62 JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XV. 



As testified by Tennent, "remains of ancient furnaces 

 are met with in all directions similar to those still in use 

 amongst the natives. The Sinhalese obtain the ore without 

 the trouble of mining : seeking a spot where the soil has 

 been loosened by the rains, they break off a sufficient 

 quantity, which in less than three hours they convert into 

 iron by the simplest possible means. None of their furnaces 

 are capable of smelting more than twenty pounds of ore, 

 and yet this quantity yields from seven to ten pounds of 

 good metal."* Since, however, the imported article is so 

 cheap and certainly superior to that locally obtained, smelt- 

 ing may be considered as an operation which is numbered 

 with the past. 



Minerals. 



Plumbago is the only mineral of commercial value and 

 importance. It is found principally in the Kurunegala Dis- 

 trict. As a medicinal ingredient plumbago takes a pro- 

 minent place in the Sinhalese pharmacopoeia, and in the 

 ceramic art it was used largely for glazing purposes, from 

 which we may argue that it was known to the natives for a 

 long time past ; but from a commercial standpoint plum- 

 bago mining may be considered as of comparatively recent 

 origin, having been started early in the "seventies" in the 

 Kurunegala District-! 



* " Ceylon," vol. I., p. 30. 



•j- Col. Colebrooke, one of the Commissioners of Ceylon affairs, stated in 

 his report in 1829 that provision had been made for the delivery of 

 cinnamon and blacklead in the Kandyan Provinces (which included the 

 Seven Korales or Kurunegala District) at fixed rates ; but reference to the 

 " Ceylon Calendars " shows no mention of plumbago in the Island till 1831. 

 It assumed importance as an article of commerce in 1831. Mr. Parsons, 

 Government Agent of the North- Western Province, wrote in 1870 : "The 

 question of plumbago-digging is one of great importance, and anxiously 

 looked forward to by the residents as well as those who desire to dig for 

 it. The delay in the matter is greatly to be regretted. It was brought 

 to notice many months ago and, I believe, referred to the Queen's Advocate, 

 but no decision has yet been arrived at." — Administration Reports, 1870. 

 Plumbago is spoken of in 1875 as having been found at Mipitiya, about 

 18 miles from Kurunegala, as if the discovery had been made recently. — 

 Administration Reports, North-Western, Province, 1875. 



