. Narrative of the expedition of an American squadron to the China seas and Japan. .—Built by an Eccentric Frenchman.—Cyclones.—Their Probable Causes.—Interestfelt in them at Mauritius.—Departure of the Mississippi from Port Louis.—Her Course thence toPoint de Galle, Island of Ceylon.—Reasons for taking it.—Point de Galle, Description of.—GreatRendezvous of Steamers.—Difficulty of Procuring Fuel there.—American Consul.—Thoughts onConsular System.—Early Knowledge of Ceylon.—Its Several European Possessors.—Climate.—Salubrity.—Causes of its Diminished Prosperity.—Productions.—Value of Cocoanut P
. Narrative of the expedition of an American squadron to the China seas and Japan. .—Built by an Eccentric Frenchman.—Cyclones.—Their Probable Causes.—Interestfelt in them at Mauritius.—Departure of the Mississippi from Port Louis.—Her Course thence toPoint de Galle, Island of Ceylon.—Reasons for taking it.—Point de Galle, Description of.—GreatRendezvous of Steamers.—Difficulty of Procuring Fuel there.—American Consul.—Thoughts onConsular System.—Early Knowledge of Ceylon.—Its Several European Possessors.—Climate.—Salubrity.—Causes of its Diminished Prosperity.—Productions.—Value of Cocoanut Palm.—PearlFishery.—Immense Numbers of Elephants.—Great Slaughter of them.—Boa Constrictor.—Populationof Ceylon.—Physique of Cingalese, Malabars, and Mahommedans in the Island.—Religious Condition.—Buddhism.—Pilgrimage to the Temples.—Intercourse with a Siamese Naval Officer at Ceylon.—Com-modores Letter to the Second King of Siam.—Departure from Ceylon.—Passage through the Straitsof Malacca.—Arrival at ASCARENHAS, a PortuguGse commander, dis-covered Mauritius, with its neighboringisland of Bourbon, in 1505, and the wholegroup was then named the Mascarenhas islands. The Portuguese took for-mal possession of Mauritius in 1545, but appear to have formed no settle-ment. In 1598, the Dutch surveyed it and gave to it its present name, inlienor of Maurice, the Stadtholder of the Netherlands. They, however, didnot settle the island until after they had formed an establishment at the Cape 132 EXPEDITION TO JAPAN. in 1640; and then thej fixed themselves on the shore at Port Grand. In1708, from causes not now known, they abandoned the island, and from thistime up to 1715, its only inhabitants were a few negroes, who had beenbrought there by the Dutch as slaves, and who, having escaped from theirmasters, concealed themselves in the mountain forests. In the year lastnamed (1715) the French took possession, and for
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