From the preceding account, it appears that the island of Ceylon is at present separated into two grand divisions. It originally contained a number of distinct petty king doms, but after the arrival of the Portuguese, the whole interior of the country was reduced under the dominion of the king of Candy. The other part of the island, which is now subject to the British, includes the whole of the sea coast, and completely encircles the Candian territories. In some places it extends only about six miles, in others thirty, and on the northern side of the island about sixty miles into the interior.
In approaching this island from the sea, it presents a most delightful prospect to the eye. The level districts on the coast appear bounded by beautiful groves of cocoa nut trees, while the intermediate plains are covered with tich fields of rice, and the 'prospect usually terminates in woods, which cover the sides of the mountains, and display a verdant foliage during every season of the year. The interior of the island abounds in steep and lofty hills, covered with thick forests, and full of impenetrable jun t;les. The woods and mountains completely surround the dominions of the king of Candy, and seem destined nature to defend him against those foreign enemies, whose superior power and skill have deprived him of the coasts.
The highest and rudest tract is the kingdom of Conde Uda; and at the western skirt of the district soars Ha mallel, or Adam's Peak, which rises above all the other mountains in the form of a sugar loaf, and is seen even at the distance of the sea. On the summit of this moun :Ain is a flat stone, with an impression resembling a hu man foot, about twenty-four inches in length, which is said by the Mahometans to be that of our common pro genitor; but the Ceylonese consider it as the footstep of Buddhu, their great deity, when he ascended into hea ven.
From this mountain and the adjacent hills, the pi in cilia' rivers in the island take their rise. These are, the Mahavellagatiga, the \Vidlimy, the Cullagauga, and the Moolival. They are, iu gc neral, rapid hut smooth streams; some of them are navigable to a consi derable distance up the country. There arc a variety of other rivers which rise from the hills in different parts of the island, and though they are not navigable, they might be rendered of great advantage in fertilizing the fields.
The internal communications by land through the island ha% e scarcely passed the first stage of improve ment. Along the sea coast, indeed, there are roads and stations for travellers; but these in many places are ex ceedingly steep and rugged. In the other parts of the country footpaths are sometimes discernible, but never any broad beaten was regularly formed, and bounded by walks or ditches. This want of roads gives a striking peculiarity to the. aspect of the eumniy, which cannot easily be represented to the mind of a person who has never travelled over a wild and woody region.
In general, the climate of Ceylon is much more tem perate than that of India. From Chilauw southward, to Tengalle on the western coast, the air is salubrious and delightful. The medium heat of the thermometer, ac cording to Mr Co•diner, is about 81°, and in the most sultry weather it seldom exceeds 8E.° in the shade. In
the other parts of the coast where the soil is arid and dry, it often indeed rises considerably higher. In gene ral, the heat during the day is nearly the same through out the whole year; but the variation of temperature be tween the day and the night is often remarkably great, the thermometer sometimes ranging, in the course of nine hours, from G9° to 99°. The temperate climate of the coast, is doubtless owing, in a considerable degree, to the regular breezes which prevail for a certain num ber of hours every day. The sea breeze usually sets in about eleven o'clock in the forenoon, and continoes to blow till near six in the evening: the land breeze com mences about seven, prevails during the night, and gra dually dies away towards eight in the morning. In the interior, where the influence of these breezes is not felt, iu cause ;mute of the thick and close woods, at.d the hills which crowd upon each other, tl,e heat is many de grees greater than upon the coast, and the climate often extremely sultry and unhealthy. This inconvenience, however, might be in a great degree obviated, by cut ting dowit the woods, and clearing the jungles, which at present impede the circulation of the cooling breeze.
The lofty range of mountains which runs through the kingdom of Candy, die ides the island nearly into two equal parts, and so complete ly separates them from cacti other, that the seasons on either side are totally different. These mountains terminate completely the effect of the monsoons, which set in periodically from the opposite sides of the island, so that not only the opposite sea coasts, but the whole country in the interior, suffers ve ry little from these storms. Accordingly. whilst torrents of rain descend on the south and w e t sides. the north and cast experience an unclouded sky, with all the fer vid heat of the torrid zone ; and vi hen the latter are ob scu•ed, the former are again enlivened with uninter rupted sunshine. Indeed it has sometimes been a con stant drought on one side of these mountains for several years together, while the other has been deluged with perpetual rains. The monsoons in Ceylon are connected with those on the Coromaudti and Malabar coasts, and correspond very nearly with them ; but they set in much sooner on the western than the eastern side of the island. On the west side, the rains prevail in the months of 'May, June, and July, the season when they are felt on the Malabar coast. This monsoon is usually far more vio lent than the other, being accompanied with dreadful storms of thunder and lightning, together with vast tor rents of rain, and violent south-west winds. During its continuance, the variations of the climate are particular ly remarkable. The torrents of rain which fall chiefly during the night, render the atmosphere at that time extremely chill and damp, while the excessive heat of the sun by day is almost insupportable. In consequence of the sudden transition from a warm clear day to a cold and wet night, the climate is more unhealthy at this sea son than during the prevalence of warm dry weather. It is remarkable, however, that these changes affect the negroes and the natives of the continent much more se verely than the Europeans.