a large kingdom of Asia, in the island of Ceylon. It contains about a quarter of the island; and as it is encompassed with high mountains, and covered with thick forests, through which the roads and paths are narrow and difficult, the king has them guarded to prevent his subjects from going into other countries. It is full of hills, from whence rivulets proceed which are full of fish; but as they run among the rocks, they are not fit for boats: however, the inhabitants are very dexterous in turning them to water their land, which is fruitful in rice, pulse, and hemp.

Since the island of Ceylon fell into the hands of the English, we have obtained fuller information respecting it. Mr Percival, who has published an account of this island, mentions the jealousy, both of the Dutch and of the natives, as difficulties which could not have been easily surmounted by travellers while it remained subject to Holland*. "The interior of the island (he says), * Account owing to the jealousy of the Dutch, has been little explored by Europeans; and any traveller who might have obtained the permission of the Dutch to visit it, could not have executed his purpose from the jealousy of the natives. Since the Candians have been driven by their invaders into the mountains of the interior, it has been their policy carefully to prevent any European from seeing those objects which might tempt the avarice of his countrymen, or from observing the approaches by which an army could penetrate their mountains. If an European by any accident was carried into their territories, they took every precaution to prevent him from escaping; and the guards stationed everywhere at the approaches, joined to the wide and pathless woods which divide the interior from the coast, rendered such an attempt almost completely desperate. When an ambassador was sent from any European government to the king of Candy, he was watched with all that strictness and jealousy, which the suspicious temper of uncivilized nations dictates. In an embassy which I attended to the court of that monarch, I had an opportunity of observing how careful the natives were to prevent strangers from making any observations. Mr Boyd, who about twenty years ago went on a similar embassy, was watched with the same particular circumvention; and has therefore been able to add little to our stock of knowledge concerning the interior.

"The dominions of the native prince are completely cut off on all sides from those of the Europeans by almost impenetrable woods and mountains. The passes which lead through these to the coasts are extremely steep and difficult, and scarcely known even by the natives themselves. As soon as we advance from ten to twenty miles from the coasts, a country presents itself greatly differing from the sea coast, both in soil, climate, and appearance. After ascending the mountains and passing the woods, we find ourselves in the midst of a country not advanced many stages beyond the..." the first state of improvement, and which we are also inclined to find in the neighbourhood of the highly cul- tivated fields which surround Columbo. As we advance towards the centre of the island, the country gradually rises, and the woods and mountains which separate the several parts of the country become more steep and im- pervious.

"It is in the midst of these fastnesses that the native prince still preserves those remains of territory and power which have been left him by successive invaders. His dominions are now much reduced in size; for be- sides the whole of the sea coasts which were of any va- lue, the Dutch, in their various attacks during the last century, have contrived to get into their power every tract from which they could derive either emolument or security. Those provinces which still remain to him are Nourecalva and Hotcourtly towards the north and north-west; while, Matuly, comprehending the districts of Bintana, Velas, and Panoa, with a few oth- ers, occupies those parts more to the eastward. To the south-east lies Ouvah, a province of some note, and giving the king one of his titles. The western parts are chiefly included in the provinces of Cotemal and Hotteracorley. These different provinces are subdi- vided into corles or districts, and entirely belong to the native prince. It is needless to recount the names of those divisions which stretch towards the sea coast, and are now chiefly in our possession.

"In the highest and most central part of the native king's dominions lie the corles or counties of Oudanar and Tatanour, in which are situated the two principal cities. These counties take the pre-eminence of all the rest, and are both better cultivated, and more populous than any of the other districts, and are distinguished by the general name of Condé Udda; condé or condé in the native language signifying a mountain, and udda the greatest or highest.

"This province of Condé Udda is even more inaccel- erable than the others, and forms as it were a separate kingdom of itself. On every side it is surrounded by lofty mountains covered with wood, and the paths by which it is entered seem little more than the tracks of wild beasts. Guards are stationed all around to pre- vent both entrance and escape; for defence they might seem entirely superfluous, did we not recollect that the perseverance of the Dutch overcame all these obstacles, and forced a way into the very centre of this natural fortification."

town of Asia, and capital of a kingdom of the same name, in the island of Ceylon. It has been often burnt by the Portuguese, when they were masters of these coasts. It is situated in E. Long. 79° 12'. N. Lat. 7° 35'.

We have the following description of Candy by Mr Percival, whom we have already quoted, and who at- tended an embassy to the king.

"In the district of Tatanour lies Candy the royal residence and the capital of the native prince's domi- nions. It is situated at the distance of 80 miles from Columbo, and twice as far from Trincomalee, in the midst of lofty and steep hills covered with thick jun- gle. The narrow and difficult passes by which it is approached are intersected with thick hedges of thorn; and hedges of the same fort are drawn round the hills in the vicinity of Candy like lines of circumvallation. Through them the only passage is by gates of the same thorny materials, so contrived as to be drawn up and let down by ropes. When the Candians are obliged to retreat within these barriers, they cut the ropes, and then it is impossible to force a passage except by burn- ing down the gates, which from their green slate, and the constant annoyance of the enemy sheltered behind them, would prove an enterprise of time and difficulty. These hedge-rows form the chief fortifica- tions of Candy. The Malivangonga also nearly sur- rounds the hill, on which it stands: that river is here broad, rocky, and rapid; a very strict guard is kept on it, and every one who passes or repasses is closely watched and examined.

"The city itself is a poor miserable-looking place, surrounded by a mud wall of no strength whatever. It has been several times burnt by Europeans, and was once deserted by the king, who retired to a more inaccesible part of his dominions. It is upon occasion of the embassy of General Macdowal, that any infor- mation concerning the present state of Candy has been obtained; and even then it could be little more than guessed at, as the ambassador and his suite were ad- mitted only by torch-light, and always retired before break of day. From what could then be observed, the city consists of a long straggling street built on the declivity of a hill; the houses mean and low, but with their foundations raised in such a manner above the level of the street that they appear quite lofty to passengers. The reason of this extraordinary taste is to enable the king to hold his assemblies of the people and to have his elephant and buffalo fights in the street, without interfering with the houses. When the king passes along the street, none of the inhab- itants are allowed to appear before their houses, or the paths on a level with them, as that would be attended with the heinous indecency of plac- ing a subject higher than the prince descended of the sun.

"At the upper end of this street, stands the palace, a poor mansion for the abode of a king. It is sur- rounded with high stone walls, and consists of two squares, one within the other. In the inner of these are the royal apartments, and it is there that the court is held and audiences given. The exterior of the pa- lace and the rest of the city could be but very par- tially observed by those who attended General Mac- dowal, owing to the pressure of the crowd, and the dazzling glare of the torches. By every account in- deed which I have heard, Candy contains nothing worthy of notice, and from the want of either wealth or industry among the inhabitants, it is not indeed to be expected that anything could be met with in this straggling village to attract the attention of the traveller."

Sugar-Candy, a preparation of sugar made by melting and crystallizing it five or seven times over, to render it hard or transparent. It is of three kinds, white, yellow, and red. The white comes from the loaf-sugar, the yellow from the cañonado, and the red from the mulecado.