THE ISLAND OF CEYLON, 
33 
sand-banks and shallows, that it is impossible for vessels of a 
large size to approach them. Small craft however, find sta- 
tions here sufficiently convenient and secure. 
The interior of the island abounds with steep and lofty 
mountains, covered with thick forests, and full of almost im- 
penetrable jungles. The woods and mountains completely sur- 
round the dominions of the king of Candy, and seem destined 
by nature to defend him against those foreign enemies, whose 
superior skill and power have deprived him of the open tracts 
on the sea-coast > The most lofty range of mountains divides 
the island nearly into two parts, and so completely separates 
them from each other, that both the climate and seasons on 
either side are essentially different. These mountains also ter- 
minate completely the effect of the monsoons, which set in 
periodically from opposite sides of them; so that not only the 
opposite sea-coast, but the whole country in the interior suffers 
very little from these storms. 
The monsoons in Ceylon are connected with those on the 
Coromandel and Malabar coasts, and very nearly correspond 
with them ; but they set in much sooner on the western than 
the eastern side of the island. On the west side where Columbo 
lies, the rains prevail in the months of May, June, and July, 
the season when they are felt on the Malabar coast.. This 
monsoon is usually extremely violent, being accompanied with 
dreadful storms of thunder and lightning, together with vast tor- 
rents of rain, and violent south-west winds. During its continu- 
ance, the northern parts of the island are very little affected, and 
F 
