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JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XI. 



and zar, which means " poison"; thus Besar signifies " Lord 

 of poison," — dropping the letter I and the second a, which 

 by time, the consumer of all things, were left out to allow it 

 to be pronounced more easily.* 



The kingdom of Jafanapatan is flat and without moun- 

 tains. It is cut off on all sides by estuaries of salt water 

 which surround it, thus rendering communication easy 

 for trade and the administration of affairs. But it is 

 unhealthy and very badly off for fresh water, which is only 

 obtained from watercourses in the winter and rainy seasons, 

 that run dry in the dry summer solstice, when the irriga- 

 tion of the fields is kept up by the water collected in 

 the tanks we have already mentioned. Its inhabitants have 

 the advantage of being taller and stronger in make and 

 build than the other islanders ; but in courage and intelli- 

 gence they are inferior to them,— the greed of commerce 

 having made them merchants instead of soldiers. Formerly, 

 subject to the supreme Emperor of the Island, they had no 

 particular prince until Quehapermal, who was made king of 

 Jafanapatan by the Emperor Mahajo Pandar, at whose death 

 he succeeded to the Empire, which afterwards ended in his 

 descendants ;f and being without heirs, the barbarian ruled 

 it who was the executioner of the martyrs of Manar, of 

 whom we have already spoken, but whose name we have 

 not been able to find out. His wickedness increased with 

 the patience and forbearance of the Portuguese, which 

 always happens when it is feared. 



He became the greatest enemy they had in the Island ; 

 so that in the year 1569 the Viceroy Don Constantino de 

 Barganca was obliged to come over to Jafanapatan with 



* Bezoar. — The word is a corruption of the Persian name of the thing 

 padzahr, "pellens venenum," or pazalir, and Arabice bdzahr. The bezoar 

 was sometimes called snake-stone, and supposed (erroneously) to be found 

 in the head of a snake. (Hobson Jobson). — B., Hon. Sec. 



f Queliapermal = Sapumal Kumaraya (afterwards Bhuvaneka Bahu VI., 

 1467 A.D., accession), who sacked, and perhaps ruled at, Jaffna during the 

 reign of his father Parakrama Bahu VI. (Mabajo Pandar, 1415-67 A.D.).— 

 B., Hon, See, 



