It is equally impossible
to predict the future discoveries which may be made of other
minerals. It is well known that quicksilver was found at Cotta,
six miles from Colombo, in the year 1797. It was in small
quantities, and was neglected by the government, and no extended
search was prosecuted. The present search for gold may bring to
light mineral resources of Ceylon which have hitherto lain
hidden.
The minerals proved to exist up to the present time are gold,
quicksilver, plumbago and iron. The two latter are of the finest
quality and in immense abundance. The rocks of Ceylon are
primitive, consisting of granite, gneiss and quartz. Of these
the two latter predominate. Dolomite also exists in large
quantities up to an elevation of five thousand feet, but not
beyond this height.
Plumbago is disseminated throughout the whole of both soil and
rocks in Ceylon, and may be seen covering the surface in the
drains by the road side, after a recent shower.
It is principally found at Ratnapoora and at Belligam, in large,
detached kidney-shaped masses, from four to twenty feet below the
surface. The cost of digging and the transport are the only
expenses attending it, as the supply is inexhaustible.
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