[Footnote 84:  From other circumstances in the text, particularly the neighbourhood of the place where St Thomas lay buried, the city here alluded to was probably Meliapour, which formerly stood not far from Madras, or the famous Mahubulipoor, the city of the great Bali, 16 or 18 miles from the English settlement.  The author, as on many other occasions, gives the name of the country to the capital.  As to being in sight of Ceylon, this may be an error in transcription, and we ought to read that on the voyage between Coulan and the city of Coromandel; the author passed in sight of Ceylon.—­E.]

This island of Ceylon is 1000 miles in circumference, and is divided among four powerful kings; and because of the wars which then raged among them we could not remain long there to acquire any minute knowledge of the country and manners of its inhabitants.  It contains many elephants.  At the foot of a very long and high mountain there are found many precious stones called piropi or rubies, which are got in the following manner.  The adventurers purchase from the king a certain measure of the ground where these rubies are found, being about a cubit square, for which they pay five pieces of gold, yet under the condition that there shall always be an officer belonging to the king present while they are digging, that if any stone be found beyond the weight of ten carats it may be reserved for the king, all under that weight belonging to the adventurer.  Not far from that mountain they find other precious stones, as jacinths, sapphires, and topazes, besides others.  The soil of Ceylon produces the sweetest fruits I ever saw, especially cloves[85] and Assyrian apples of wonderful sweetness, and its other productions are similar to those of Calicut.  The cinnamon-tree is much like our bay, only that the leaves are smaller and somewhat white.  The true cinnamon is the bark of this tree, which is gathered every third year, and of which the island produces great quantities.  When first gathered, it is by no means so sweet and fragrant as it becomes a month afterwards when thoroughly dry.  A Mahometan merchant assured my companion, that on the top of a high mountain in the centre of this island, there is a certain cave or den where the inhabitants resort for devotion, in memory of our first parents, who, as they allege, lived in that place in continual penitence, after breaking the covenant with God, which is confirmed by the print of Adam’s feet being still to be seen there above two spans in length.  The inhabitants of this island are subject to the king of Narsinga, to whom they pay tribute.  The climate is temperate and healthy, though situated so near the equinoctial line.  The people are of a dark tawny colour, and wear slight cotton dresses, having the right arm bare, as is the universal custom of the Indians; the men being by no means warlike, neither have they the use of iron.  In this island my companion sold the king a great deal of saffron and coral.