No. 24. — 1881.] ANCIENT KALAH, ETC. 61 



The five rivers accurately answer to the Arippu or Kadamba 

 river, the Kala-oya, the Morachchikatti river near Kutirairnalai, 

 the Mi'-oya and the Deduru-oya. 



In A. D. 550 Cos mas, writing the travels of Sopater, tells 

 how on that trader's arrival at the emporium he learned that 

 the Hyacinth was found beyond the pepper country. This, the 

 ancient Maya-rata, the Mahawansa tells us was bounded on the 

 North and South respectively by the Deduru-oya and theKelani- 

 ganga, accurately enclosing and dividing the 'pepper' from the 

 'gein' districts and the district in which was the emporium. 



Again, he says around it are a multitude of small islands 

 containing fresh water and thickly covered with palms pro- 

 ducing the Indian and the aromatic nuts. 



In the islands now forming the Akkara-pattu as far as 

 Kalpitiya are abundant proofs of ancient groves of cocoanut 

 and palmyra palms, and the latter from which palm-sugar, 

 and a sweet paste called punatu, is prepared, was perhaps the 

 aromatic nut, and not the areka, which is a hill-growing species 

 and not likely to have been valued by the Western traders. It 

 is also of course possible the aromatic nut was not grown 

 but imported for export, and Cosmas' informers mistaken in 

 their statement. 



With regard to the special notice of the abundance of fresh 

 water even at this day, all visitors are surprised to find that 

 excellent water may be got in all the islands, and the Akkara- 

 pattu, at a foot or so in depth, while on the mainland water is 

 extremely scarce, only obtained by deep wells and ancient tanks. 



Sopater was presented to the King of the district in which 

 was the emporium, who was independent of, or opposed to, the 

 King that had the Hyacinth. 



In A. D.' 850 Soleyman, a trader who had made many 

 voyages, described Adam's Peak and the district around as that 

 which produced the gems, thus identifying the Hyacinth 

 country of Cosmas with that part of Ruhuna. 



