Chap. I. Commodore R 
delicious, that many have believed it the Seat of the ter- 
reftrial Paradife ; and it is certain, that the Inhabitants 
o-enerally believe this, which they pretend to prove, by 
Ihewing, at this Day, the Tomb of Adam, and the Print of 
his Foot, on the Mountain called the Pike of Adam , which 
is one of the higheft Mountains in all the Indies. On an- 
other Mountain there is a fait Lake, which the Inhabitants 
affirm wascaufed by the Tears fhed by Eve in her hundred 
Years weeping for the Death of Abel. With regard to the 
Tomb, the People of Ceylon are fure, that there is nothing 
more certain, than that the Father of Mankind lies interred 
in it: This they think is put out of Difpute by the Epitaph, 
which, however, nobody can read. Abundance of curious 
Travellers have feen and copied the Letters, but to no 
manner of Purpofe ; for the Learned, in all Nations, have 
declared themfeltes at a Lofs for theSenfe of it, and the 
oriental Critics as much as the reft : Whence our Author 
infers, that we ought to fuppofe it written in the primitive 
Language of Mankind, fpoken all the World over, before 
the Confufion of Tongues at Babel. Some learned Men 
are of Opinion, that this primitive Language confifted in 
the five Vowels, a, e, i, o, u, in which is contained the 
Name of the living God, viz. IEOVA , and of which 
five Vowels it is impoffible to compofe any other Word, 
in any Language whatever. It is faid, that the late Mr. 
-Muller , who was Provoft of Stettin , and juftly famous for 
his great Learning, was very well verfed in this fort of 
Science, and that it was his Opinion, the Myfteries of all 
Languages might be difcovered by the Help of thefe Let- 
ters. It is alfo certain, that Mr. Muller offered to difcover 
this Key to all Languages to the States General of the 
United Provinces , for a certain Sum of Money. Un- 
doubtedly, if we had this Key, it would be of great Ad- 
vantage in relpeft to our Commerce with the Eaftern Na- 
tions but this Affair of the Purchace being drawn out to 
a tedious Length , that great Man died before any thing 
could be done in it, and fo this important Secret was 
buried with him. 
I have attentively confidered the Epitaph in Queftion, 
fays our Author ; and it feems to me, that it ought to be 
decyphered, in the fame manner that is ufed in reading 
Roman Infcriptions. If I had, continues he, the Science, 
•and the Key, of Mr. Muller, I flatter my felf, thatlfhculd 
be able to difcover the Senfe of it. It does not, however, 
appear, that this Epitaph has any Relation whatever to our 
firft Parent; and, if it was made for any other Perfon 
'who was interred there, the Opinion of thofe, who hold 
‘that Paradife was feated in this Hand, falls of itfel'f to the 
Ground ; for we -know, that the Angel of God drove 
Adam and Eve out of Paradife after their Fall. Adam , 
therefore, could not poffibly die, or be buried, there, un- 
lefs we fhould fay, that Paradife was no more than a Di- 
ftridt, or little Country, in this Hand. Some Hiftorians, 
fuch as Munfier , and others, affure us, that Adam and 
Eve, after their Fall, went to dwell in the Neighbourhood 
■of Damafcus : They fhew, to this Day, at the Diftance of 
two Leagues from that City, the Place where Cain flew 
his Brother Abel. Damafcus , fay they, fignifies a Place of 
Blood *, which Name was given to this Country to per- 
petuate the Memory of this firft Murder, agreeable to what 
God faid to Cain, Phe Voice of thy Brother s Blood crieth 
unto me from the Ground, which hath opened her Mouth to 
receive thy Brother' s Blood from thy Hand. Moft Tra- 
vellers to oriental Countries have remarked, in their 
Itineraries, that Adam was buried in the Mountain of Gol- 
gotha ; and that, on the Paffion of our Lord, the Rocks 
being rent, there was found in the Cliffs of them the 
Skull of our firft Parent. Epiphanius feems to have been 
©f that Sentiment, when he fays, that Adam , being driven 
out of Paradife, went tq live in the Neighbourhood of 
Jerufalem ; and that dying there, he was buried in the Moun- 
tain Golgotha, where his Skull was afterwards found; and 
that, for this Reafon, the Mountain was infucceeding Times 
called Calvary : But this Opinion, fays our Author, appears 
to me to be ill-founded *, for the Earth being overturned, 
and broken to Pieces, in moft Parts, by the Deluge, we 
muft neceffarily fuppofe, that the Tomb of Adam, where - 
ever it was placed, ' could not retain its firft Situation. It 
feems to me, therefore, continues he, that the Epitaph 
■ -Numb* 20, 
OGGEWEIN. 
found in the Ifland of Ceylon regards Noah, or feme of 
his Family, who efbblifhed their Dominion in this Ifland, 
and who, for that Reafon, by a Figure natural enough in 
any oriental Language, might be ftyled the Father of Mam 
kind. ' 
This Hand whs difcovered in the Year 1509. by Jaqfm 
Lopes dp Siguairo. The principal Places therein are Jaffna 
pat am, Prinkenemall, Materolo, Punt a de Galo, Columbo 
Nijombo , Scitavaca, and Candy. The Eafi India Com” 
pany are poffeffed of the whole Coafts of the Hand, 1 and 
ten or twelve Leagues within Land, and of moft of the 
Towns before-mentioned. The Portuguefe, who were 
formerly eftablifhed here, had built abundance of Forts 
for their own Security, To that it was a very difficult Matter 
to difiodge them ; but, when once the Dutch had con- 
tracted a fecret Alliance with the King of Candy, who waS 
Sovereign of the Ifland, they fuddenly found themfelves 
attacked on all Sides, by Land, and by Sea, and wefe'by 
degrees driven totally out of all their Poffeffions : As the 
Dutch have ever ftnee taken a great deal of Pains to keep 
up a good Correfpondence with that Monarch, they have 
obtained from him almoft whatever they demanded. The 
Company fend every Year an Embaffador to him with 
various Prefents ; in Return for which, his Majeft^ fends 
the Company a Cabinet of Jewels, of fo great Value, that 
theVeffel which carries it home, is looked upon to be 
worth half the Fleet. The Governor-General takes care 
himfelf to have it fo packed up among the reft of the Mer- 
chandize, that not only none of the Ship’s Company, but 
even the Captain of the Veflel that carries it, knows not 
whether it be on board his Ship or no ; which fhews not 
only the immenfe Wealth the Company draws from her Do- 
minions in the Indies, but the wife and prudent Meafures 
fhe employs to fecure the Riches fhe obtains. 
The two principal Places in this Hand ar P tint a de 
Galo, and Columbo. This laft Place is the Refidence of 
the Governor, and his Council ; and the other is properly 
no more than the Port of that City. The Air of Ceylon , 
though very hot, is, notwithftanding, efteemed to be very 
wholfome. The Country abounds with moft excellent 
Fruits of all Kinds. They have likewife great Plenty of 
Rivers, and Sea-fifh of various Sorts ; Fowls, wild and 
tame ; as alfo Animals, particularly Elephants, much larger 
than in any other Country of the Indies, Tygers, Bears, 
Civet-cats, Apes, &c. But that for which the Hand is moft 
famous, is its Cinnamon, which is efteemed by far the beft 
in all Afia. The Eajl India Company have at prefent the 
Monopoly of that, as well as all other Spices, and furnifh 
therewith all other Parts of the World. 
Cinnamon is, properly fpeaking, the inner Bark of a 
Tree, which refembles an Orange ; the Flowers of which 
differ but little from thofe of the Laurel-tree in their Size 
and Figure. There are three Sorts of Cinnamon ; the 
fineft, which is taken from young Trees ; a coarfer Sort, 
taken from the old ones ; and wild Cinnamon, which 
grows not only here, but in Malabar, China , and, of late 
Years, in Brafil. The Company likewife drives a great 
Trade in the Qil which is drawn from this Spice, and 
which is of very great Value. The Company gains alfo 
very confiderably by the precious Stones that are found in 
this Hand, which are Rubies, Sapphires white and blue. 
Topazes, 
There is likewife eftabliffied on the Coaft of the Hand 
Manar , and of Pockecorin, a fine Pearl-fifhery, which brings 
in a prodigious Profit. This is let twice a Year to Farm 
to certain Negro Merchants, The Oy iters in which the 
Pearls are found, lie at the Bottom of the Sea. This 
Fifhery is carried on only in fair Weather, and when the 
Sea is extremely calm. The Diver has a Cord which paffes 
under his Arms, and is faftened to the Boat ; he has a 
large Stone fixed to his Feet, that he may defeend the 
quicker, and a Sack or Bag about his Waift, into which he 
puts his Oyfters as fail as he finds them. As foon as he is 
at the Bottom of the Sea, he takes up as many as lie 
within his Reach, and puts them into his Bag as faff as 
poffible. In order to afeend, he pulls ftrongly a different 
Cord from that which is tied about his Body, upon which 
Signal, thofe left in the Boat draw him up as faff as they 
can, while he endeavours to rid himfelf of the Stone at 
