THE ISLAND OF CEYLON. 
169 
Those who suppose that Ceylon once formed part of the 
continent of India, and was disunited from it only by some 
unusual shock of nature, find no difficulty in peopling it with 
the same race who inhabited it before it became a sepa- 
rate island. Indeed the distance is so small between Ceylon 
and the continent, that it requires no stretch of imagina- 
tion to suppose that it was peopled either from the Coroman- 
del or Malabar ^coasts ; and this is in fact the received 
opinion among most people. Some circumstances however 
seem to indicate that they have come from a greater dis- 
tance ; their complexion, features, language and manners 
are so similar to those of the Maldivians, that I should for 
my part be apt to conclude that both were of the same 
stock. The Maidive islands arc only two or three days’ 
sail from Ceylon ; and from the dissimilarity of the habits 
found among them to those of the Indians on the continent, it 
might be argued that the natives of these islands have not 
directly originated from those of Iiindostan. 
The Ceylonese are of a middling stature, about five feet 
eight, and fairer in complexion than the Moors and Mala- 
bars of the continent. They are however at the same time 
neither so well made nor so strong. I know no race they 
resemble so much in appearance as the Maldivians. The 
Candians are both fairer, better made, and less effeminate 
than the Cinglese in our service. 
The women are not so tall in proportion as the men ; the) 
are much fairer, and approach to a yellow or mulatto 
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