352 



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



[Vol. XXI. 



to the natives of the ' old fort.' In Baldseus's ' India ' there 

 is a print of this building, but so unlike, that were a person 

 to sit down and draw a sketch from fancy of what might be 

 found on Delft, he would very likely produce something 

 infinitely more resembling it. The plate places it near a 

 large tank, with hills in the background covered with groups 

 of beautiful large trees — whereas in reality it is on a small 

 esplanade close to the sea, without a tree save the palmyra, or 

 a hole big enough to drown a cat in ; and as for hills ! There 

 is not a spot on the whole land 20 feet above the level of 

 the sea ! Ergo, if our author's history is as true as his prints, 

 it is an authentic record indeed ! 



" The only way I can describe the shape of this edifice is by 

 supposing a square of 40 feet placed to the north of an oblong 

 square of 90 feet by 45. The southern or principal front 

 faces the small esplanade, and is 30 feet high, having two 

 stories of two rooms each. The northern square facing the 

 sea contains five upper rooms and four lower ones, or rather 

 vaults, for they must have been extremely dark, from the 

 total want of windows or doors, being only entered from 

 above. There have been two entrances to the building, by 

 flights of stone steps at the angles where the squares meet ; 

 an enemy is thus exposed to a flanking fire from the upper 

 rooms, and also from the roof, which has been flat. The 

 stone step of a flagstaff still remains in the floor of the prin- 

 cipal room (the west one in the southern face), through the 

 roof of which it has evidently been erected. Through the 

 heart of one of the walls, which are of enormous thickness 

 throughout, a stair leads to the roof from the upper storey, the 

 only way by which it appears to have been gained. A further 

 appearance of strength, indeed, is given to the building 

 by a solid buttress of stone smoothly coated with chunam, 

 erected entirely round the southern ' ^uare, and reaching 

 from the ground at an angle of 45° to the upper storey (or 

 half the height of the wall). This, as well as a great part of 

 the building, is still strong and repairable, though built of 

 uncut coral, from the excellent cement which has been used. 

 It is, however, now going fast to decay, principally from 

 the roots of the different trees, so ruinous to buildings in 



