pose.
Strabo accounts for the length of the voyage to Taprobane, by saying
that ships were either bad sailors or had poor sails. The Jews in the
time of Solomon were even less experienced in navigation than the
Egyptians; and they probably did not venture out of sight of land, but
protracted the voyage by coasting along Arabia and India to Ceylon.
Some
have thought that the coast of Malabar is the Ophir of the scriptures,
because it was called by the ancients Souppara, or as Josephus writes
it, Sopheir. We shall not pretend to say whether Malabar or Ceylon is
the Ophir of Solomon. These countries are so near each other, that a
fleet which visited one of them would naturally touch at the other.
Perhaps individuals might have passed over from Malabar to Ceylon,
though they did not form any settlement on that island. Benjamin of
Tudela relates that he saw a deep abyss in this islaid, which his
interpreter, though a learned man, worshipped as a god. The inhabitants
made their children pass through a fire, which was kept always
burning, in honour of this deity, who was called Alhauta. They derived
this custom more probably from the Canaanites and Tyrians, than from
the Jews.
Benjamin
assures us that in kis travels through India, he met with many of his
countrymen, the Jews. He found one hundred in Ceylon, which he
describes as producing white pepper and ginger.—Basmage's History of the Jews.
Anglo-Saxon Map.
In
an Anglo-Saxon map of the ioth century, Ceylon, under the name of
Taprobana, is placed as the most eastern part of the world, in size a
little larger than Ireland. It is said to have ten cities, and two
fruit-seasons in the year.
Arabia, Africa, Continental India, Malacca (where the natives still call the gold mines Op/iirs), and
even Peru, have been set up as rivals to Ceylon in the competition,
but probably many of our readers will join Mrs. Fletcher (Miss
Jewsberry) in exclaiming:—
Ceylon ! Ceylon ! 'tis nought to me
How thou wert known or named of old,
As Ophir, or Taprobane,
By Hebrew king, or Grecian bold:—
To me thy spicy-wooded-vales,
Thy dusky sons, and jewels bright, But image forth the far-famed tales—
But seem a new Arabian night.
And when engirdled figures crave,
Heed to thy bosom's dazzling store— I see Aladdin in his cave;
I follow Sindbad on the shore.
Dr. Gygax's report of nth January, 1849, is nott
forthcoming, but a gentleman who took notes of its prominent contents
has favoured us with the following Memo:—"Gold.—Traces of it in the iron pyrites of Gettyhedra, which might be worked for its alum, and thus the gold would pay." Latest Gold Intelligence.
On
the 21st Mr. MacCartney reported from Bradley's Diggings that the
quantity of Gold found on the previous day was " very much greater"
than in any corresponding period; " and one of the specimens nearly as
large as half a grain of Rice." On the 22nd (yesterday) it was
apprehended that if the rains continued, operations would have to be
suspended.
We
have seen the nugget forsvarded by Mr. Talbot. It is about the size of
a small grain of rice—its weight about 2 grains. It was given to that
gentleman by a person who is in the habit of visiting Ratnapura in
search of precious stones, and who in 1850 received it from one
Kirihamy of Kuru-witte Korale. The latter said he had found it at a
place called Madol Deniya
