56 JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XY. 



The peat to be met with in this Province is of recent 

 origin — old peat deposits, some of which date back to the 

 glacial period, apparently do not occur in the Island — and 

 the conditions which favour its formation locally are 

 restricted to limited areas. " The question therefore," says 

 Mr. Drieberg, in reply to the writer's inquiry, " as to the 

 availability of peat for fuel purposes practically does not 

 affect us, but there are other economic uses for which such 

 local and limited supplies of peat — if, indeed, it would be 

 wise to encourage its formation— may be available. Owing 

 to its absorbent properties, it is a useful medium for absorb- 

 ing liquid manure, &c. Peat moss litter, as exported from 

 Germany, is in fact largely used in England in byres and 

 stakes, while it is also a very effective deodorizer."* 



Dr. H. M. Fernando, the Government Analyst, Colombo, 

 to whom a sample of the Kurunegala tank water was sent 

 for analysis by the writer in December, 1896, in kindly 

 furnishing the following report, added in a note : — 



The tank water is highly impregnated with vegetable matter, 

 and should be looked upon with great suspicion, especially in a fever 

 district. 



Colour, slight yellow. Smell, foetid. Taste, unpleasant. Sedi- 

 ment, slight sediment containing infusoria and protozoa. Chloride 

 grains per gallon, *3 grain. Nitrates, trace. Saline ammonia, parts 

 per million -01. Albumenoid ammonia, parts per million -24. 



Remarks. — This sample contains a large proportion of organic 

 matter, probably of vegetable origin. Unfit for drinking purposes. 



Metals. 



We know little or nothing of the metalif erous nature of our 

 rocks, for beyond the investigations of Gygax in 1847, which 

 were confined to the hill district south of Adam's Peak, and 

 his report, which scarcely enlarged the knowledge previously 

 possessed by us on the subject, no examination has been 

 made of the veins and deposits of our rocks. 



* For a full description of the 41 Peaty Deposits in the Kurunegala Lake," 

 and the steps taken to remove them, see an article by the writer in the 

 44 Ceylon Agricultural Magazine," 1896. 



