Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 04.djvu/526

CEYLON. 448 CEYLON. altitude of the locality. In the mountains the temperature is pleasantly eool and not infrequently cold in the night. In the valley of Xurwara- Eliya, situated at an altitude of nearly 0000 feet and used for a sanatorium, the temperature seldom rises above 70° and has an annual aver- age of about 62°. The rainfall shows as niueh diversity as the temperature, raiijjing from 30 to SO, and sometimes 120 inches per year. The flora of Ceylon is remarkable for its beauty as well as for its variety, and constitutes one of the principal attractions of the island. It is especially rich in jjalms, of which the most prominent speeiniens are the cocoanut, areca, and feathery palms. The elevated portions of the island were fonnerly covered with thick forests of valuable trees, some of vvhieli cannot be found elsewhere in the world. Jlost of these forests are being destroyed to make way for the exten- sive tea plantations, which now constitute the most prominent feature of the island. Ceylon is also especially rich in ferns and flowers, of which there are endless varieties. The animal kingdom of Ceylon is also remark- able for its variety. Chief among the quadru- peds is the elephant, which, although tuskless, is of much value as a beast of burden, and is largely exported from the island. The bear, leopard, butialo, several species of the monkey, and the Indian humped ox are also abundant. The island contains over .3000 .species of birds and many varieties of re))tiles, among which the most prominent is the crocodile. Aghiciltuke is the chief industry of Ceylon as well as the main source of its prosperity. Of a total of over 10,000,000 acres covered by the island, an area of about 3.000,000 acres, or about 19 per cent, is under cultivation and pasture. Of these, about 750,000 acres are under rice and grain, 19,000 acres under coffee, over 400,000 acres under tea, aliout 800,000 acres under cocoanuts, and 33,000 acres under cacao. The cultivation of grain and ciicoanuts receives but scant attention from foreign settlers, who are the jirincipal owners of the large tea plantations to which the island owes its importance. The cultivation of tea in Ceylon is of comparatively recent origin, the first plantations having been established by Europeans in the latter part of the Nineteenth Century after the failure of the coffee plantations. The tea plantations, of which there are about 1000 at present, are situated mo.stly in the mountain regions of the central province, some of them lying as high as 7000 feet above the sea. Owing to the reluctance of the Singhalese to work on the tea plantations (a reluctance due partly to their satisfaction with their present condition and partly to their mistrust of foreigners), the tea-planters depend, for their labor on imported coolies, who come over to the island with their families, and after a stay of several years generally return to India. Of a total of about 400.000 people engaged on the tea plantatitms, only a small fraction consists of Singhalese, but their pro- portion is gradually increasing. The rapid de- velopment of the tea indtistry is best shown by the increase in the exports of the commodity. In 1873 there were exported from the island 23 pounds, which increased to 100.000 pounds in 1S79 and 2.392.07.5 pounds in 1884. In 1805 it reached 98.581.000 pounds, wliile in 1S!)9 it amounted to nearly 130.000.000 pounds. This as- tonishing advance may be partly accounted for by the fact that many of the tea plantations occupy the sites of tlic former coll'ee plantations, and thus had the advantage of a prepared soil. The coffee industry, introduced first by the Dutcli and afterwards taken up by the British settlers, enjoyed an artificial prosperity until after the middle of the Ninetcentli Century, when it was almost completely destroyed by disease of the plants, and has been gradually declining since then. Cinnamon, tobacco, and cinchona arc also cultivated to some extent. The arcca-palm yields the areca-ntit. Of minerals, Cejion has some iron, and extensive deposits of graphite, which constitutes one of the staples of the island. Gem-quarries are also worked extensively, and the pearl-fisheries are a State monopoly. Under British occupation, the commerce of Ceylon has made considerable progress. The value of the total commerce for 1809 was about Rs. 224,000.000, divided e(iually between imports and exports, while in 1892 it amounted onlv to about Rs. 133,000,000, the imports exceeding the exports by about Rs. 9,000.000. The trade is chiefly with Great Britain and India. The ex- ports and the imports of the former to and from Ceylon, for 1899, amounted to Rs. 31,50(1,000 and Ks. 01,000,000 respectively, while India ex- ported to Ceylon about Rs. '07,000,000 worth. and imiiorlcd" only about Rs. 5,300,000. The chief exports are tea, cocoanut products, spices, and graphite. The imports consist chiefly of cotton goods, rice and grains, coal, and beverages. The total direct commerce of the United States with Ceylon for 1899 amounted to a little over .$4,000,000, of which over ,$4,500,000 represented imports into the United States. The three prin- cipal ports of the island are Colombo, the ca))i- tal, Galle. and Triiiconiali. The first named, while less favored by nature than the other two, is the chief port, and its harbor, improved by the construction of the gigantic lireakwater, now' admits the largest vessels. The total tonnage entered and cleared at Cevlon ports in 1899 was 7,439.205. The railway lines of the island have a total length of 207 miles and are almost en- tirely owned and operated by the Government. .dmini.stk.tiox. Ceylon has been adminis- tered since 1831 by a Governor assisted by an executive council of five members (all Govern- ment appointees) and a legislative council of seventeen members, including the members of the executive council and four other Government oirieers, while the rest represent the native and the foreign elements of the island. Kor admin- istrative purposes Ceylon is divided into nine provinces, each administered by a Government agent. The code of the colony is a modification of the Roman-Dutch law, while the criminal law is based on the Indian Penal Code. Justice is administered by a supreme ci>urt, police, and dis- trict courts, and courts of request. Jliiior cases are dealt with by the village councils. The bud- get of the island has increased from about Rs. 21,000.000 to Rs. 20,000.000. The chief sources of revenue are customs, licenses, mono])o- lies, and railways. The chief items of expendi- ture are administration, public works, service of the debt, military forces, and fortifications ami pensions. The foreign public debt amounted at the end of 1899 to £3.445,840, and the local silver debt to Rs, 3,253.191. Public instruction is in charge of a special department presided over by