Historical Sketch of the Ceylon Mission (Classic Reprint)

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Excerpt from Historical Sketch of the Ceylon Mission That portion of the population of India which speaks the Tamil language numbers about ten millions, occupying the southern part of the peninsula, as fur north as Madras, and the northern portion of the Island of Ceylon. The first mission of the American Board among this people was established in 1816, on the island , as the government of Ceylon was at that time friendly to missions, while that of the British East India Company, on tire peninsula, was hostile. The southern and central portions of Ceylon arc inhabited by the Cingalese - a people of different language and religion. The religion of the Tamil people is Brahminism - the same which now prevails mostly throughout Hindustan, that of the Cingalese is Buddhism. The Tamil inhabitants of the island were originally invaders from the southern part of the peninsula. They dispossessed the other race, and now occupy the northern province, extending down as far as Chilaw on the west and Batticaloa on the east. They number about three hundred thousand, besides a transient population of about one hundred thousand, who have come over within a few years to labor, as coolies, on the coffee plantations in the southern central district. The mission was established in Jaffna, ail island, or rather a cluster of islands, at the northern extremity of Ceylon, separated from each other by-narrow creeks, and rising but little above the level of the sea. The district is forty miles long and fifteen broad, containing a population of two hundred and thirteen thousand. Besides the Tamil people, there are five or six hundred Europeans, principally the descendants of the Dutch and Portuguese, who formerly governed the island. There are also a few called Moormen, who are Mohammedans in religion, and are principally engaged in trade. Intercourse is frequent between the Tamil people of the island and those of the peninsula. There being very few large temples on the island, the people often visit those on the peninsula, and the island and peninsula arc mutually dependent on each other for various products of the soil. CHARACTER OF THE PEOPLE. In estimating the nature of the work to be done by the missionaries among the Tamil people, it is necessary to understand something of their character. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully, any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.