ijwfge tracts Jofi; wood stretching into the- interior^ The cduntry
Ijerife as: welhas in other parts s of the island, at first view appears-
desolate and without inhabitants ; but • th is : i^t more appearance
than reality j for < the natives“ are very numerous, although; from
bifolding their huts, in the woods, and avoiding the approach of
'strangers,j they are seen only by those yhb explore their recesses.
iThê^next post te Trincomalee, on this, side is .'Malativoe, which
lies about two ,thirds of-, the way, to ' Jafhapatam. ^TLefbujth.b
Dutch had a small .fitcfoigr,“. with a forts .and^a- house a^r.^the
commanding ;offieer. It. w a s, a; subaltern’s. command^ depending
upon the. garrison of Trincomalee; and. Avas employed chiefly as
a . phst ffo' communication, and* to colldcti profosiqns that
garrison. For these purposes, j,nd tprtkeepMhe* natiyes'^iil^?^»,®,
few* Malay,Sror.'SepoygjSoldiers,, were stationed* here;; >}but i t was
never considered as capable , of any defence. ;
Malativoe lies in a very romantic and - delightful »situation^
.Close by the : fort is a smalbyillagey' and a river,,, which,-heiie
•fallsi,into]the sea, dorms a ,;harbour sufficient to. admit . small
c r a f t.T h e principal employment of the inhabitants .^-fishing«;
-and with this article they supply the ^fort-;.^:-Trincomalee.
Cattle, aaid..poultry are here in great abdndancg^^ud selLast©*,
snishinglyl^heap- Game is : exceedingly plentiful',. and^the woods.
<aboijnd with wild hogs and,-, dëèrsfe The ' manner, .of* procuring
:the^e animals- is attended ‘ with as little expense* eh difficultyi
an .European as can weH be imagined;, for the pajyve peasants
are • sb much at his beck, that he has only ; to supply them
with a fittle, powder and shot,: arid send them, into, the woods,
and they will" be sure to bring him back -as much game as he
can ose, without expecting any return'for their services.
., As we proceed northward from Malativoe, we find- the northern
extremity of the island, stretch#! dwpinto * fox'. Oblong peninsula*
alnfosf duit tffle frpm fth '^ ^ d ^ ;b k , a ’ bfcamph-l^ feMeis^^i-'-wJ^bh^
avs"<^d have already umehf^^m,^p,enetratest across, the islands 63?-
cepffthat a small strip of, whibh, ifo 'nearly'; inundated;
a t ' h ig l s water?. - wtadhSs3?i^fen5wni .by the
nambtofis Jafnapatam, l^-fe^-direetl^tavl^dsi^egapatahufifoWthe
B^^foandelnhoast, and «considered as the most healthy in the
island. This^fis owing-(to ifesj sito^fo^^ j-'sutFroundeS ifej the sea
©fi O h i o's to "sides^ ,byb wfocIlf^ifi^hs^W^vifoentif'hot^W'jMs
fi-bi^'-th#|.»eb^t;inefi‘f> S$- <$f • Tndial ^etMd#l^di|^®n-':vtheiri epajiagb.
These \Iand-vinds opi-.m-,, rntfobrable^lnr®
cufostance, -in ; el jghah^lfi., blndid. Ip,. Behgaly-„raaa'fl ;$|gverta?l
dfthei^ parts in i^Ur.-%:os^essieh, -'"they puevail ahpb^^^j'ipfofpea^
tfon; and .i^is^witb pair! I ^rhcPlteetwMm'Pey^diewtss;
pbfiged to^haVe recourse' ttotoke order, topdimmish Vt] leiaxefibof sF
T h e cbmmonliremedy ISpt'Qif^lafe^ -in frames, ^beforQf.the|s^#i%
dows or do©]#, <H'<Jr-f'bliads^lofet and
these being kept icOriSilfotTiyh wet by, black jfefidwVi retained' fiar
.the-^pfopose,.iHhe air Which * penetrates thBpbgh-Ahfelh^rs^bes'
is „cooled, by* the watery and deprived* iu4n» greafi 'Weasura|®1f
its ^ ^ ia u s ^ heat. * The*-v-folence s©£#tese winds,,; d-bpend
on - the * quantity jj of fiaoisture they -meet- with iiitbeifo passage.
In those parts-»where they blow;over tracts';of lowland* marshy
Ijfehnds, or rice fieldsy ‘ they are mhfeh^bboled and -less? sepsa-1%
folt at th e ; pltgees which they afterwards^ meet in their '-eefefse.
T/jiecofieet to have* observed- as-very striking instance',l>Qf«>this^
while I ■ waststationed'] at Trichinopoly. On one side, of the
fort is -aqjuxtensive sandy plain, and onthe?j other, a terge' tract
o f low marshy ground: during the season bf the land-winds,
that; part of the fort- which