western and Eastern Provinces, 

 connecting an d j oining the two Islands of Lanka and Jaffna. 



Thus then, I conclude that the district in question, formed 

 the nucleus of Ceylonin its present form, and is, therefore the 

 oldest part of the existing land ; whether the Jaffna limestone 

 was subsequently elevated by a continuation of the same force, 

 it is not my purpose to enter into here, but my own surmises 

 are, that we there border on a separate region or tract of 

 elevation, totally distinct from the one we are describing, and 

 identical with that of Northern India. 



