The Candians 
255 
Mulivaddy, the next principal river takes its rise at a small 
distance from the other, and runs towards the west coast. 
There are a variety of other rivers, which rise from the hills 
in various parts of the country ; although these be not naviga- 
ble, yet if properly attended to, they might be employed to 
the greatest advantage in fertilizing the country. 
The rainy seasons vary in difterent parts of the interior. 
The south-west quarter is subject to tlie influence of the wes- 
tern monsoons, while the north-east is but slightly touched by 
those from the opposite quarter. The high range of mountains 
which runs across the country of Candy, seems to divide the 
island into two different climates ; there has been a continued 
drought on one side of them for years, while it has rained on 
the other without intermission. The eastern parts are by no 
means so subject to the influence of the monsoons as those to 
the west, and are consequently much less deluged with rains. 
The seasons in the mountains of the interior are regulated 
by different laws, and do not exactly correspond to either of 
the monsoons. Among them it rains incessantly during the 
months of March and April, at which period it is dry in the 
lowlands. 
As I have already given a description of the Ceyloiiese in 
general, and pointed out the particular characteristics of the 
Chiglese, a few peculiar circumstances are all that require to 
be noticed of tlie manners of the Candians. The excessive jea- 
lousy which the latter entertain of Europeans and their con- 
nexions, has indeed hitherto rendered every attempt to obtain 
accurate information concerning them almost completely abor- 
tive. It might be naturally imagined that this information 
could have been obtained by means of the Cinglese in the 
