However delightful this mode of travelling may be, we are afraid it is but little adapted for observation; and a traveller may be conveyed lazily along in palanquins or canopied barges, and may repose for hours together under bungaloes, without having his eyes or thoughts occupied with much besides festoons of red and white muslin, or festoons of verdant moss and gaudycoloured flowers.' At least, it strikes us that our author was a good deal too much at his ease through the whole of his tour; and we were sometimes malicious enough to wish, for the sake of his character as a traveller, that he had been subjected to a little of the same discipline which the king of Candy inflicted on the worthy Mr Knox. Nothing, indeed, can afford a more striking contrast to the easy magnificence of Mr Cordiner's progress, than the hardships of every kind to which his predecessor was subjected. Perhaps our readers may like to have a specimen of the latWe now heard the noise (says Knox) of people on every side, and expected every moment to see some of them, to our great terror. And it is not easy to say in what danger, and in what apprehension of it we were: it was not safe for us to stir backwards or forwards, for fear of running among people; and it was as unsafe to stand still where we were, lest somebody might spy us; and where to find a covert we could not tell. Looking about us in these straits, we spyed a great tree by us, which, for the bigness thereof, it is probable might be hollow. To which we went, and found it so. It was like a tub, some three feet high. Into it immediately we both crept, and made a shift to sit there for several hours, though very uneasily, and all in mud and wet. But, however, it did greatly comfort us in the fright and amazement we were in. '

ter.

At Point de Galle, the governor was detained a month with the business of the court of judicature. The fort of Point de Galle, one mile and a quarter in circumference, is situate near the southern extremity of the island, on a low rocky promontory, from which its name is derived.' It was here that, during the government of the United States, the cinnamon and other productions of the island were shipped for Europe; and it is still partly used for that purpose. 'The works of Point de Galle are substantial and extensive; and it would be a place of great strength, were it not overlooked by some adjacent eminences.

All the country round is extremely hilly. At one view, four ranges of mountains appear behind one another, richly clothed with wood. On every hand are large forests of cocoa-nut trees, and extensive tracts of thick jungle, frequently intersected by romantic foot-paths, winding both amongst the higher and lower grounds. These are among Mr Cordiner's leading observations

on Point de Galle,-if we except the information, that the streets are infested with musquitoes,-a species of gnat troublesome in various parts of India! and that the governor, while here, entertained the settlement with several public dinners, and one splendid ball and supper. On their way to Matura, our travellers embarked on the lake at Cogel, of which a pleasing description is given. In the neighbourhood of Belligam, half way to Matura, they visited the Cingalese temple of Buddha, called Ágnabuddhaganni, and were well received by the priests, who were much gratified with the attention which they bestowed on the sacred images and paintings. These drawings, which are merely coJoured outlines, without shading, and an enormous statue of Buddha, twenty-eight feet long and six broad, reclining at full length upon a pedestal, with the flaps of his ears cut open, are the chief curiosities of this temple. Matura is built on the west side of the Neel ganga, or blue river; and, although meant to be a regular fortification, is only as yet half completed.

There our author left the governor for some days, and set out, attended only by servants, to visit the Christian schools in the interior parts of the province. Christianity had been introduced into the island by the Portuguese, and the idolatry of the Romish church soon became sufficiently acceptable to the rude inhabitants. The Dutch attempted a much more arduous task, and one which we should scarcely have expected that sordid people to have undertaken. This was no other than a zealous endeavour to bring over their Ceylonese subjects to the pure doctrines of the Protestant faith. Mr Cordiner tells us that their success was remarkable; and has given us an account of the pains which they took to secure this great object. Parish schools were instituted throughout the island; and the scriptures, both of the Old and New Testament, translated into Ceylonese and Malabar, and printed at the government press at Columbo. Regular registers were kept, and monthly visitations of the schools held by the resident clergy. For nearly three years after the Dutch settlements in Ceylon surrendered to the British arms, these religious establishments were entirely neglected; but Governor North has since revived all the valuable parts of the former institutions, and corrected some defects. In the year 1801, the number of parish schools flourishing on the island amounted to one hundred and seventy, and the number of native Protestant Christians exceeded three hundred and forty two thousand. The Christians professing the religion of the church of Rome are supposed to be still more numerous.'

All this information, which Mr Cordiner had gathered on the state of the religious establishments in Ceylon, made us

regard

regard him with great veneration, when we saw him setting forth on his pastoral visitation to the Christian schools in the province of Matura; and we now expected to find him confirm, by his own observation, those facts which he before had related on the report of others. We were well pleased, too, that he had got rid of his great people and his bungaloes; and our imaginations were warmed for some simple scene of Christian piety, in this remote island, under the shade of cocoa-nut trees, and among the monuments of former idolatry. We had scarcely, however, read three sentences, when we found our hopes somewhat dashed, by the tremendous apparition of seven large elephants returning with their riders from Kotawy.' We are next paraded through the remains of a Hindoo temple, consisting of two hundred stone pillars, near Dondra-head, the most southerly point in the island; and are introduced to a picture of Carticeya, the tutelar god of Cattergam, a human figure with six heads and twelve arms, riding sideways on a peacock. On our arrival at Kahawatta, where the visitation of the schools was to be held, we cannot conceive that any thing further should come in the way of Mr Cordiner's mission; but, unfortunately, he spies, six miles off, a huge rock, called Mulgeerelenna, alias Mulgeeregalla, which nothing will satisfy him but he must go and see. Up this rock, which is in the form of a cube, perpendicular on two sides, to the height of three hundred feet, we have the satisfaction to see Mr Cordiner ascend, by a winding flight of stairs of five hundred and forty-five deep steps of hewn stone; and although he nearly tumbles down at one place, where the rock is particularly steep, we at last behold him perched like a crow upon the summit. Here he gets into raptures with the splendid prospect which surrounds him; and tells us, that the greatest curiosities of Mulgeerelenna are the little temples of Buddha, which are cut out in different places on its sides. Our author went into several of these, and found vast statues of that god in the posture before described. There is a colony of the priesthood established at the foot of the rock. In the province of Matura, there are said to be two thousand individuals of that description, and a great many temples of Buddha.' On his return to Kahawatta, Mr Cordiner at last holds his visitation; of which he condescends to give us the following very edifying and satisfactory account.

The inhabitants of Kahawatta erected, in one day, a fpacious bungaloe, for holding a vifitation of the school, which answered all the pur. pofes of the moft finifhed building. In general, the children affemble in the reft-house; as their parish school, like many others in Ceylon, has fallen a facrifice to the ravages of time, and the neglect of featonable repair. Some of the boys here are of a light brown colour, and all of them have good countenances, smooth black hair, and no other dress

but

but a few yards of muslin girded about their loins. In school they are implicitly obedient to their masters; and, when at play, difcover all that fprightliness and joy which is peculiar to their years. The fchoolmafters wear shirts, vests, and coats of English broad cloth with filver buttons, after the fame fashion as the modelears. The catechifts dress in black, either cloth, fatin, filk, or velvet; and generally walk in leather flippers or wooden fandals. I. p. 205, 206.

Upon his rejoining the governor, our author makes some pleasant excursions on the Neel Ganga, and visits the Cingalese temple of Heetateeah, in the neighbourhood of Matura; where, as he is taking some sketches of the paintings, he is accosted by a venerable priest, of eighty years of age, who, delighted, it would appear, with Mr Cordiner's performance, requests to have his name written on the same piece of paper with the drawing. Our author courteously assents; and the name of this ancient personage is now presented (says he) to the eye of the United Kingdom.? It is indeed so long, that no common eye could well take it in Velliveriey Sangarakeeta Teron Wahansey.' From Matura, the governor and his suite proceeded to Tengalle, pleasantly situated on the sea-coast. From this place they made an excursion to the elephant snare at Kotawy, a few miles distant; which gives Mr Cordiner an opportunity to describe the manner of taking elephants. The whole account is very entertaining, and, in our opinion, is among the best parts of this work. We shall accordingly make no apology for laying before our readers a pretty full account of it. The Ceylonese elephants are more prized than any others in India. They are important, therefore, in a commercial view, besides the uses to which they are applied in the island. When a hunt is determined upon, great parties of men (on the present occasion no fewer than three thousand were employed) surround the forests in which these animals are discovered to abound, with a chain of fires, placed on moveable stands, so as to be brought closer, according as the elephants are driven nearer to the centre. The distance between the fires may at first be an hundred paces, which is gradually reduced to about ten paces. The more the elephants are confined, the more vigilant the hunters must become, and prepared to repel their efforts to escape, by advancing the fires, and by loud shouting. At the end of two months, they are enclosed in a circle, of which the wide entrance of the snare forms a part, and are at last brought so near to it, that, by the exertions of the surrounding multitude, they can be made close prisoners in a few hours.' It is now that all those who are desirous of witnessing the capture resort to the scene of action.

An idea of the enclosure may be formed by a drawing, on a piece of paper, the outline of a wide funnel. A little way within the wide

end,

end, a palifade runs across, in breadth fix hundred feet, containing four open gates, at which the elephants enter. A view of two of these is commanded from a bungaloe, erected for spectators on pillars thirty feet from the ground. The enclosure is formed of the ftrongest trees on the island, from eight to ten inches in diameter, bending inwards, funk four feet into the ground, and from fixteen to twenty feet high above it. They are placed at the diftance of fixteen inches from each other, and croffed by four rows of powerful beams, bound fast to them with pliant canes. To this palifade are added fupporters more inclined, feveral feet afunder, augmenting the ftrength of the fence. The part of it in which the elephants are first enclofed is eighteen hundred feet in circumference; but it communicates with a smaller fold, one hundred feet in length, and forty broad, through which a rivulet paffes five feet in depth, and nearly fills the enclosure. The elephants enter this place. of confinement at only one gate; and beyond the water the fence gradually contracts, terminating in a strong paffage, five feet broad, and one hundred feet long.' I. p. 217, 218.

We give likewise, in our author's own words, the striking picture of the entrance of the elephants into the first snare.

All things being ready for driving the elephants into the fnare, the governor and his party repaired to the ground about feven o'clock in the evening, afcended the elevated bungaloe by a long ladder, and waited feveral dark and tedious hours; but the termination of the chase amply repaid their patience, nefs, fhould reign amongst us; and, in a fituation where our eyes and It was neceffary that filence, as well as darkears were otherwife fo attentively engaged, converfation would have been particularly irkfome. The fhouting of the hunters was inceffant, muskets and rockets joined in the chorus, and the wild roaring of the elephants was heard at intervals, more diftinctly warning us of their approach. At length the foreft crashed, and the enormous herd pushed forward with fury, levelling inftantaneously every tree which opposed their paffage. The following up of the people with the lights and fireworks was truly grand. Every man waved in his hand a blazing torch, formed of a bundle of reeds, the feeble but effectual means of defence against a tremendous foe. The trees were nobly illuminated, and, towering aloft amidft the furrounding darkness, spread their glittering foliage in the air. 1. p. 218, 219.

When the first enclosure is completely stocked, the four gates are closed, and secured with strong stakes. Then another chain of fires and torches is formed within the enclosure, and the persecuted animals are driven forward in like manner into the smaller fold.

The line of flame once more began its terrifying movement. The people refumed their tumultuous noife, mingled with the din of trumpets, drums, and arms. The affrighted herd, again annoyed with impending horrors, renewed their tremendous flight; and rushing like an gitated torrent into the water-fnare, experienced still greater forrows.

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