82 JOURNAL R. A. S. (CEYLON). [Vol, VII., Pt. II. 



been employed]. This .account agrees with fact. On the S.W. coast 

 of Ceylon at Balapitiya, a considerable quantity of small pieces of 

 valuable red coral, much water- worn, are annually washed up during 

 the S.W. monsoon. The site on which it grows is no louger known, 

 possibly it may come from a great distance S.W. of our coast, though 

 I am inclined to think not from such a distance as the Maldives. 



I have asked Mr. Haly to exhibit some coral picked up by me as 

 above described. 



2. — A-chy-ma-kie-pho (? asmagarbha). This is I think wrongly 

 identified as amber. This transparent red substance should be 

 translated carbuncle or garnet. It was in carbuncle that ancient 

 Indian intaglios were cut, the trauslucency of the stone when cut 

 thin giving great effect to the workmanship. 



3. — Ma-ni or mo-ni=[)ei\r\. 



4. — Chin-shou-kia — a gem like the flower of the kimsuka tree 

 {Butea frondosa) [see First Book, Indian Botany, Olliver], that is of 

 an orange red colour. This unidentified substance should be trans- 

 lated Oriental topaz (yellow, pink or orange corundum), one variety of 

 which satisfactorily answers to the description. 



5. — Shy-kia-pi-ling-Ma - not translated. This may be read 

 diamond. The word u pi-ling -kia" is evidently of common origin 

 from Sanskrit, with the modern Sinhalese palingu (^q)), which is 

 used for crystal, 



6. — Mo-lo-kia-pho — translated marakata, or emerald. I would 

 suggest another interpretation of chrysoberyl, or cat's-eye. 



The Indian cat's-eye (quartz) is of remarkable softness, and is cut 

 even by a pen-knife. The two forms of cat's-eye may have been 

 confused. Has the Chinese form " Mo-lo-kia" any origin in the 

 Indo-A'ryan word " soft" (S. molok, fr&v&Q-iesi) ? Iam not myself 

 scholar enough to say whether this word was then used in the Gan- 

 getic District in the sense of softness — easy to cut. The same, word 

 occurs above possibly in Mo-lo-kia-li (agate), from which we learn 

 vases were cut. I recall a passage in some old Oriental book — I 

 forget which, but think it is in the Ummagga Jataka — in which this 

 word moloka is used in reference to the softness of a thigh as a 

 pillow. Perhaps one of our Members may be able to rectify my 



