Tennent's Ceylon - 1860

CONTENTS

OF

THE FIRST VOLUME.

PART V.

MEDIÆVAL HISTORY.

CHAPTER I.

CEYLON AS KNOWN TO THE GREEKS AND ROMANS.

• First heard of by the companions of Alexander the Great 549
• Various ancient names of Ceylon (note) 549
• Early doubts whether it was an island or a continent 550
• Mentioned by Aristotle 550
• Alleged mention of Ceylon in the Samaritan Pentateuch (note) 551
• Onesicritus's account 552
• Megasthenes' description 552
• Ælian's account borrowed from Megasthenes (note) 552
• Ceylon known to the Phoenicians and to the Egyptians (note) 552
• Hippalus discovers the monsoons 553
• Effect of this discovery on Indian trade 554
• Pliny's account of Ceylon 555
• Story of Jambulus by Diodoros Siculus (note) 556
• Embassy from Ceylon to Claudius 556
• Narrative of Rachias, and its explanation (note) 557
• Lake Megisba, a tank 557
• Early intercourse with China 558
• The Veddahs described by Pliny 558
• Interval between Pliny and Ptolemy 558
• Ptolemy's account of Ceylon 559
• Explanation of his errors 559
• Ptolemy discriminates bays from estuaries (note) 559
• Identification of Ptolemy's names 560
• His map 560
• His sources of information 561
• Agathemerus, Marcianus of Heraclea 562
• Cosmas Indicopleustes 562
• Palladius—St. Ambrosius (note) 562
• State of Ceylon when Cosmas wrote 563
• Its commerce at that period 563
• In the hands of Arabs and Persians 564
• Ceylon as described by Cosmas 565
• Story of his informant Sopater 566
• Translation of Cosmas 567
• The gems and other productions of Ceylon—"a gaou" (note) 567
• Meaning of the term "Hyacinth" (note) 568
• The great ruby of Ceylon, its history traced (note) 568
• Cosmas corroborated by the Peripius 570
• Horses imported from Persia 570
• Export of elephants 570
• Note on Sanchoniathon 571

CHAP. II.

INDIAN, ARABIAN, AND PERSIAN AUTHORITIES.

• Absurd errors of the Hindus regarding Ceylon 578
• Their dread of Ceylon as the abode of demons 578
• Rise of the Mahometan power 579
• Persians and Arabs trade to India 579
• Story in Beladory of the first invasion of India by the Mahometans (text and note) 580
• Character of the Arabian geographers 581
• Their superiority over the Greeks 581
• Greek Paradoxical literature 582
• A.D. 851. The two Mahometans 583
• Their account of Ceylon 583
• Adam's Peak 583
• Obsequies of a king 584
• Councils on religion and history 584
• Toleration 585
• Carmathic monument at Colombo (note) 585
• Galle, the seat of ancient trade 586
• Claim of Mantotte disproved 587
• Greek fire (note) 588
• "Kalah" is Galle 589
• The Maharaja of Zabedj help possession of Galle 589
• Evidence of this in the Garsharsp-Namah 590
• Derivation of "Galle" (text and note) 591
• Aversion of the Singhalese to commerce 592
• Identification of the modern Veddahs with the ancient Singhalese 593
• Their singular habits, as described by Robert Knox, Ribeyro, and Valentyn 593
• • By Albyrouni 593
  • By Palladius 593
  • By Fa Hian 594
  • By the Chinese writers (note) 594
  • By Pliny 594
• For this reason the coast only known to strangers 595
• Arabian authors who describe Ceylon 595
• • Albateny and Massoudi 595
  • Tabari (note) 595
  • Sinbad the Sailor 596
  • Edrisi 597
  • Kazwini 598
• Cinnamon, no mention of 599
• Was cinnamon a native of Ceylon? 599
• No mention by Singhalese authors 600
• No mention of by Latin writers 600
• The Regio Cinnamomifera was in Africa (note) 600
• • No mention by Arabs or Persians 600
  • First noticed in Ceylon by Ibn Batuta 601
  • By Nicola di Conti (note) 601
• Ibn Batuta describes Ceylon 604
• • His Travels 605

CHAP. III.

CEYLON AS KNOWN TO THE CHINESE.

• Early Chinese trade with Ceylon 607
• Early Chinese travellers in India 607
• Chinese translations of M.S. Julien 608
• List of Chinese authors relating to Ceylon (note) 608
• Their errors as to its form and site 609
• Their account of Adam's Peak and its gems 609
• Chinese names for Ceylon 610
• Curious habit of its traders 611
• They describe the two races, Tamils and Singhalese 611
• Origin of the cotton "Comboy" 612
• Costume of Ceylon 612
• Early commerce 613
• Works for irrigation noticed 613
• Island of Junk-Ceylon 614
• Galle resorted to by Chinese ships 614
• Vegetable productions 614
• Elephants, ivory, and jewels 615
• Skill of Singhalese goldsmiths and statuaries 615
• Pearls and gems sent to China 615
• No mention of cinnamon 616
• Chinese account of Buddhism in Ceylon 616
• Monasteries for priests first founded in Ceylon 616
• Cities of Ceylon in the sixth century 617
• Patriotism of Singhalese kings 617
• Domestic manners of the Singhalese 617
• Embassies from China to Ceylon 618
• Chinese travels prior to the sixth century 619
• Fa Hian's travels in sixth century 620
• First embassy from Ceylon to China, A.D. 405 620
• Narrative of the image which it bore (note) 620
• Ceylon tributary to China in sixth century 620
• Hiouen-Thsang describes Ceylon in the seventh century (note) 621
• Events in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries 621
• King of Ceylon carried captive to China, A.D. 1405 623
• Last embassy to China, A.D. 1459 625
• Traces of the Chinese in Ceylon 626
• Evidences of their presence found by the Portuguese 626
• Modern Chinese account of Ceylon (note) 626

CHAP. IV.

CEYLON AS KNOWN TO THE MOORS, GENOESE, AND VENETIANS.

• The Moors of Ceylon 629
• Their origin 629
• The early Mahometans in India 629
• Arabians anciently settled in Ceylon 630
• Real descent of the modern "Moormen" 631
• Their occupation as traders, ancestral 632
• Their hostilities with the Portuguese 633
• They might have been rulers of Ceylon 633
• Indian trade prior to the route by the Cape 634
• The Genoese and Venetians in the East 634
• Rise of the Mongol empire 635
• Marco Polo, A.D. 1271 635
• Visits Ceylon 636
• Friar Odoric, A.D. 1318 636
• Jordan de Severac, A.D. 1323 (note) 637
• Giov. de Marignola, A.D. 1349 (note) 637
• Nicola di Conti, A.D. 1444 637
• • The first traveller who speaks of Cinnamon 638
• Jerome de Santo Stefano (note) 639
• Ludov. Barthema, A.D. 1506 639
• Odoardo Barbosa, A.D. 1509 640
• Andrea Corsali, A.D. 1515 (note) 640
• Cesar Frederic, A.D. 1563 641
• Course of trade changed by the Cape route 642
• Irritation of the Venetians 643