Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1820-06-30

mass Of rock, consisting almnss .,,,,.,.
OF zircon in crystalline STATE. and 's .
ser'ing the name of TIC 2i.ccn ~, &c
1t is only few miles distant rr ,.sS'
rack called the cinnamon stone s" n
from it's being chiefly Composed Of ~
mineral, in company with 4 little on. "S
adnlaria. ""
In the Malagap. patton, the most.
markable phenomena and what Wa &C..
chiefly to see, are the Salt Lakes ~.
nature of which hitherto has been "a. NY
si'lered very mysterious from the ws".
of inquiry. This was able to NAL.
in a very short time, and ascertain II,
source of the salt. Many Of these Ists.
are of great extent, and in great me-,
sure oimet by an embankment Of SAND
thrown up BY heavy sea along a levi
shore the water, that fails in torrent.
during the rainy season. is thus coma
ed, and inundates great part Of the
country ; the sea more or less, breaks
over or percslates through tie sand
banks, and thus the water is rendered
brackish. In the dry season the wind
is very strong and dry. and the air We.
vy hot !; it was from IS deg. to 90 DEE,
when I was there; the Consequence Is
a very rapid evaporation of the water.
tbs drying of the shallow lakes and The
formation of salt. 1t is from these lakes
chiefly that the island is supplied with
salt. The revenue that this one article
brings government, amounts to about
10000 pounds annually.
The Ialagon.patton altogether is a
singular country its woods, and it is
almost all wooded, are principally com.
posed Of euphosbia and mimosa; its
few Inhabitants area sickly race, misas.
mata destroying their health and the
wild animals with which the country a.
bounds, as elephants, hogs, deer Of df.
ferent kinds, leopards, bears &c. des.
trcying the fruits of their labor. In
the beginning of January ! attended
the Governor and Lady Brownrigs, to
Handy, end had a good opportunity Of
becoming acquainted with the manneB
of the natives. The country in the in.
terror and particularly round Kandyn
magnificent; its grand features are high
hills and mountains, and deep valIles
and perpetual wood and perennial YER.
dure; the wood is in faulty excess. The
climate IS fine Tie air cool ; generally
at night below Is deg. averaging all
the year round the moderate tempeFa'
ture of "a degrees.
From Randy, | made an excursion
alone into Doombera, and explored a
mountainous region, where a white man
va. never seen before. lily object was
to examine a cave that yields nitre. Il
is a magnificent one in the side of O
mountain, in the depths of the toresi
surrounded by mountains OF gfaSS
height and noble forms. | shall sane
you a particular account of this and O.
tl,er nitIe caves lave visited. Inc
rock is a mixture OF quartz, ieispar'
mica, and tale. impregna,ed nsar tn:
surface witt, nitro, nitrate OF liiae' anu
suE,hate or ,nagnesia, and in enc spot
with allan. aud in another incr"'eG
with byaraIlte, similar to that r0un'i
the Geyser in Iceland. From the
mountains of Donnbera, | locked down
on the wooden plains Of Britannia
which no European, / believe ever Oe'
fore visited; it ID full of allisators.
Returning to Randy, after a short
stay there, / next came to this place,
through a country almost entirely over
run with wood. | wish you couIG see
some of The noble ebony trees winch
flourish here. Three days we traveller
in a noble forest, without seeing sI"'
Gle haoitation, and without obServ.n5
any traces of guilty alton; but some hns
remains of antiquity, especially aOO~
Candery lake, indicating that tue &C eou ..
try had once been in very dltieFsh'
state.