The Sun.
London, England, 1860-01-24 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

Ceylon. By Sir James Emerson Torment. 2 vols.
Longmans. Second Notice.
One of the most attractive features in the second
volume of this peculiarly instructive and interesting
work is the part which relates to elephants. It is
replete with information so vast and various that
in itself it forms a subject of study to the casual
reader. The author has been at considerable pains
to collect all the desirable details on the subject
from the notes and memoranda of recent residents,
the records of ancient and medieval histories, and
from his own recollections and personal observa-
tion. Elephants abound in Ceylon, and their ex-
port has been going on since the period of the first
Punic war. It is mentioned as an extraordinary
fact, and which is doubtless not generally known,
that " whilst in Africa both sexes have tusks, with
some slight disproportion in the size of those of the
females, and whilst in India the females are pro-
vided with them, though of much less dimensions
than the males, not one elephant in a hundred is
found with tusks in Ceylon, and the few that pos-
sess them are exclusively males." That elephants
are comparatively harmless in consequence of their
peaceful natures, is proved by the rarity of
the occurrence of any serious casualty in
the numerous contests that arise between
them and mankind in the frequent captures. It is
truly observed that were they instinctively vicious,
or even highly irritable, the destruction of life
would be on a far more extensive ratio than it is at
present, when the average range is three fatal cases
in five years in an island abounding in elephants,
with a population of a million and a half. Among
the fallacies here refuted is mentioned the supposed
aversion of the elephant to many animals, the au-
thor says—" In the quiet solitudes of Ceylon ele-
phants may be constantly seen browsing peacefully
in the immediate vicinity of, and in close contact
with, other animals. I have seen groups of deer
and wild buffaloes reclining in the sandy bed of a
river in the dry season, and elephants plucking the
branches close beside them." Further on he ex-
presses his conviction that, instead of the elephant
being frightened by the sight of a horse, it is the
latter who is terrified when they meet, and
that
when an elephant attacks a rider on horseback he
has never been known to hurt the animal, but re-
serves all his attacks for the man. A curious cir-
cumstance is here recorded of the sagacity of this
wonderful animal, and a proof of the terror evinced
by the horse when in his vicinity—
" It is true that in captivity, and after a due course of
training, the elephant discovers a new use for his tusks
mwhen h es
om ploythatead p
oinyv
envill rifouii
onnge stones
iasnd e
and piling
carry
o ntimber;them :
s
loili,cof half a ton weight or more. One evening, whilst rid-
ing in the vicinity of Kandy, towards the scene of the
massacre of Major Davie s party in 1803, my horse evinced
some excitement at a noise which approached us in the thick
jungle, and which
icnonasihsoteadrsoefaandredipestsiatitoisnfloefdtthoeneej.acupttliaorun
iunrit'hillehfoir?e4rsitnPexhplfained the mystery, by bringing me face to
face with a tame elephant, unaccompanied by any attendant.
He was labouring painfully to carry a heavy beam of tim-
ber, which he balanced across his tusks, but the pathway
being narrow, he was forced to bend his headythooonnee
side to permit it to pass endways ; and the exertion and
inconvenience combined led him to utter the dissatis-
fied sounds which disturbed the composure of m
On seeing us halt, the elephant raised his head, reconl
noi(rad us for a moment,. then flung down the timber and
forced himself backwards into the brushwood so as to leave
a passage, of which he expected us to avail ourselves. rly
horse still hesitated ; the elephant observed it, and g
impa-
tiently thrust himself still deeper into the jungle, repeating
his cry of urmnph ! but in a voice evidently meant to encou•
rage us to come on. Still the horse trembled ; and anxious
tof
n rotbhsaeumest
irbrtyhiveiudn:erilmndhyat instinctet:hrenaler:rafsnsnetearrgdliewysmnat
boreesaeaeeli
ha
nsn:aorsaerte
senhabedetie
uthf:reovaerinadee
sp:htdehhoi
dosaoi
nsnpti
uemt sawpsknoasedd:
itgaetr
nneaedkdmtl
eyrbdiscontenteduel himselffisopnurght
nuiiyess
hishat one
ad' Vratoysi
snorting,etftaehthene; redwatt hbrgi
re-
monstrance."

Among smaller animals the most obnoxious to ele-
phants is the dog, but this feeling does not amount
to hostility. One reason suggested for the existence
of the antipathy is that the elephant fears the dog
should attack his feet, of which he is very careful, he
will remain indifferent to a spear directed against his
head, but shrink at the same pointed at his foot.
The conclusion arrived at is, that the elephant
" lives on terms of amity with every quadruped in
the forest, and that, with the exception of man,
his greatest enemy is a fly !" The natives divide
the elephants into castes, detailing their various
"points." A white elephant is always considered
a wonder by Asiatics. One is mentioned in the
i\lahawanso as a part of the retinue in the Temple
the fifth century after Christ ; it was meant for an
emblem of royalty, the Sovereign of Ceylon being
addressed as " Lord of Elephants." It is strange
that though generally found in warm climates the
elephant is not fond of great heat or light. The
mountain tops of Ceylon, and not its sultry valleys,
are their favourite haunts, and the hunter has found
herds of them on Peelro-talla-galla, which is the
height of eight thousand feet. It is mentioned, as
worthy of notice, that, contrary to our preconceived
notions of the case, the elephant dislikes the glare

of sunshine, and passes the day in the depths of
thick forests, making his excursions by night.
_.. .

This is partly in consequence of the peculiar state
of his vision, which is circumscribed, and he relies
more on his senses of smell and hearing than on that
of sight. On account of this imperfection he ex-
hibits great timidity at harmless objects which have
been only partially discerned. An officer once
owed his life to this fact, for the elephant had

seixid him and had his fore foot raised to crush

him when the tendrils of a plant suddenly caught

his forehead, and he turned and fled, leaving his
victim hurt, but with no limb broken. There is an

abundance of auecdotical stories here met with at

almost every turn, which forcibly illustrate the
subjects descanted upon, and impress them power-
fully upon the memory of the reader. Their
powers of smell and hearing are proportionately
great. Aristotle compared the hoarse cry pro-
ducAd by the elephant blowing through his trunk
to the sound of a trumpet. " The French still call
the proboscis of an elephant trompe, which we have
unmeaningly corrupted into trunk, and hence the
scream of the elephant is known as ' trumpeting'
by the hunters in Ceylon." The Ceylon elephant
was formerly asserted to excel that of Africa in size
and strength, but it is here stated such is not the fact,
for so far from equality with theAfri can speciesehat of
Ceylon seldom exceeds the height of nine feet, but it
is plausibly stated that the height in the elephant so
far exceeds that of the animals we see constantly
that one is naturally prone to exaggeration on that
core. After commenting on the errors that have
been made by writers who have declared that the
legs of the elephant were without joints, and that
when once down he could not rise again, we meet
with the following passage which adduces useful
arguments on the controverted question :

" The real peculiarity in the elephant in lying down is,
that he extends his hind legs backwards as a man does when
he kneels, instead of bringing them under him like the
horse or any other quadruped. The wise purpose of this
arrangement must bo obvious to any one who observes the
struggle with which the horse gets up from the ground, and
the violent efforts which he makes to raise himself erect.
Such an exertion in the case of the elephant, and the force
requisite to apply a similar movement to raise his weight
(equal to four or five tons) would be attended with a dan-
gerous strain upon the muscles, and hence the simple ar-
rangement, which by enabling him to draw the hind feet
gradually under him, assists him to rise almost without a
perceptible effort.
" The same construction renders his gait not a gallop,'
as it has been somewhat loosely described, which would
be too violent a motion for 53 vast a body; but a shuffle,
that he can increase at pleasure to a pace as rapid as that
of a man at full speed, but which he cannot maintain for
any considerable distance.
" It is to tho structure of the knee-joint that the elephant
is indebted for his singular facility in ascending and de-
scending steep acclivities, climbing rocks and traversing
precipitous ledges, which even a mule dare not venture;
and this again leads to the correction of another generally
received error, that his legs are formed more for strength
than flexibility, and fitted to bear an enormous weight upon
a level surface, without the necessity of ascending or de-
scending great acclivities.' The same authority assumes
that, although the elephant is found in the neighbourhood
of mountainous ranges, and will even ascend reeky passes,
such a service is a violation of his natural habits.
" Of the elephant of Africa I am not qualified to speak,
nor of the nature of the ground which ho most frequents;
but certainly the facts in connection with the elephant of
India are all irreconcileable with the theory mentioned
above. In Bengal, in the Nilgherries, in Nepaul, in Bur-
mah, in Siam, and Ceylon, the districts in which the ele-
phants most abound, are all hilly and mountainous. In the
latter, especially, there is not a range so elevated as to be
inaccessible to them. On the summit of Adam's Peak, at
an altitude of 7,420 feet, and on a pinnacle, which the pil-
grims climb with difficulty, by means of steps hewn in
the rock, Major Skinner, in 1840, found the spoor of an ele-
phant.
"Prior to 1840, and before coffee-plantations had been
extensively opened in the Kandyan ranges, there was not
a mountain or a lofty feature of land in Ceylon which they
had not traversed, in their periodical migrations in search
of water ; and the sagacity which they display in ' laying
out roads' is almost incredible. They generally keep
along the backbone of a chain of hills, avoiding steep gra-
dients ; and one curious observation was not lost upon the
government surveyors, that in crossing the valleys from
ridge to ridge, through forests so dense as altogether to
obstruct a distant view, the elephants invariably select the
ling of march which communicates most judiciously with
the opposite point, by means of the safest ford. So sure-
footed aro they, that there are few places where man go that
an elephant cannot follow, provided there be space to admit
his bulk, and solidity to sustain his weight."
The wild elephants form themselves into herds, and
they are most scrupulous in their segregating lawee,
all of which are most scrupulously adhered to. It
by any accident one is entirely separated from hie
own herd, he is not allowed to join himself to any
other. Even in the capture of the elephant the
isolated one is not permitted to take refuge with
any of the herd, but furiously repulsed. In conse-
quence there is a class of solitary elephants which
goes by the name of rogue in Ceylon, and which
commit all sorts of depredations and are extremell
vicious. The sagacity of the elephant is very great
during terrific thunderstorms, they have been sett
to leave the forests and take up their place in oPeP
ground until the lightning was over, when theYr;
turned to the jungle. A captured elephant led
supposed to have feigned death, while being
alongls finally
yalsl atteniptaank4llPare
to raise It
e"13C11" :-L
tohtehegro hesitatedund. andAfiftnealr
had proved futile it was abandoned. The party
had " scarcely taken their departure, when to their
s
astonishment the elephant roso with the utmost
alacrity, and fled towards the jungle, screaming at
the top of its voice, its cries being audible 101 l
after it had disappeared in the shades of the forest.
In the chapter on elephant shooting, it is trilly
said that the mode practised in Ceylon is infinitelf
the best, and contrasts favourably with the au'
counts given of the slaughter in South Africa. I?
Ceylon they invariably aim at the head which
is the right way of accomplishing an 111"
stantaneous death, expert sportsmen it le
said have been known to kill right and left, one
with each barrel. The accounts given of the elo-
phant captures are very interesting, and it is curiae
to note the course adopted by the hunters ; it ie
necessary to go against the wind in approaching
the animal, and the professional catchers, " when
the wind is so still that its direction cannot 1041
otherwise discerned, will suspend the film of es"
samer to determine it, and shape their course ac'
cordingly." The mode of capture varies in differon',,
places ; the plan adopted in Ceylon is to form •
large enclosure called a " Corral, from the porta'
guese " eurral,"---or "cattle pen." Tame elephant'
are taken by the hunters in order to attract the
others, and their efforts are generally crowned with
success. After forming the corral they have to
drive in the elephants. The following passage
vividly describes the exciting scene that took place
in the hunt witnessed by the author in 1817
After sunset the scene exhibited was of extracrdinar!
interest ; the low fires, which had apparently only smoul-
dered in the sunlight, assumed their ruddy glow amidst the
darkness, and threw their tinge over the groups collected
o
round them; while the smoke rose in eddies through the
rich foliage of the trees. The crowds of spectators main'tained profound silence and not a sound was perceptible
beyond o
brokens nd the
byh e roll an
insect.
u
f
eradrumO,nfolalo
sudden the tahed
discharge
of musketry. This was the signal for the renewed assaults
and the hunters entered the circle with shouts and clamour;
dry leaves and sticks were flung upon the watch-fires till
they blazed aloft, and formed a line of flame on every side,
except in the direction of the corral, which was studiously
kept dark ; and thither the terrified elephants betook theme'
selves followed by the yells and rocket of their pursuers.
" They approached at a rapid pace, trampling down the
brushwood and crushing the dry branches, the leach/
emerged in front of the corral, paused for an instant, stared
wildly round, and then rushed headlong through the 00
gate followed by the rest of the herd.
" As if by magic the entire circuit of the corral, which i,12
this moment had been kept in profound darkness, now blaze°
with a thousand lights, every hunter on the instant that the
elephants entered, rushing forward to the stockade with •
torch kindled at the nearest watch-fire.
"The elephants dashed to the very extremity of the ell;
closure, and being brought up by the powerful fence, start.'
back to regain the gate, but found it closed. Their tertot
was sublime ; they hurried round the corral at a rapid pee"
but saw it now girt by fire on every side ' • they attempted,l
force the stockade, but were driven back by the guards veil'
spears and flambeaux; and on whichever side they ar,
preached they were repulsed with shouts and discharges 0+
musketry. Collecting into one group, they would paUO
for a moment in apparent bewilderment, then burst off is
another direction as if it bad suddenly occurred to them to
try some point which they had before overlooked ; but agar"
repuhed, they slowly returned to their forlorn resting-place
in the centre of the corral.
e The interest of this strange scene was not confined the
the spectators ; it extended to the tame elephants which
wore stationed outside. At the first approach of the flying
herd they evinced the utmost interest in the scene. Tivu
in particular which were picketed near the front were in'
tensely excited, and continued tossing their heads, pawing
the ground, and starting as the noise drew near. At length
when the grand rush into the corral took place, one of theo
fairly burst from her fastenings and started off towards the
herd, levelling a tree of considerable size which ebstructee
her passage."
The chapters which relate the difficulties met with
in securing the captives are very well worthy °,
notice, and it is especially remarkable to peruse the
records of the sagacity exhibited by the tame ele'
phauts in serving as decoys to the wild tribes, and
in seconding the efforts of the men in a most 0
tounding manner. It i% an old adage that "truth
is stranger than fiction," and those who study the
details ofthis work will find that they equal, if not sur
pass, in exciting interest many far-famed romanoe°'
On another occasion we shall glance at the reveal"'
ing contents of these excellent volumes.

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