Chap. X.—B. S.] CINGALESE AND EGYPTIAN RECORDS, 155 
grow with almost greater vigour than in America or 
Polynesia? Can that have been the cradle of the 
nut ? There are weighty reasons for hesitating in a 
reply. The littoral parts of Ceylon are now densely 
covered with this tree, and it looks more at home 
there than I have ever seen it in any part of the 
world. Yet both tradition and history affirm that at 
one time the Cocoa-nut was unknown in Ceylon. 
Not far from Point de Galle, there is carved on a 
rock the gigantic effigy of a native prince, Kottah 
Eayah, to whom is ascribed the discovery of the pro¬ 
perties of the Cocoa-nut, which before his time were 
unknown, as was also the tree. Moreover, the oldest 
chronicle of Ceylon, the ‘ Marawansa,’ the historical 
value of which is now fully admitted, is absolutely 
silent about everything relating to the Cocoa-nut, 
whilst it never fails to record, with tedious minute¬ 
ness, every accession of other fruit-trees made to the 
plantations by native princes. Now, is it probable 
that a fruit like the Cocoa-nut, which is often tossed 
about the ocean for months without losing its ger¬ 
minating power from the effects of salt water,—is it 
probable that if such a fruit had been indigenous to 
any part of Asia, it should have reached Ceylon only 
in a comparatively recent historical period ? 
These and similar puzzles having engaged my at¬ 
tention ever since I brought out my ‘ Popular History 
of P alm s,’ I was somewhat prepared for the question, 
“Was the Cocoa-nut known to the ancient Egyp¬ 
tians ?” which Goodwin started in the ‘ Parthenon.’ 
Setting aside the argument advanced by him for 
