Ceylon in 1883 Author:John Ferguson Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER II. THE ISLAND IN 1803—1815. Extent and topographical features—Condition of the island previous to and after seventy years of British rule contrast... more »ed. Having now arrived at the British period, it may be well to give some idea of the condition of Ceylon and its people in the early part of this century, and to compare the same with what is realized after British government has been established for nearly seventy years throughout the whole island. The position of Ceylon as a " pearl-drop on the brow of India," with which continent it is almost connected by the island of Ramis- seram and the coral reef called Adam's Bridge, is familiar to all who have ever glanced at a map of Asia. To that continent it is related as Great Britain is to Europe, or Madagascar to Africa. In extent it comprises nearly sixteen million acres, or 24,702 square miles, or, including certain [PayeS. dependent islands, such as the Maldives and Cocos Islands (south-west of Sumatra), the area becomes 25,742 square miles, one-sixth less than that of Ireland, and nearly thirty- seven times the superficial extent of the island of Mauritius, which sometimes contests with it the title of the " Gem of the Indian Ocean." One-sixth of this area, or about 4,000 square miles, is comprised in the hilly and mountainous zone which is situated about the centre of the south of the island, while the maritime districts are generally level, and the northern end of the island is broken up into a flat, narrow peninsula and small islets. "Within the central zone there' are 150 mountains or ranges between 3,000 and 7,000 feet in altitude, with ten peaks rising over the latter limit. The highest mountain is Pidurutalagala, 8,296 feet, or nearly 1,000 feet higher than Adam's Peak (7,353 feet), which was long con...« less