PLUMBAGO or Graphite Preparation PLUMBAGO (from Lat. plumbum, lead), a name frequently applied to graphite, “Miniran” in sinhala Languge. When Chemistry was in its early days and the graphite was thought to be a form of lead. Because of this, it was called “plumbago” (Latin for “acts like lead”). The black core of pencils is […]
Turner. Director of Statistics and Superintendent of Census, in 1922, states that the Ceylon pearl fisheries are very ancient, and appear to be carried on under much the same conditions for 2,000 to 3,000 years. Pliny refers to Taprobane (Ceylon) as the “the most productive of pearls of all parts of the world”. The most profitable on record was during the 1903 to 1907, the value of the 1905 fishery alone was Rs. 3.5 Million and predicts that there is an excellent prospect of a new series of fisheries in the immediate future, as large numbers of oysters have been found on the banks within the last year. This around the time the photograph was taken.