An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon in the East Indies: Together with an Account of the Detaining in Captivity the Author and Divers other Englishmen Now Living There, and of the Author's Miraculous EscapeKnox, Robert
History
An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon in the East Indies: Together with an Account of the Detaining in Captivity the Author and Divers other Englishmen Now Living There, and of the Author's Miraculous Escape
Knox, Robert
Sri Lanka -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800; Sri Lanka -- Social life and customs
[How they make Butter.] For a farewel of their labours, let it not
be unacceptable to relate here a piece of their Housewifry; and tell
you how they make Butter. First, They boil the Milk, then they turn
it into a Curd; the next morning they skim off the Cream, and drill
it in an earthen Vessel with a stick having a cross at the bottom
of it, somewhat like a Chocolate stick. When the Butter is come,
they put it in a pan, and fry it, to get all the water dry out of it,
and so put it into an earthen pot for use.
[Shops in the City.] There are no Markets on the Island. Some few
Shops they have in the Cities, which sell Cloth, Rice, Salt, Tobacco,
Limes, Druggs, Fruits, Swords, Steel, Brass, Copper, &c.
[Prizes of Commodities.] As to the Prices of Commodities, they are
sold after this rate. Rice in the City, where it is dearest, is
after six quarts for fourpence half-peny English, or a small Tango,
or half a Tango; six Hens as much; a fat Pig the same: a fat Hog,
three shillings and six pence or four shilling: but there are none
so big as ours. A fat Goat, two and fix pence. Betle-nuts 4000 nine
pence Currant price, when a Trad.
And now we are discoursing or their Traffick, we will speak a little
of their Measures, Weights, and Coin.
[Of their Measures.] First for Measures. A Rian is a Cubit, which is
with them from the bone on the inside of the Elbow to the tip of the
fourth Finger. A Waddo rian is the Carpenters Rule. It is as much as
will reach from one Elbow to the other, the Thumbs touching one the
other at the tops, and so stretching out both Elbows.
For their Corn-measures, the least is a Potta, which is to contain
as much Grain as a man can hold heaped up in his whole hand palm
and fingers and all. Four Pottas make a lawful or Statute-measure,
called Bonder Nellia, signifying the King's measure. Which is the
King's ordinary allowance to a man, that is as much as he can eat in a
day. But we Englishmen were allowed two. Four of these Bonder Nellias
make a Courney. In fashion it is an handsom turned measure, some of
them are made with Canes like a Basket. Ten of these Courneys make a
Pale, that is forty measures, which is the usual quantity that they
sell for a Laree, or fifth part of a Piece of eight, the usual price
in Cande Vda. But in time of Harvest two Pales for a Laree. Four of
these Pales make an Ommouna. In which they keep the account of their
Corn, reckoning by Ommounas.
[Their Weights.] For their Weights, their smallest is Collonda, six
make just a Piece of eight. They have half Collondas and quarter
Collondas. When they are to weigh things smaller than a Collonda,
they weigh them with a kind of red Berries, which grow in the Woods,
and are just like Beads. The Goldsmiths use them, Twenty of these
Beads make a Collonda and Twenty Collondas make a Pallum.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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