68 



JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). 



[Vol. XIX. 



in replanting the area already occupied ; for, although 

 the coco palm is exceptionally long-lived, no one has ven- 

 tured to put its productive bearing age at more than 100 

 years. 



Discussion. 



9. His Excellency the Governor invited remarks on the 

 Paper. 



Mr. C. M. Fernando referred to the archaeology of the coconut. 

 He would distinguish between the coconut of commerce and 

 the special variety known as " the King coconut," a rarer and 

 more precious variety, which was used for medicinal purposes. 

 It was probably * ' the King coconut ' ' that had attracted Kusta 

 Raja's attention and cured him of his skin disease. The coconut 

 was probably very much older in Ceylon. There was a Ceylon 

 before Vijayo, just as there was a Rome before Romulus, and 

 Generals before Agamemnon, and the coconut palm was pro- 

 bably much older than Kusta Raja. He said the Mahabarata 

 and the Ramayana mentioned the coconut palm, and the latter 

 referred to its existence in Ceylon. 



Mr. Ferguson pointed out that his argument was not at all 

 based on the legend of the Kusta Raja ; but that, according to 

 the great authority of De Candolle, the dispersion of coconuts 

 from Sumatra probably took place about 3,000 years ago. 



Mr. Harward instanced the frequent way in which legends 

 were created to account for misunderstood facts, and thought 

 that Kusta Raja and the legend with him was probably of similar 

 origin. He quite agreed with Mr. Fernando that there was a 

 civilized Ceylon before Vijayo's time ; and considering how much 

 Ceylon was visited by traders from the North- West and Far East 

 in very early times, he did not think the floating theory was neces- 

 sary to account for the coconut being transferred and planted 

 here. 



His Excellency the Governor said that, before moving the 

 vote of thanks, he felt it incumbent upon him as an archaeologist 

 to say a few words on the question raised by Mr. Fernando and 

 Mr. Harward, and, after humourously referring to the very old 

 legend of Ixora turning the head of a man into a coconut, as 

 related in a note to the learned Paper before them, His Excellency 

 proceeded : — Ladies and gentlemen, there is a very pleasant 

 duty which devolves upon me, that of proposing to you a most 

 hearty vote of thanks to our friend Mr. Ferguson for the treat 

 that he has given us this evening. It is not often that the Society 

 has such a treat as a Presidential Address, so teeming with most 

 instructive matter, and at the same time a Paper by the same 

 gentleman, so learned and full of interest as the Paper to 

 which we have just listened. 



