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