Chapter 3

The Wearisome Tropics.--Waterspouts.--Climatic Conditions.--Length of Days.--A Land Rich in Prehistoric Monuments.--History and Fable.--Last King of Ceylon.--Ancient Ruins.--Aged Cave-Temples.--Gigantic Stone Statue of Buddha.--French Vandals--A Native Chronicle.--Once the Seat of a Great Empire.--System of Irrigation.--Mysterious Disappearance of a Nation.--Ruins of a Vast City.--Departed Glory.--The Brazen Palace.--Asiatic Extravagance.--Ruined Monument 44