Eleven Years in Ceylon

In this second volume, the author describes the places of interest, sports, flora, and fauna of Ceylon Island. The reader is taken on a tour of the ancient fortresses of Sigiriya, the description of the famed leopards and elephants there, his journey to Trincomalee, the accounts of canals and artificial lakes, the beautiful buildings and ancient temples and monuments there, elephant catching, the description of the aboriginals of Ceylon, the mountains of Lakagella, the funerary rites of the Sinhalese rulers, the description of various plants found there, like the cinnamon trees, the dangerous venomous snakes, the flora and fauna of Kandy, the Horton plains, the ancient city of Magam, its ruins, temples, and botanical gardens, the arrival of the Portuguese in Ceylon, and also the history of the Island prior to the Sinhalese conquest in 543 BCE.