INDIA, OR HINDOSTAN. 



939 



and Gandicotta, are famed for their mines, as is Color, in Plydrabad. The diamond is generally 

 found in the narrow crevices of the rocks, loose, and never adherent to the strong stratum. 

 The miners, with long iron rods, which have hooks at the ends, pick out the contents of the 

 fissures, and wash them in tubs in order to discover the diamonds. In Color they dig in a large 

 plain to the depth of 10 or 14 feet ; 40,000 persons are employed, the men to dig, and the 

 women and children to carry the earth to the places in which it is to be deposited before the 

 search is made. Diamonds are also found in the gravel or sand of rivers, washed out of their 

 beds, and carried down with the stream. The river Goncl, near Sumbulpour, is the most 

 noted for them. 



9. Islands. Ceylon lies near the southern extremity of Hindostan. It is 300 miles in 

 length, and from 50 to 100 in breadth. The coast is low and flat, and encircled with a wide 

 border of cocoa trees, surrounded by rocks and shoals. The interior is filled with mountains, 

 which rise in successive ranges from the coast ; many of them are verdant and beautiful ; others, 

 peaked and rocky ; the highest is called Adam's Peak. A chain of shoals and rocks, called 



Adam's bridge, connects the island with the con- 

 tinent, so that the channel between them is impas- 

 sable for ships. Ceylon produces a great variety 

 of fruits, and the finest cinnamon in the world. 

 The minerals are tin, lead, iron, and quicksilver. 

 Precious stones are abundant, including the ruby, 

 topaz, amethyst, and diamond, though the last are 

 not of fine quality. An extensive pearl-fishery is 

 carried on in the Straits of IManaar, chiefly by 

 boats from the mainland of India. Columho is the 

 chief town, and has considerable commerce, with 

 a population of 50,000. Trincomalee derives im- 

 portance from the excellence of its harbor, in 

 which the English have a dock-yard. The natives are divided into the Cingalese, who inhabit 

 the maritime region, and the Candians, who five in the interior. The island belongs to the Eng- 

 lish crown. 



The Laccadives are a group of shoals and islets to tlie west of the Deccan 

 erned by a prince, dependent upon the English 



of banks or holms, among which there are 40 or 50 inhabited islets. The sovereign, who bears 

 the title of sultan, resides in the largest, which is about 3 miles in circumference. 



10. Divisions. This country is politically divided into the Seik confederation ; the king- 

 dom of Sindia ; the principality of Sinde ; the kingdom of Nepaul ; British India ; French 

 India ; Portuguese India ; Danish India ; and the kingdom of the Maldives. The following 

 table gives a general view of these divisions. 



Pearl Divers of Ceylon. 



they are gov- 



The Jllaldives also consist of a great number 



Independent Stales. 

 Sindia 



Lal ore or Seiks kingdom 



Nepaul 



Sinde 



British Presidencies 

 British Vassal States 

 Ceylon (to British crown) 



Square Miles. 



40,000 

 C0,00() 

 .^)3,000 

 2'l,000 



515,000 

 . 525,000 

 25,000 



Population. 

 4,(100,000 

 4,0011,000 

 2,000,000 

 1 ,000,000 



90,000,000 

 40,000,000 

 1 ,000,000 



11,000,000 



131,000,000. 



] 1. British India. The English East India company are masters of nearly all India, which 

 ihey have conquered from the native princes. Their territories cover an area ol 1,130,000 

 square miles, and contain a population of 130,000,000 souls. They are composed of two dis- 

 tinct parts ; the country immediately and entirely governed by the company's servants, divided 

 into the three presidencies of Bengal, Madras, and Bombay, having an area of 515,000 square 

 miles, and 90,000,000 inhabitants ; and the territory of the allied States, which are garrisoned 

 by British troops and are really mere vassals of the company, though nominally governed by 

 their own princes ; the vassal or allied States are, Hyderabad, Nagpore, Oude, Satarah, 

 JNTysore, Guzerat, Rajpootana, Travancore, Cochin, and numerous other petty Stales, 



