CEYLON 361 which the south-west monsoon exerts on the one side of the island and on the other. The clouds are driven against the lofty mountains that overhang the western and southern coasts, and their condensed vapours descend there in copious showers. But the rains do not reach the op posite side of the island: whilst the south-west is deluged, the east and north are sometimes exhausted with dryness ; and it not unfrequently happens that different sides of the same mountain present at the same moment the opposite extremes of drought and moisture. The influence of the north-east monsoon is more general. The mountains which face the north-east are lower and more remote from the sea than those on the south-west ; the clouds are carried further inland, and it rains simultaneously on both sides of the island. Owing to the efforts of Lieut.-Col. Fyers, R.E., the surveyor -general of Ceylon, very accurate meteorological observations have been recorded throughout Ceylon for the last few years, and the following table has been compiled from the official return of rainfall in Ceylon during the years 1870-1874 inclusive: Colombo, Galle, IJatnnpiira, Jaffna, Puttalam, Anuradlm- Trinoomnlee, Kumlv, Badulla, N uwaraEliva, Kotmalc, 42 feet. 40 feet. 114 feet. 9 feet. 11 feet. pura, 312 ft. 175 feet. 1713 feet. 2220 feet. 6240 feet 4000 feet. Months.
- -
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>, ~ > ~ "2 ~ >t j= a .5 >. .= 3 >> . 3 c :" J: 3 ~ ? ~ ~ 2- .= 3 = .* J= 3 c ^ ~ "3 " 3 c * 3 3 ~ 3 3 a " 3 3 e a 3 ~ <- o si~3 - = ~" ~
-0 K"J o ~ -3 o. K" 3 ^0 = "3 K- 3 W3 > o January ... 2-26 8 4-06 12 7-24 15 1-33 5 3-02 8 3-57 7 8-01 13 5-65 12 10-79 10 7-77 13 1-67 2 February . . 2-37 5 3-69 9 5-55 9 2-51 4 1-81J 5 2-52 6 3-71 8 5-12 8 6-29 7 3-06 8 3-38 6 March 7-08 9 3-62 14 6-70 14 1-78 2 2-49; 6 2-01 4 1-23 5 2-31 6 2-15 3 2-20 6 2-22 6 April 7-45 12 6-86 14 11-11 11 3-87 6 6-51 11 8-26 12 2-55 7 7-39 16 7-99 6 7-32 16 11-37 17 Mav 11-82 18 8-39 22 14-91 24 2-69 4 2-49 7 2-92 7 2-46 5 5-13 14 3-29 4 6-61 16 11-78 19 June 4-63 16 6-87 91 18-57 9g 1-03 1 0-43 4 0-97 s 0-48
9-73 24 2-12 3 16-08 26 30-16 25 July 2-81 10 3-69 19 12-48 24 0-63 2 0-03 ...* 0-04 1 2-88 5 7-65 23 0-74 1 12-19 25 29-75 26 August .... 2-85 8 3-63 17 10-06 21 1-01 3 0-87 2 3-26 5 2-68 8 4-24 21 5-98 6 6-62 22 12-92 21 September 3-50 13 5-41 16 19-93 23 3-26 5 0-63; 4 4-00 5 5-74 8 7-92 21 0-77 1 12-83 21 24-79 16 October.... 13-71 19 10-17 20 17-75 24 6-06 12 4-79 9 3-54 8 7-82 15 9-63 22 6-88 4 9-66 23 20-75 20 November ; 12-83 18 12-24 16 13-90 21 17-39 20 10-95 18 11-15 19 13-27 21 10-51 21 9-37 9 8-41 21 10-92 17 December 4-39 12 6-C8 15 8-06 16 7-00 15 4-30 13 5-98 17 9-42 19 5-34 16 1-65 3 3-91 11 4-51 7 Total for the yearonthe -- irn i <Q average of 75-70148 75-31 195 146-26328 48-56 79 38-32 87 48-22 94 60-25116 81-62 204 58-02 57 96-66 208 164-22 182 live years. 1 2 days in 1872 and 1 in 1873. This table shows that throughout Ceylon the greatest quantity of rain falls in the last three months of the year, though at high elevations and within the immediate influence of the highest mountains the rainfall in June is very great. At Colombo, on the west coast, the rainfall is 75 70 inches, and the number of rainy days is 148 ; at Galle, at the south-west corner, the rainfall is nearly the same, viz., 75 31, but the number of rainy days is 195. At Ratna- pura, about 65 miles S.E. of Colombo, and lying immediately under Adam s Peak, the rainfall is 146 - 26, and the rainy days 228. Jaffna is at the extreme north of the island ; Puttalam lies on a salt lake, behind a gobb, close to the west coast. Anuradhapura lies to the north-east of Puttalam, about 40 miles from the low hills at the north of the mountain zone. Trincomalee is on the east coast, almost due east of Anuradhapura. Badulla lies to the far east of the mountain zone, and, though at a higher elevation than Kandy, has a very small rainfall. The hill-station of Nuwara Eliya has a rainfall of 96 66, and the coffee district of Kotmale, lying below the highest hills, has a rainfall of 164 22, and 182 rainy days. The returns for 1S74 show that at four stations the rainfall in 24 hours exceeded five inches. The following table, compiled from the surveyor-general s returns, shows the temperature: Temperature of the Air in 1874. si c -| i i g e 3 g cj cj = "5 = "3 e 2 | <i a C .& a ._ jj "H^ ** S- = i.- H.= li o % - "is "3 =* g-3 J ~ P Station. ^."5 >,~ g g S S 2 = .2 a s 2 J 3 | 3 9-| 5^ ^ K 3 c = 5 if 5 | < I 1
_E~" "* ~ C 5 "i " M * ^ =3 . 3 M J? 5^ 2 ^ 25 ^ 3, 55 3 o
- " I
Colombo 42 85-3 76-2 l 80-7 91-5 69-3 22-2 165-0 1 55-1 Ratnapura Puttalam 114 84-1 11 87-0 75-9 80-0 89-2 75-3 81-1 95-5 72-4 16-8 63-8 31-7 167-8 56-6 161-0 ., Anuradhapura . . . Mannar 312 87-8 85-8 73-8 80-5 95-0 77-4 81-6 91-8 60-6 34-4 159-0 70-2 21-6 ... 35-0 54-8 Jaffna 9 86-2 77-4 81-8 92-8 65-5 27-3 160-4 63-0 Trincomalee Batticaloa 175 88-1 21 86-5 75-6 81-8 76-4 81-4 98-8 94-8 69-5 29-3 175-0 52-3 68-6 26-2 169-0 .. Hambantota 40 86-2 74-4 80-3 98-0 65-1 32-9 155-0 55-2 Galle 40 82-9 76-6 79-7 88-0 71-0 17-0 160-0 57-0 Kandy 1650 79-5 72-8 76-1 84-9 66-5 18-4 162-4 40-4 Nuwara Eliya ... 6150 65-2 51-7 58-4 73-0 38-0 35-1 154-0 7-2 Badulla.....".. 2220 81-7 65-7 73-7 88-0 54-0 34-0 160-0 53-0 The length of the day, owing to the proximity of the island to the equator, does not vary more than an hour at any season. The mean time of the rising of the sun s centre at Colombo on February 1st is 6 h 23 m A.M., and of its setting G h 5 m P.M. On August 15th its rising is at 5 h 45 m A.M., and its setting at 6 h 7 m P.M. It is mid-day in Colombo when it is morning in England. Colombo is situated in 79 50 45" E. long., and the day is further advanced there than at Greenwich by 5 h 19 m 23 s . Geology and Minerals. Ceylon may be said to have been for ages slowly rising from the sea, as appears from the terraces abounding in marine shells, which occur in situations far above high-water mark, and at some miles distance from the sea. A great portion of the north of the island may be regarded as the joint production of the coral polypi and the currents, which for the greater part of the year set impetuously towards the south ; coming laden with alluvial matter collected along the coast of Coro- mandel, and meeting with obstacles south of Point Cali- mere, they have deposited their burdens on the coral reefs round Point Pedro; and these, raised above the sea-level, and covered deeply by sand drifts, have formed the penin sula of Jaffna, and the plains that trend westward till they unite with the narrow causeway of Adam s Bridge. The Tertiary rocks are almost unknown. The great geological feature of the island is the profusion of gneiss, overlaid in many places in the interior by extensive beds of dolo- mitic limestone. This formation appears to be of great thickness ; and when, as is not often the case, the under-sur- face of the gneiss series is exposed, it is invariably found resting on granite. Veins of pure quartz and felspar of considerable extent have been frequently met with in the gneiss ; whilst in the elevated lands of the interior in the Galle districts may be seen copious deposits of disinte grated felspar, or kaolin, commonly known as porcelain clay. At various elevations the gneiss may be found intersected by veins of trap rocks, upheaved whilst in a state of fusion subsequent to the consolidation of the
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