umps of granite and
gneiss, in the hollows under which, as well as in "pockets" in the
clay (which from their shape the natives denominate "elephants'
footsteps "), gems are frequently found in groups, as if washed in
by the current. (E. Tennent, _Ceylon_ London, 1860, i. p. 34.) ]

[Footnote 389: Diamonds are wanting in Ceylon. And neither gold nor
platinum appears to occur in noteworthy quantity in the gem gravel. ]

[Footnote 390: The only considerable exceptions from this are two
localities for precious stones in Southern Siberia and the
occurrence of precious opal in Hungary. The latter, however, in
consequence of defective hardness and translucency, can scarcely be
reckoned among the true precious stones. ]

[Footnote 391: The Catalogue of Pali, Singhalese, and Sanscrit
Manuscripts in the Ceylon Government Oriental Library, Colombo,
1876, includes:--

41 Buddhist canonical books
71 Other religious writings
25 Historical works, traditions
29 Philological works
16 Literary works
6 Works on Medicine, Astronomy, &c.

According to Emerson Tennent (i. p. 515), the Rev. R. Spence Hardy
has in the _Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Asiatic Society_ for
1848 given the titles of 467 works in Pali, Sanskrit, and Elu,
collected by himself during his residence in Ceylon. Of these about
eighty are in Sanskrit, 150 in Elu or Singhalese, and the remainder
in Pali. ]

CHAPTER XX.

The Voyage Home--Christmas, 1879--Aden--Suez--Cairo--
Excursion to the Pyramids and the Mokattam Mountains--
Petrified Tree-stems--The Suez Canal--Landing on Sicily
by night--Naples--Rome--The Members of the Expedition
separate--Lisbon--England--Paris--Copenhagen--Festive Entry
into Stockholm--_Fetes_ there--Conclusion

During our stay in Japan and our voyage thence to Ceylon I had
endeavoured at least in some degree to preserve the character of the
voyage of the _Vega_ as a scientific expedition, an attempt which,
considering the short time the _Vega_ remained at each place, could
not yield any very important results, and which besides was rendered
difficult, though in a way that was agreeable and flattering to us,
by I may almost say the tempestuous hospitality with which the
_Vega_ men were everywhere received during their visits to the ports
of Japan and East Asia. It was besides difficult to find any new
untouched field of research in regions which were the seat of
culture and civilisation long