Ceylon; an Account of the Island Physical, Historical, and / Topographical with Notices of Its Natural History, Antiquities and / Productions, Volume 1

by Sir James Emerson Tennent

CHAPTER I.

CEYLON AS KNOWN TO THE GREEKS AND ROMANS.

• First heard of by the companions of Alexander the Great [549]
• Various ancient names of Ceylon (note) [549]
• Early doubts whether it was an island or a continent [550]
• Mentioned by Aristotle [550]
• Alleged mention of Ceylon in the Samaritan Pentateuch (note) [551]
• Onesicritus's account [552]
• Megasthenes' description [552]
• Ælian's account borrowed from Megasthenes (note) [552]
• Ceylon known to the Phoenicians and to the Egyptians (note) [552]
• Hippalus discovers the monsoons [553]
• Effect of this discovery on Indian trade [554]
• Pliny's account of Ceylon [555]
• Story of Jambulus by Diodoros Siculus (note) [556]
• Embassy from Ceylon to Claudius [556]
• Narrative of Rachias, and its explanation (note) [557]
• Lake Megisba, a tank [557]
• Early intercourse with China [558]
• The Veddahs described by Pliny [558]
• Interval between Pliny and Ptolemy [558]
• Ptolemy's account of Ceylon [559]
• Explanation of his errors [559]
• Ptolemy discriminates bays from estuaries (note) [559]
• Identification of Ptolemy's names [560]
• His map [560]
• His sources of information [561]
• Agathemerus, Marcianus of Heraclea [562]
• Cosmas Indicopleustes [562]
• Palladius—St. Ambrosius (note) [562]
• State of Ceylon when Cosmas wrote [563]
• Its commerce at that period [563]
• In the hands of Arabs and Persians [564]
• Ceylon as described by Cosmas [565]
• Story of his informant Sopater [566]
• Translation of Cosmas [567]
• The gems and other productions of Ceylon—"a gaou" (note) [567]
• Meaning of the term "Hyacinth" (note) [568]
• The great ruby of Ceylon, its history traced (note) [568]
• Cosmas corroborated by the Peripius [570]
• Horses imported from Persia [570]
• Export of elephants [570]
• Note on Sanchoniathon [571]

CHAP. II.

INDIAN, ARABIAN, AND PERSIAN AUTHORITIES.

• Absurd errors of the Hindus regarding Ceylon [578]
• Their dread of Ceylon as the abode of demons [578]
• Rise of the Mahometan power [579]
• Persians and Arabs trade to India [579]
• Story in Beladory of the first invasion of India by the Mahometans (text and note) [580]
• Character of the Arabian geographers [581]
• Their superiority over the Greeks [581]
• Greek Paradoxical literature [582]
• A.D. 851. The two Mahometans [583]
• Their account of Ceylon [583]
• Adam's Peak [583]
• Obsequies of a king [584]
• Councils on religion and history [584]
• Toleration [585]
• Carmathic monument at Colombo (note) [585]
• Galle, the seat of ancient trade [586]
• Claim of Mantotte disproved [587]
• Greek fire (note) [588]
• "Kalah" is Galle [589]
• The Maharaja of Zabedj help possession of Galle [589]
• Evidence of this in the Garsharsp-Namah [590]
• Derivation of "Galle" (text and note) [591]
• Aversion of the Singhalese to commerce [592]
• Identification of the modern Veddahs with the ancient Singhalese [593]
• Their singular habits, as described by Robert Knox, Ribeyro, and Valentyn [593]
• • By Albyrouni [593]
  • By Palladius [593]
  • By Fa Hian [594]
  • By the Chinese writers (note) [594]
  • By Pliny [594]
• For this reason the coast only known to strangers [595]
• Arabian authors who describe Ceylon [595]
• • Albateny and Massoudi [595]
  • Tabari (note) [595]
  • Sinbad the Sailor [596]
  • Edrisi [597]
  • Kazwini [598]
• Cinnamon, no mention of [599]
• Was cinnamon a native of Ceylon? [599]
• No mention by Singhalese authors [600]
• No mention of by Latin writers [600]
• The Regio Cinnamomifera was in Africa (note) [600]
• • No mention by Arabs or Persians [600]
  • First noticed in Ceylon by Ibn Batuta [601]
  • By Nicola di Conti (note) [601]
• Ibn Batuta describes Ceylon [604]
• • His Travels [605]

CHAP. III.

CEYLON AS KNOWN TO THE CHINESE.

• Early Chinese trade with Ceylon [607]
• Early Chinese travellers in India [607]
• Chinese translations of M.S. Julien [608]
• List of Chinese authors relating to Ceylon (note) [608]
• Their errors as to its form and site [609]
• Their account of Adam's Peak and its gems [609]
• Chinese names for Ceylon [610]
• Curious habit of its traders [611]
• They describe the two races, Tamils and Singhalese [611]
• Origin of the cotton "Comboy" [612]
• Costume of Ceylon [612]
• Early commerce [613]
• Works for irrigation noticed [613]
• Island of Junk-Ceylon [614]
• Galle resorted to by Chinese ships [614]
• Vegetable productions [614]
• Elephants, ivory, and jewels [615]
• Skill of Singhalese goldsmiths and statuaries [615]
• Pearls and gems sent to China [615]
• No mention of cinnamon [616]
• Chinese account of Buddhism in Ceylon [616]
• Monasteries for priests first founded in Ceylon [616]
• Cities of Ceylon in the sixth century [617]
• Patriotism of Singhalese kings [617]
• Domestic manners of the Singhalese [617]
• Embassies from China to Ceylon [618]
• Chinese travels prior to the sixth century [619]
• Fa Hian's travels in sixth century [620]
• First embassy from Ceylon to China, A.D. 405 [620]
• Narrative of the image which it bore (note) [620]
• Ceylon tributary to China in sixth century [620]
• Hiouen-Thsang describes Ceylon in the seventh century (note) [621]
• Events in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries [621]
• King of Ceylon carried captive to China, A.D. 1405 [623]
• Last embassy to China, A.D. 1459 [625]
• Traces of the Chinese in Ceylon [626]
• Evidences of their presence found by the Portuguese [626]
• Modern Chinese account of Ceylon (note) [626]

CHAP. IV.