THE ISLAND OF CEYLON. 
133 
CHAPTER VII. 
Description of the Ceylonese Dutch — Portuguese — Malays. 
TlIE inhabitants of the sea coasts of Ceylon are composed 
of a variety of different races. At Columbo in particular, 
the natives of every country in India appear to have their 
representatives. The manners and customs of these tribes* 
however, fall more properly under the description of their 
several native countries : it is only necessary in this work to 
describe those which are stationary in Ceylon, and form a 
a considerable proportion of its population. Besides the 
native Ceylonese who live under the dominion of the Euro- 
peans, and are distinguished by the name of the Cinglese, 
the coasts are chiefly inhabited by Dutch, Portuguese, and 
Malays. All these differ so much from each other both in 
their customs and appearance, that I hope a separate descrip- 
tion of each tribe will afford amusement to the public. 
The Dutch, and indeed the Europeans of every other 
nation but our own, who are born and reside in India, differ 
much in their habits and modes of life from those oi Europe. 
Our own countrymen alone, in whatever climate or situation 
they are placed, still remain steady to the manners and cus- 
toms of Great Britain; and though the prejudices of the 
people among whom they live, and the nature of the 
climate, may force them to make occasional deviations, yet 
