Dominions of Candy. M9 
prince-o It is needless to recount the names of those divisions 
which stretch towards the sea-coast, and are nov/ chiefly in our 
possession. 
lii the highest and 'most centrical part of the native king’s 
dominions lie the corles or counties of Oudanour and Tataiioiir, 
in which are situated the two principal cities. These counties 
take the pre-e'miiience of all the rest, and are both better 
cultivated, and more populous than any of the other districts, 
and .are distinguished by the general name of Conde Udda : 
condc or cande in the native language signifying a mountain, 
and udda the greatest or highest. 
This province of- Cond6 Udda is even more inaccessible than 
the others, and forms as it were a separate kingdom of itself. 
On every side it is surrounded by lofty mountains covered with 
wood, and the paths by which it is entered seem little more 
than the tracts of wild beasts. Guards are stationed all around 
to prevent both entrance and escape ; for defence they might 
seem entirely superfluous, did we not recollect that the perse- 
verance of the Dutch overcame all these obstacles, and forced 
a way into the very centre of this natural fortification. 
In the district of Tatanour lies Candy the royal residence 
and the capital of the native prince’s dominions. It is situated 
at the distance of eighty miles from Columbo, and twice as 
far from Trincomalee, in the midst of lofty and steep hills 
covered with thick jungle. The narrow and difficult passes by 
which it is approached are intersected with thick hedges of 
thorn; and hedges of the same sort are drawn round the hills 
ill the vicinity of Candy like lines of circumvallation. Tlirouo-li 
them the only passage is by gates of the same thorny materials, 
so contrived as to be drawn up and let down by ropes. When 
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