Chap.XLVL A Defcripion 0/ G E Y L O N. 
I07 
A good 
Road. 
may ride fafe at Anchor for 7 or 8 
Months, but they muft take care to de- 
part before the Northern Moufforiy which 
renders this Shore very dangerous: So 
ibbn as any Ships are difcover'd at Sea, 
a Flag is put out on a long Pole for their 
Direaion. The Church was much de- 
cay'd, but has been repair'd of late. 
Gretitmm- Juft before the Church Hands a tall Ta- 
berofchn- marin Tree, which affording a very 
■paretiture, agreeable Shadow in the heat of the day, 
the People are often inftrufted by the 
The Os./^* 
The laft and furthermoft Province '-'^^^^^ 
Minifter to the number of 3000. 
School has about 1 000 Children. 
is call'd Patchiarapalle^ which has four 
Churches, and as many Schools. This 
Province is very fandy and unwholefom. 
Wants good Water, and is much infefted 
by the Elephants, by reafon of the vaft 
quantity of wild Palra-Trees that grow 
here, and afford Food to the poorer fort 
of Inhabitants, tho the Elephants throve 
down fome hundreds every year, being 
very greedy after the Fruit when it comes 
the Prt- to Maturity. . At a certain feafon of the 
p ""u- ye*i^ Children are feiz'd here with a 
mlTc ««-' certain Swelling in the Belly and Groin, 
wholefm. which fweeps away a good number of 
them. They arc alfo afflifted with cer- 
tain Fevers ( like thofe of Manaar ) which 
regulate their Fits according to the 
Moon, and kill in a little time. The 
Itch and Small-pox are alfo very common 
here : The Inhabitants being very poor, 
and feeding moft generally upon un- 
wholefom Diet, fuchas dry'd Fifh, Pou- 
mus^ Kelengesy and a little Rice. As 
this Province borders upon ROja Sing(C% 
Couiitry, fo they arc fubjcft to the Incur^ ' 
fions of the CingaUfes^ which is the rea- 
fon that the Houfe belonging to the 
Chufch of FoeUfQl(^ (the firft in XhhThtchmh 
Province) is furrounded with a high Poelcpe^ 
Wall with Port- holes in the nature of Iay» 
a Redoubt. The School has about 300 
Children, and the Church 600 Auditors. 
Here are certain Women who have a 
way to play i]|)dn Earthcrn Veffels or 
Mugs (call'd CaUohgs) by blowing into 
them as into a Trumpet. This Pro- 
vince affords a kind of Wood call'd 
Jagets-Wood (or Hunters-mod) which 
for its goodnefs is tranfportcd to the 
Goaft of Cmmandil 
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