-partiotil&ri subject,-? they i sMingnmv^rai : togetM rfikpt e. piece of
twine passed thi«ttgi|riitoei^itedi|tttaoh; them to adosoard iip i the
•same wap^Spwe fitejnews-><pi$peYib%b
Palm leaves are ■ stAiJetiffles-4 eMg|opedfefoiviithpr;satd©ipuppos@,
but-'those ©f the-talipot bOth'-'froMi. their s breadths and thiefeiosis
Urd' preferred^ |Rfifli Of - the^dMive^^atid'JiMiofd ohlytt|ofodt!ie
*higHet: Ordep ' who hkvel'Hi«eh> uandl'ifef^i aiceounts\ib
-feeel^tvith the” Europeans;I employ!'any other materials in %fit-
ing than those which I i hayq jusfiudescribed. 1 ®hese *'isuia|s5»^.
goit > "df'paper made of. the bark of a tree . sometimes used.1
I hayfc seen several of> these -talipot books dr 'files;rdahed9ll>y
thfe native oUoeS, -richly ornamented; and feohnd? in^hinlacGpiered
boards of'' ivory,?1 ©r 'ewed!'8ilvfer}.and gdld.v ■ iTheyi * are sparticiaf-
k.riy dekterOiks and akanmt%inllMfC{ih@(le of’.writing. In those
leftters •Or dispatches^which were -sent? by the-King to jtiiefGDuteh
government, the* monarch • seemed' particularly» anxiOus ptmTlis-
play his'magni&^neetifhf^hei;'richness1 and sptehdror wjth.whioh
they wed© executed/* The • writings‘Was^holosed rm - teay^terf
beaten: gold in the shape of a/£Odoa^teeei> lfeafc I This wasior'olled
up hi a ’mover richly oniamented, and almost, thid in a profi®-
sion-'of* pearls and other preOiows: stanasI -The whole wasCn-
closed in a box of silver -or ivory,; which was sealed - withi the
Bmperor’s great seal. The same-splendour has been observed
in the letters sent to^'o«f; 'GbydfiHor ^i®ce iwe have had posSes,-
sion of the island.
The progress of the Ceylonese in the * Other*'hrtsdof--life*Is
proportionate- to their literature1. - Their Agriculture ‘is still’ in
the rudest state; and' perhaps1 there is no 1 other part;’ of India
where the lands are cultivated with more negligence. The Ceylonese
are naturally, like other tribes who inhabit a mountainods
country, 4 and; i accustpjpe^ylo the habits.-of
pastöfplillifél,' indolent! kt the eA$j^§n j^pJieirf «oik where it can
bgi'-Jvatetedi, yiel<tó( )jiiem ^a sufficient . .qufoMfyill' ’^ ce - to mainr
iaipfitfieir .fèsastenscQj ^ahé, thff.’ seajffir<abpp<*,d|3' as they
#sk e. -/Tihei- example ;n©£,,j|he. l^uropeanSifn Ifatafa. cultivation of
the cinnanroh Irashotsiyet &,w«kpne«| a, spirit among
the ihtiv^iJ-pdr ibafc gtp{ jaj^roy.emgRt f ^^fj^>#»^i<sagpieultiu.
ral instruments! heem as. ypjfidnj^pdtfeedi,* (Then, pl&jughj-^msishs
merely jsf ar-jefooked. »piede hfoWdodj>:shaped( in. $gch a., manner
that'ithe ope endsseryes for' a handle, w^leythgjjothe^-iwhichtis*
shod with irottïfO«cpreyenif ,||h|-tw#^ &Om,- ^earing^; j ploughs,, op .
»aSheritpans^ppE1 the ground.; i«T|hisü/ye^ru4^i, instrument, how-
ever, jseryess their purpose, as it is.^pt,required to make regular
furrows,'but,merely-gx^loosen the ;earth; si^as,go allow the .water
with which' theyjipunpate it fi> drench if., ppn^pletely. After
a first ploughing.; with, this instrument, tpe ^fields'are flooded;
and affeey they have lain some - time, under watef,- it is ;let,.off,
and thty a^ef ploughed anew* PThp - Water5ii besideSnourishing.
the? ricey,:; se.rycsv;f:hep,iH'poge of (jotting- th^jve^d%,,g The only good
trait in their husb|ind|,y:'ffe!the'1 Cate wjth which they .guard;' against
weeds ?: this indeed costs them little l a b o u r | t h e y have.,an
opportimity; of ifloo:ding the grounds* . The other tools they employ
. in . agriculture are;, a 'board for ^p^thing . tlreir ! fields,,
which they 'drag ove$. them edgewise frith their oxen, and a
piece of board fastened to the end of a lóóg,pole,, which, serves-
them in place of rakes, >•
When the season for ploughing arrives,. each village makes- .it '
a common concern, and .every one, attends with his. plough, and r
his; oxen till, the whole of the fields- .belonging, to that Society
be finished. The same method; isfollowed, in reaping, the1 com;;