Eleven Years in Ceylon: Comprising Sketches of the Field Sports and Natural History of that Colony, and an Account of Its History and Antiquities, Volume 1R. Bentley, 1841 - 4 pages |
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Abhaa Adam's Peak Adikar amongst ancient animal Anooraadhapoora Anuradhapoora appear ascend Batticaloe British Government Brother Buddhist building called capital ceremonies Ceylon chiefs Chilaw Cingalese history cocoa-nut Colombo commenced crocodiles cultivation dágoba Dalada Dambool death district Dootoogaimoonoo Eheylapola Elephant Shooting escape Europeans feet festival forest Gampola Gautama Buddha ground Hangwellé head height hundred India inhabitants inscriptions island jungle Kandian country Kandian King Kandy Kellania killed Kurunaigalla labour land length Mahasen Major Davie Malabar Malay Manár maritime provinces Mátalé Mehintalai ment miles Minneria monarch Mootoo Sámy mountain native party passed persons Pilámé Taláwe pillars Polannarrua Pollonnaroowa poora priest proceeded Raja Singha Ramayan Ratnapoora Reigned relic religion remains rest-house Rhodias rice river Robert Brownrigg rock royal ruins sacred Sangatissa seen side Sir Edward Barnes Sirisangabo sovereign stone tank temple throne tion Tissa trees Trinkomalee tusks village Vishnu wihare wild Wilmot Horton worship
Popular passages
Page 323 - Sweet is the breath of morn, her rising sweet, With charm of earliest birds; pleasant the sun, When first on this delightful land he spreads His orient beams, on herb, tree, fruit, and flower, Glistering with dew; fragrant the fertile earth After soft showers; and sweet the coming on Of grateful evening
Page 135 - Uprear'd of human hands. Come and compare Columns and idol-dwellings, Goth or Greek, With Nature's realms of worship, earth and air, Nor fix on fond abodes to circumscribe thy prayer.
Page 164 - Above me are the Alps, The palaces of Nature, whose vast walls Have pinnacled in clouds their snowy scalps, And throned Eternity in icy halls Of cold sublimity, where forms and falls The avalanche — the thunderbolt of snow ! All that expands the spirit, yet appals, Gather around these summits, as to show How Earth may pierce to Heaven, yet leave vain man below, LXIII.
Page 149 - Rocks rich in gems, and mountains big with mines, That on the high equator ridgy rise, Whence many a bursting stream auriferous plays : Majestic woods, of every vigorous green, Stage above stage, high waving o'er the hills : Or to the far horizon wide diffus'd, A boundless deep immensity of shade.
Page 194 - Here and there, by the side of this river, there is a world of hewn stone pillars, standing upright ; and other heaps of hewn stones, which I suppose formerly were buildings. And in three or four places, are the ruins of bridges, built of stone ; some remains of them yet standing upon stone pillars.
Page 278 - The largest or outside cover of these carandus (caskets) is five feet in height, formed of silver gilt, and shaped in the form of a dagoba : : the same form is preserved in the five inner cases, which are of gold ; two of them, moreover, being inlaid with rubies and other precious stones. The outer case is decorated with many gold ornaments and jewels, which have been offered to the relic, and serve to embellish its shrine.
Page 236 - ... it up as speedily as possible. The diver at the same time, free of every incumbrance, warps up by the rope, and always gets above water a considerable time before the basket. He presently comes up at a distance from the boat, and swims about, or takes hold of an oar or...
Page 135 - With nature's realms of worship, earth and air, Nor fix on fond abodes to circumscribe thy prayer ! The sky is changed !—and such a change!
Page 235 - Both the ropes of the stone and basket he holds for a little while in one hand. When he feels himself properly prepared, and ready to go down, he grasps his nostrils with one hand to prevent the water from rushing in, with the other gives a sudden pull to the running-knot suspending the stone, and instantly descends : the remainder of the rope fixed to the basket is thrown into the water after him at the same moment: the rope attached to the stone is in such a position as to follow him of itself....
Page 234 - At about seven in the morning, when the rays of the sun begin to emit some degree of warmth, the diving commences. A kind of open scaffolding formed of oars and other pieces of wood, is projected from each side of the boat, and from it the divingtackle is suspended, with three stones on one side, and two on the other. The diving-stone hangs from an oar by a light rope and slipknot, and descends about five feet into the water. It is a stone of fifty-six pounds weight, of a sugarloaf shape.