THE ISLAND OF CEYLON, 
22 
jects of other princes, who should happen to come into his 
dominions. All cinnamon which grew on the coasts was to be 
considered as exclusively Dutch property ; and the natives, by 
way of special privilege, were allowed quietly to cut and carry 
it to the several Dutch factories on the island. The cinnamon 
growing in the woods was allowed to be, in some degree, the 
property of the natives ; they were obliged to peel it and sell 
it to the Dutch at a rix-dollar a pound : this is a coin of a no- 
minal value, and exchanges for about the worth of two shillings 
sterling of their copper money. But though cinnamon formed 
the chief article in the stipulations, the other productions of 
the island were by no means overlooked. The king of Candy 
was also obliged to stipulate that his subjects should gather the 
pepper, cardamoms, coffee, and cotton growing in the interior, 
and sell them to the Dutch at certain very low prices. A 
certain proportion of elephant’s teeth, areka nut, and betel 
leaf, together with a share of the precious stones found in their 
country, formed part of the tribute imposed on the natives. The 
number of elephants to be delivered up, was fifty in the two 
seasons ; these the Dutch transported to the opposite coast ol 
the continent, and sold to the native princes there at very high 
prices, as the elephants of Ceylon are accounted superior to 
all others. The pearl fisheries on the west and north-west 
shores where the pearl-banks are situated, formed another ac- 
quisition to the Dutch by this treaty. Several persons from 
the Malabar coast, and other parts of the continent, had es- 
