CHAPTER XXVII.

JOURNAL OF A TOUR IN CEYLON.

EARLY on the morning of the 25th of August we cast anchor outside the harbour of Galle, but the directions given in the Government chart for anchoring during this monsoon, proved so incorrect, that when the pilot came on board he found the vessel in a very dangerous situation, lying so close upon rocks, that, as the wind was blowing hard, he could not venture to weigh anchor, lest she should drive on them; he was obliged, therefore, to warp her off, which occupied the whole of the morning, a miserable one to me, for the sea ran very high, and the ship tossed and rolled unceasingly. Mr. Glenie, the senior Colonial Chaplain; Mr. Layard, the Judge of Galle; Mr. Mayor, one of the Church Missionaries, and the Master Attendant of Galle, came on board to meet us; and, about three o'clock, the vessel was got safe into harbour. The fort fired a salute, which the Discovery returned, and we were met on the pier by the principal inhabitants of the place, the regiments stationed there, and a band of spearmen and lascarines. The pier was covered with white cloth, and we passed between two files of soldiers to the place where pa

lanquins, &c. were waiting; in which, preceded by native music, a constant attendant on all processions, we went two miles to the cutcherry, where we were invited, and most kindly and hospitably entertained, by Mr. Sansoni, the collector of the district.

Point de Galle is situated at nearly the southern extremity of Ceylon, and its harbour is very spacious and beautiful, being formed in part by rocks, over which the sea foams and dashes in a glorious manner; it has not more than two or three ships, and a few small craft within it at present. One of the former is an Arab which left Calcutta for Bombay, a few days before I sailed, early in March; out of pure cowardice the captain put in here, where he has remained ever since, and will not move till the strength of the monsoon is over. Homeward-bound ships occasionally touch at this port, and one East Indiaman regularly comes every year to carry off the cinnamon prepared for exportation.

A very few English and Dutch families form the society of the place, and they reside principally within the fort; the "pettah," or native town, is extensive, and the houses neat. At present it has a very gay appearance, from being ornamented in the Cingalese manner, in honour of the Bishop's arrival, with palm-branches, flowers, and fruits, in which kind of decoration the natives are very ingenious, and which gives the whole village the appearance of a jubilee. Mr. Sansoni's is a lowerroomed house, but very spacious and comfortable,

commanding a view of the harbour. He is an Italian by birth, but is become quite Anglicised by a long residence in the island.

The Cingalese on the coast differ very much from any Indians I have yet seen, and their language, also, is different; they wear no turban, or other kind of covering, on the head, but turn up their long black hair with large tortoise-shell combs; the coolies and labouring-classes have merely the waist-cloth, as in Bengal; but the "Moodeliers," or native magistrates, head-men as they are generally called, wear a strange mixture of the Portuguese and native dress, but handsome, from the gold with which it is covered. The Moodelier of Galle, and all his family, are Christians; he is a most respectable man, in face and figure resembling Louis XVIII. to whom his sons also bear a strong likeness the old man wears a handsome gold medal, given him for meritorious conduct.

August 26.-The heat is said to be never very oppressive at Galle, being constantly tempered by sea-breezes, and by frequent rain; the total absence of punkahs, indeed, proves the climate to be moderate. The fort was built by the Dutch, and is a good deal out of repair. We dined to-day at Mr. Layard's, who has an excellent house within its walls; we went in our palanquins, and instead of the lanterns to which we had been accustomed in Calcutta and Bombay, were preceded by men carrying long palm-branches on fire; the appearance of these natural torches was picturesque, and their smell not unpleasant; but the sparks and flakes of

fire which they scattered about were very disagreeable, and frequently were blown into my palanquin, to the great danger of my muslin dress: they are never used within the fort.

August 27.-Our original plan of going from hence to Baddagame, a Church-missionary station, about thirteen miles from Galle, where there is a Church to be consecrated, has been frustrated by the heavy rains which have lately fallen, and which have swollen the river so much as to make the journey impracticable; we therefore decided on remaining over Sunday here, and we sent off the greatest part of our servants, baggage, &c. to Colombo, a distance of seventy-two miles.

The Bishop was occupied all the morning in ecclesiastical affairs. There is neither Chaplain nor resident Church Missionary here, but Mr. Mayor and Mr. Ward occasionally come from Baddagame to do the duty, and the former remained here a month previous to our arrival, to prepare the young people for confirmation. The Wesleyan Society has a Missionary, who sometimes does duty in the Church. Mrs. Gisborne has a school about a mile from the cutcherry, of which we hear an excellent report she is at present at Colombo, but when we return to embark for Calcutta we hope to visit it with her.

August 28.-The Bishop confirmed about thirty persons, of whom the greater proportion were natives; some of the Moodelier's family were among the number, but the rest were principally scholars from Mrs. Gisborne's school. He afterwards

preached. The Church was built by the Dutch, and, according to their custom, is without a communion-table, and for the most part open. It is kept neatly, but is a good deal out of repair. The native part of the congregation was numerous, and paid great attention to the ceremony, though many were there out of curiosity alone. Mr. Robinson preached in the evening.

August 29.-This morning, at three o'clock, we were roused by beat of drum, to prepare for our march to Colombo; we formed a long cavalcade of palanquins and gigs, preceded by an escort of spearmen, and the noisy inharmonious music I mentioned before, and attended by some of Mr. Sansoni's lascarines, who answer in some respects to our peons in Calcutta; they wear rather a pretty uniform of white, red, and black, and a conical red cap, with an upright white feather in it. Instead of the chattah used with us, these men carry large fans, made of the talipot palm, which is peculiar to Ceylon, from six to nine feet in length, over the heads of Europeans and rich natives, to guard them from the sun. The road was

decorated the whole way as for a festival, with long strips of palm-branches hung upon strings on either side, and wherever we stopt, we found the ground spread with white cloth, and awnings erected, beautifully decorated with flowers and fruits, and festooned with palm-branches. These remnants of the ancient custom mentioned in the Bible, of strewing the road with palm-branches and garments, are curious and interesting.