358 
THE ISLAND OF CEYLON. 
though they had at different times extracted large quantities. 
They indeed observed the same policy in every other in- 
stance, and never gave us any piece of information which it 
was in their power to withhold. 
I may here introduce an account of some springs possessed 
of peculiar qualities, which are situated at Cannia, about 
six miles from the fort of Trincomalee, on the road to 
Candy. The waters were analysed by Dr. Christie of the 
80th regiment, with some other medical gentlemen belonging 
to the garrison. The result of this analysis, with a copy of 
which I was favoured, is as follows. 
The hot-wells of Cannia are six in number, and of different 
degrees of heat. They all, however, evidently communicate, 
for the water in all of them is at an equal distance from 
the surface of the ground; and a body immersed in one of 
them raises the height of the water in the other. 
As the water also from all the six wells exhibits the same 
phenomena, there can be little doubt that they all proceed 
from the same spring. 
Upon examining the heat of the different wells with great 
attention, it was found they varied from 98 to 106’i degrees 
of Farenheit’s thermometer, nearly in proportion to their 
different depths. 
Bubbles of air are seen to rise from the bottom of all 
the wells, and it was therefore conceived that the water 
might be acidulous, and impregnated with carbonic acid gas. 
It was found, however, that the water did not sparkle in a 
