de the region of the cyclones, so frequent at certain
seasons in the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean, as well as being free
from the hurricanes of the Mauritius Sea, and the volcanic disturbances
of the Eastern Archipelago. Snow is absolutely unknown. The exhibition
of zodiacal light is not uncommon, and mirage in its many singular and
interesting aspects is frequent; while the effulgence of the moon and
stars of this latitude,--a constantly recurring hymn written in
light,--will render the most prosy individual enthusiastic, keeping the
heart constantly awake to love and beauty.

Ceylon is also much richer than is generally realized in its prehistoric
monuments,--ancient Hindoo and Buddhist temples, and ruins of lofty
pagodas from three to four hundred feet in height, dating many centuries
previous to the appearance of Christ upon earth. What an unexplored
field remains for the antiquarian, not quite untrodden, but still
undeveloped! There is every evidence to show that there once existed
upon this island a great and powerful empire; the gigantic remains of
palaces and temples at once suggest the fact. There are also ruins to be
seen of a most elaborate system of irrigation, which must have covered
the country from Adam's Peak to Galle, like a net-work, with most
perfect means to this end, so excellent as to be the marvel of modern
engineers. Their completeness, intelligent purpose, and extent are
marvelous. But no one can say, or reasonably surmise, what caused the
ruin and decadence of the ancient capitals, which, like those about
Delhi, have crumbled away, leaving only a blank memorial of their
existence. What could have swept from the globe a population of
millions, and left us no clearer record of their once highly civilized
occupancy? The carved pillars, ornamental fragments of temples, and
stone slabs skillfully wrought, which are scattered through the jungle,
and in some instances overgrown by dense forests, attest both material
greatness and far-reaching antiquity. It would seem as though nature had
tried to cover up the many wrinkles of age with blooming vegetation.
There are no legends even extant relating to the earliest of these
remains. Paestum, Memphis, and Cumae reach far back into the dim past,
though here the antiquarian is able to light us with the lamp of his
knowledge; but as to the forest-covered remains of Ceylon, all is a
blank, skeletons of the dead and buried past, mementos of a race who
tr