The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1859-05-25
Raw EMMA, OHIO.
rsxcrr1res By tAmr-I1aHr,
Historical sketch.

+{f a IOEelgn correspondent W nu f1assotp
Journal gives the following description of the
Island Of Ceyion. its people, their customs,
the climate and productions Of the country
The Island, says the Ietter-writter, contains O.
population Of about million and one third,
lies 10 the Indian Ocean, between the 5 deg.
and 10 deg. Of north latitude, Is about three
) hundred miles long from north to south, and
nearly two hundred miles in width. In the
interior are high mountains, of which Adams
Peak is the highest. to which place, many go
on pilgrimages, expecting to find there the
Footprints of Adam The people inhabitiug
the interior and southern part Of the island
speak The Cingalese language, and in religion
! are Boodhists Those in the north part are
Hindoes, speaking the Tamil language, who
came from the continent of India. Many.
lTamuliaBs reside in Oolumbo and also great.
:. plumbers come from the continent to labor on
s the coffee estates in the Interior. These sell
dom become permanent residents in the coun-
try. 9s -, is'.51 -
The Province Of Jaifua. So =
s1I propose to notice more particularly the
northern part, called the province of Jaffaas
1t is an island by itself, separated from the
main island by shallow water, which in one
place is fordable. This is called Elephants
Pass because Wild elephants cross there into
Jaffaa. AT the west and southwest are other
small islands, which are inhabited, and present
| the same general appearance, in the face of
the country and productions, as Jaffua. al
though none. of. them are las fertile. The
( province from north to south is about twenty.
Eve miles wide, and from east to west from
fifty to sixty miles, containing population Of
- about 250,0OO. The face of the country j,
/. level, and in no place is it more than fifty OF
{. sixty feet above the level of the sea- Much
of the country is still uncultiyated and desti
tute of population The people are clustered
together in villages, and sometimes four or iiv'
families are found in one small enclosure, ane
perhaps in one house. Some parts are 81
thickly settled that whiting 70 radius of fou
miles there is population Of $4,000, audye
most of the people have gardens and ownlan'
for raising rice In the open fields adjoining th
villages. 5i{
~ The villages in Jaffua are quite in contras
with those in Southern India There they az
2 pear much like clusters of hay stacks close t,
s1 gether,. surrounded often by mud wall Il
protection from robbers. The houses al
2 generally thatched with straw. Some are ci
cular, others square, anf often there is not
tree to be seen in the enclosure. In Jafiu
, the houses are built in the midst of the 60
dens surrounded by an abundance OF 4shas
trees. In looking upon the village from
sa distance you would see scarcely house
$50 Here and there one might be discerued am
the green foliage, but within Q radius of hs
or three .fourths of mife there may be q po
ulation of 1000 The gardens are enclosed
! 50 hedges made ofsseveral kinds Of trees pee
..s5 liar to the country. Sometimes they are &C
cred with fhorns, and often with the braid
leaves Of the cocoa nut. .tree. and leaves of I
Palmyra palm. The people are owners of
soil, and are consequently more iDdepende
than, those in India. where the land is all b.
by the government and the people are. y
ants. F
The Houses Of Jaffna. - /
Aae The people in Jaffua generally build bet
+ houses than those in Southern India sTh
have not so great q variety of patterns as
this country. AS their fathers build, and
yia the shasters prescribed so they are content
s "a do age after age. The poorer classes bu
mere shantiess or novels, round. square, or
"a ait 11rrf a Ynav ho AZ nuofSs,,,, sf ftnes rn,