382 



JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [Vol. XIX. 



go thither from two hundred to three hundred champanas, which are 

 certain small vessels, in which go twenty-five and thirty men with 

 provision for the time that they stay there .... And the large pearls 



are for the king, who has someone there to receive them from 



them ; and also his dues which they pay him. And the king of Ceilao 

 loses this fishery through having no boats, for this wealth lies within 

 the limits of his kingdom : " 



25 In Ram. we read : " The king of Zeilam makes his residence 

 continuously in a city that is called Colmucho, which is situated on a 

 river, with a good port." Of course " Colmucho " is a misreading or 

 misprint for " Columbo." 



26 Ram. has " very fine Cambaya cloths of cotton." 



27 The foregoing passage appears in Cast, in a materially altered 

 form, thus : " Among the ports of this island there are seven that 

 are the principal, and they are large cities, principally Columbo, which 

 is on the southern coast, where the king of Ceilao always resides. 

 Other five are also on the southern coast., viz., Panatore, Verauali, 

 Licamaon, Gabaliquamma, and Toranair. And on the northern 

 coast is another that is called Manimgoubo. And in all these cities, 

 which consist of thatched houses, there fall into the sea rivers some 

 of which are very large and beautiful, which run through the island ; 

 and in them are alligators. At all these cities, principally at that of 

 Columbo, many ships call to load with cinnamon, elephants, and 

 precious stones, and bring gold, silver, Cambaya cloths, saffron, coral, 

 and quicksilver. And these other cities besides that of Columbo are 

 governed by certain rulers that call themselves kings ; and so they 

 exercise authority according to their custom : all however pay vassalage 

 and obedience to the principal king who is in Columbo and recognize 

 him as their seignior." The six " cities" named by Castanheda are 

 Panadure, Beruwala, Alutgama, Galle (+ Weligama?), Dondra, and 

 Negombo. 



28 The Lisbon ed. has " which the Moors and Gentiles ca]l Cei- 

 lam "—this last word having been evolved by a series of copyist's 

 blunders from «'* Chilao," thus : Chilao — Chiiao — Chilam — Ceilam. 

 In the quotation from Castanheda in note 3 above, it will be seen 

 that writer attributes to " Ceilao " the meaning of "channel" in Arabic 

 and Persian. 



29 In Cast, the foregoing passage assumes the following form : — 

 " And is separated from the mainland by a hidden bank called Chilao 

 \sic~], in which there are many shoals between which is a very narrow 

 channel ; and through this passage pass all the ships that go from 

 India to Choramandel, and from there to India ; and many are often 

 lost on those shoals on account of the channel's being so narrow that 

 only with difficulty can it be found : and therefore one of the dangers 

 that the Indian merchants pray to God to deliver them from is the 

 shoals of Chilao." 



30 Vasco da Gama in 1502. 



C 23. 



Letter of Andrea Corsali to Laurentio de Medici. 1 



[17 September 1517. 2 ] 



They fish [for pearls] at the bottom of the sea as 



in the island of Zelan c. leagues below Calicut where are also 

 produced topazes, jacinths, rubies, sapphires, balasses, and some 



