Eefc 1898 YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Gift of David I Head Yale 1897 FOURTH EDITION. rv C-^lfl1 There are one or two matters on which it is well to put visitors on their guard. In the first place, Beware of the Sun. Too much : care cannot be taken against the risk of sunstroke, of which however, with due precaution, there is little danger. If the head be not well protected by a good " solar topee," an umbrella is indispensable : a native talipot can be purchased for 50c. (Is.). Straw hats, no matter how wide the brims may be, are absolutely usele'ss as safeguards against sunstroke. Licensed Guides. — Beware of engaging a so-called "guide." An applicant should produce a Municipal license, without which it is an offenGe to act as a guide ; if he cannot, he should not, for more than one reason, be employed. Street Nuisances. — Hawkers and beggars are apt, especially in the Fort, to pester strangers and cause them much annoyance. They can be handed over to the Police, who are empowered to act as prosecutors without the attendence of the person annoyed. Guide to Colombo. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. i Statue or Buddha at Kalawi-'wa. Buddhas in the Cotta Temple. Kandyan Chief in Full Dress. Outside Colombo Harbour in the South- West Monsoon. View op Harbour prom the Clock Tower. Looking South prom the Clock Tower. General Post Oppice. Sixteen Native Characters. Queen Street, Fort. Chatham Street, Fort. Kayman's Gate, Pettah. St. John's Street, Pettah. Colombo Jetty. Group of Coaling Coolies Colombo Museum, Cinnamon Gardens. Kandyan Ladies. Sinhalese Fruit Selllh.. A Hindu God. Moorman Barber. Skinner's Road. Buddhist Temple at Kelani. Views of the Kadugannawa Railway Incline. Dutch Church, Wolpendahl. St. Joseph's College, Colombo. Grand Oriental Hotel, Fort. Galle Face Hotel, Colombo. "The Bristol," Fort. Scene on Galle Road. Fishing Canoes. A Village Home. Ruins op the Jetawanarama at Polonnaruwa. The Thuparama Dagoba, Anuradhapura. I r LIST OF ADVERTISERS. Abraham, J, P., Mattacooly Nurseries, Colombo. Armitage & Co., George, Mineralogists and Gem Merchants. Bristol Hotel, Fort. Cahill & Sons, E., Tailors and Outfitters. Campbell & Co., Neil S., Chemists, Ladies' Outfitters, &c. Cargills, Limited, Ladies' and Gentlemen's Outfitters, Chemists, and General Storekeepers. Cave & Co., H. W., Booksellers, Stationers, and Importers of Fancy Goods. " Ceylon Independent " Press. "Ceylon Observer" Press. Colombo Apothecaries' Co., Limited, Chemists, Photo graphers, Opticians, and General Storekeepers. Colombo Hair Dressing Saloon, S. Silva, Proprietor. Creasy, E. B., Agent for Thomas Cook & Son and for the London and Colombo Forwarding Agency. De Silva & Co., D. D., Jewellers. De Silva & Co., D. F., Jewellers. Don Carolis & Son, H., Furniture Dealers. Don Theodoris & Co., Jewellers. Galle Face Hotel, Colombo. Grand Oriental Hotel, Fort. Joonoos & Co., M. C, Jewellers. Maama Mohamed, A. L. a!., Jeweller. Macan Markar, O. L. M., Jeweller. Meera Llbbe Maricar, P. T., Jeweller. Queen's Hotel, Kandy. Plate & Co., A. W. A., Photographers. Seeroomul Atmaram & Co., Dealers in Indian Wares. Skeen & Co., W. L. H., Photographers. Smith, Campbell & Co., Tailors and Outfitters. Tea Kiosk, Fort. " Times op Ceylon " Press. Walker, Sons & Co., Ltd., Colombo Ironworks. ¦s/- rsr ^ If TTtm Wist W. Er. M, S«BS)lf ^ Co. 4i» ©to W. L. H. SKEEN & cP Oldest Photographic Firm in the Island. PORTRAITURE DAILY AT OUR STUDIOS, FROM MINIATURE TO LIFE-SIZE. Muecial Attention to Groups. Studies of Tropical Yegetation. Instantaneous Street Scenes, Boats, &c. VIEWS FROM ALL PARTS OF THE ISLAND. Photographs of Native Life and Character. Autotype and Bromide Enlargements. ALBUMS OF VIEWS MADE TO ORDER ON THE SHORTEST NOTICE. Every description of Photographic Work undertaken. To AMATEURS.— Free use of Dark Boom. Plates Developed and Printed. DEPOT for all Photographic Apparatus and Chemicals. PRIZE MEDALS. Colombo, 1870 Paris, 18*8 Sydney, 188© Melbourne, 1881 Colombo, 1883 Calcutta,. 1884 Dublin. 1884 London, 1886 %^ ? r: W. L. H. SKEEN & Co. Have the finest and most extensive collection of Photographs of any Firm in the Bast. CEYLON COMPLETELY ILLUSTRATED In its Chief Towns and Byeways, its Mountains and Plains, its Magnificent Railway, its Industries : Tea, Coffee, Cocoanut, Cacao, &c. SPECIALITY, A VERT LARGE COLLECTION OF NATIVE TYPES, To which we are always adding : plates 11 X 9. Of special interest to the Tourist are ifa ANCIENT CITIES OF ANURADHAPURA, POLONNARUWA, AND SIGIRI. Complete Collection with Descriptive Catalogue, some recently taken, of the latest Discoveries. Of Anuradhapura the series comprises 150 plates. i Of Polonnaruwa 80 plates : 11 x 9 and 8x6. Those of Sigiri show the latest (1897) Excavations. THE LAROEST TEMPLE IN SOUTHERN INDIA : Of this Magnificent Pile they have 18 plates, 11x9, the best Photographs yet published of it. . 41r CHATHAM ST., COLOMBO, ^ W, L. H.SKEEN&Co^ A TEA SERIES Comprises 30 plates, 11 x 9 : — Clearing Land, Planting, Plucking, &c, showing every stage of the preparation of the Leaf up to Packing and Shipping. KANDYAN ART. Plates 15 X 12, from the Unique Collection of Hugh Nevill, Esq., CCS. A most interesting Series, showing nearly every description of Kandyan Artwork in Silver, Copper, Brass, Carved Ivory, Wood, Stone, &c. Under this head they pride themselves they have the Finest Collection that can be shown. Plates from 18x16, taken direct, illustrating the Marvels of Tropical Vegetation : Banyan and Indiarubber Trees (Fig Tribe), Palms, Tree Ferns, &c. PUBLICATIONS OF YARIODS SERIES ON BROMIDE PAPER. A Series of Plates — 8 x 6 and smaller — of BOMBAY, JEYPORE, DELHI, AGRA, BENARES, and • DARJEELING, the results of a Recent Tour. Also— 12 x 10 and 8 x 6 of MADURA, TRICHINOPLY, and TANJORE. LANTERN SLIDES supplied from our own or Amateurs' Negatives. CATALOGUES ON APPLICATION. 21, WARD STREET, KANDY. ^BOOKS on CEYLON^ By HENRY W. CAVE, M.A., F.R.G.S. Colombo and the Kelani Valley ... Rs. 18*50 Kandy and Peradeniya ... Rs. 26*00 Nuwara Eliya and Adam's Peak ... Rs. 26*00 The Ruined Cities of Ceylon ... Rs. 30*00 Demy Quarto 'Volumes, illustrated by Photogravures l>y tlie Author. Published by Sampson, Low, Marston & Co., Ltd., London. ¦ ? Opinions of the Press. " The illustrations are of rare beauty." — Standard. " The descriptive chapters are well written." — Saturday Review. " A cherished acquisition to many libraries." — The Times. " Charmingly written and charmingly illustrated." — Black and White. " A most fascinating and beautiful book. Superlative praise is the only thing it merits." — Antiquary. " The illustrations are, without a single exception, beautiful."— Field. " Any province of the Empire is fortunate to have its grand and picturesque characteristics recorded by such a sympathetic and clever master of his craft as Mr. H. W. Cave." — Overland Mail. " Written in a very pleasant and scholarly style." — Spectator. " The illustrations are the notable feature, but their value is much enhanced by the letterpress." — Athentsuni. " The finest products of the camera we have ever seen within boards. To the Artist and bhe Archaeologist alike the work must have supreme attraction." — Black and White. " In this splendid volume we have an account, by a cultured Englishman, of what are not only the mo9t important of the malhy ruins to be found there, but also include in their number the oldest extant monuments of India ; for Ceylon, ethnographically and historically, is part of India." — Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. " All the leading London papers and provincial papers have dealt more or less at length with the book, and there has been only one concurrent tone of approval from the London Times to the Manchester Guardian and from the critical Atheneeum to the appreciative Scottish Weekly." — Ceylon Observer. H. W. Gave & Go. *Z££T- HTw. CAVE & CO^ (OPPOSITE THE LIGHTHOUSE.) NEW MUSIC AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. JAPANESE CURIOSITIES in Lacquer, Bronze, China, and Enamel. TOYS, FANCY LEATHER GOODS, PHOTOGRAPHIC VIEWS OF CEYLON, VIEW ALBUMS AND SOUVENIRS FROM ONE RUPEE, Christmas Cards and Gifts, &c, &*: BALL PROGRAMMES. LATEST NOVELS, NEWEST SONGS. OIL AND WATER COLOURS. PERFUMERY & TOILET REQUISITES. Note Paper and Envelopes. Every Stationery Article for Travellers. Writing Cases, Diaries, and Sketcli Books. Bankers and Agents for HENRI S. RING & CO., London. H. W. CAVE & CO. w Books for Tropical Planters (Cash Prices, including Local Postage.) Notes on Ceylon, byC. F. Gordon-Cumming Climate of the Hill Sanitaria of Ceylon, by Dr. Archibald... MAP OF CEYLON, on roller Do. in case NEW MAP OF ESTATES (Tea, Coffee, and Cacao Estates), an entirely new Publication compiled expressly for the publishers, and containing the names of over one thousand Estates ... Do. Do. on roller Ceylon in the Fifties and Eighties Ceylon Handbook and Directory (Annual) Ceylon in 1837-46 : A Lecture by A. M.Ferguson Ceylon in 1847-56 : do. do. Skinner's Fifty Tears in Ceylon, by Annie Skinner Buried Cities of Ceylon, by S. M. Burrows, CCS. The Province of Uva, with Maps, by J. Ferguson Autobiography of a Peria Durai Tamil History of Ceylon, by Rev. S. John The Visitor's Guide to Kandy and Nuwara Eliya Handbook to Kurunegala and Neighbourhood, by F. Modder Colombo to Nuwara Eliya Summary of Information regarding Ceylon Cheery Ceylon, by Clement Scott Ceylon to England, by J. Ferguson List of the Birds of Ceylon Ceylon Civil Service Manual, by C. Dickman Sinhalese Handbook, by Rev. C. Alwis Gold, Gems, and Pearls in Ceylon Coffee Blossom and other Poems, by V. Renton Gardening in Ceylon (Hints on Gardening), by W. Cameron Ceylon Hansard, 1896-97 ... [Volumes of this publication, the Official Record of the Ceylon Legislative Council, have been published since 1871, and can be obtained.] Liability of Estate Owners and Superintendents Mohammedanism in Ceylon, by J. Ferguson The Life of Ehelapola, Prime Minister to the last King of Kandy, by T. B. Pohath Kehelpannala ... Buddha and Buddhism, by W. R. Fletcher Days of Old, by Two of the Pioneers How I lost My Wattie Thirty Years Ago, by P. D. Millie A Good Cup of Tea Concerning Snakes in Ceylon The Rupee Tea and Produce Companies of Ceylon, their Rise and Progress (now in the Press) ... Fishes of India likely to be found on the Coasts of Ceylon Taxation in Ceylon A. M. & J. FERGUSON, " OBSERVER " OFFICE, 19, BAILLIE ST., FORT, n Rs c. 0 27 0 12 8 70 8 60 10 0 15 0 1 55 14 50 1 2 1 2 9 30 2 10 1 5 2 70 1 5 1 55 1 5 1 5 1 2 0 12 1 55 0 52 0 20 2 10 4 20 1 55 1 52 4 60 1 77 0 10 1 55 0 77 1 52 1 52 4 10 0 12 0 22 0 52 2 85 Rs. c. 0 52 0 62 1 10 0 77 2 60 0 62 2 10 0 52 0 2 0 52 0 77 0 77 3 5 2 55 1 52 4 20 1 2 0 27 0 32 0 14 0 27 1 80 1 55 1 52 1 27 1 52 2 2 0 52 4 10 1 27 1 27 0 27 1 2 3 60 0 77 3 10 3 60 2 5 1 2 3 60 0 52 1 5 f Books for Tropical Planters/^; (Cash Prices, including Local Postage.) Colombo Harbour Medical Hints, by Dr. C. Elliott Revelations of Quacks and Quackery ... ... Natural Labour, by Dr. C. Elliott Diseases of Children and Treatment, by Dr. Vanderstraaten Medical Hints for Superintendents for the Treatment of Diseases Peculiar to Ceylon, by Dr. C. Elliott Oooly Medical Aid Legislation in Ceylon ... Sunshine and a Cup of Tea " Drink Pure Ceylon Tea " Manuring of Tea Estates .. How to Economise the Available Labour Supply on our Tea Plantations Plucking, Pruning, and Preparation of Tea The " Planting Molesworth" (The Planter's Note Book) ... " Inge Va I " or, The Sinne Durai's Pocket Tamil Guide ... " Mehe Varen ! " (Sinhalese of Part I. of " IngeVa ! ") ... Estate Buildings (Prize Essay )> by Messrs Ballardie & Owen Ceylon Planter's " Vade Mecum " Tea Cultivation and Manufacture, by C. Hay Tea Cultivation in Ceylon Tea Grown at High Elevation in Ceylon ... Coffee Cultivation in Ceylon Coffee and Chicory, by P. L. Simmonds ... Ceylon Coffee Soils and Manures, by J. Hughes Brazil as a Coffee-Growing Country All about Grub (including a Paper on Grub Pest in Ceylon) Coffee Tree and its Enemies (Neitner, revised by S. Green) The Coffee Planters' Manual for both the Arabian and Liberian Species, by J. Ferguson (new edition in Press)... Cocoa, Cocaine, and its Salt, by W. Martindale Cacao Planting in Ceylon, by J. H. Barber Cinchona Planter's Manual, by T. C. Owen Cinchona Cultivation (Prize Essay), by T. N. Christie Notes and Statistics of Cinchona Bark, by J. Hamilton ... On the Importance of Liming Cardamoms : Notes on Cultivation, by T. C. Owen All about Spices (Pepper, Nutmegs, Cloves, Ginger, Vanilla, Pimento, Cinnamon, &c.) All about the Areca Palm... Cocoanut Planters' Manual (2nd edition) All about India Rubber (revised edition now in preparation) All about Tobacco Cultivation Description of the Palmyrah Palm, by W. Ferguson All about Aloe and Ramie Fibres Ceylon Manual of Chemical Analyses, by M. Cochran Salt for Agriculture (pamphlet) Ceylon Cookery, or the Native Cook's Assistant A. M. & J, FERGUSON, "OBSERVER" OFFICE, 19, BAILLIE ST., FORT. J r: "V THE CEYLON TEA COMPANY, LTD. Under the Patronage of the Planters' Association of Ceylon. CEYLON TEA KIOSK, COLOMBO: ESTABLISHED FOR THE SALE OF PURE CEYLON TEA. REGISTERED PRICE X Blend 1 PER d. 6 or LB. Re. c. 1 20 TRADE MARK. Y „ 1 3 „ 1 00 Z „ 1 0 „ 0 75 In 1 lb. packets and 5 lb. boxes. SPECIAL TERMS FOR ORDERS OF 50 LB. AND UPWARDS IN BULK. All Tea sold at the Kiosk is guaranteed by the Planters' Association of Ceylon, and each package bears the above Trade Mark. Further supplies of these Teas can always be obtained, no matter where the purchaser resides. Delivered at any port in the world, and at any address in Great Britain, freight, duty, and all charges paid, either before shipment or on delivery. Rates on Application. The Quality of the above Teas is always maintained regardless of cost, the X Blend Tea being a Blend of the choicest Ceylon Teas obtainable. Remittance by P. 0. Order or Bank Draft, which should accompany order, to be made payable to the Ceylon Tea Company, Limited. Letters to he addressed to the Manager, CEYLON TEA KIOSK, COLOMBO. ^~ _\^' N^- GRAND ORIENTAL HOTEL, FORT, COLOMBO. Largest and Best Appointed Eotel in the East, This Hotel is situated in the Fort, and commands a MAGNIFICENT VIEW OF THE HARBOUR AND COAST. It is just opposite the Landing' Jetties and close to the Custom House, the Post and Telegraph Offices, Banks, P. & 0., M. M., Orient, and British India Co.'s Offices, &c, and within a few minutes' drive of the Railway Stations and the beautiful Cinnamon Gardens. The Hotel has 150 Bedrooms, and the large handsome DINING SALOON, said to be the finest in the East, is justly admired by all Travellers ; as also is its com modious BILLIARD ROOM. It is now being fitted with the ELECTRIC LIGHT and is also to be served by an ELECTRIC LIFT. EXCELLENT CUISINE. CHARGES MODERATE, Manager— F. Gausselman. ==v^= ^&ALLE FACE HOTELp' COLOMBO: NEWLY BUILT— UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT. The only First Class Seaside Hotel in Colombo. Within Five Viiinfes' drive of Jetty and ICailway Terminus. UNRIYALLED SITUATION ON THE GALLE FACE ESPLANADE, EVERY MODERN COMFORT, ELECTRIC LIGHT THROUGHOUT, VERY COMMODIOUS PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SITTING ROOMS, COOLEST BEDROOMS IN COLOMBO, Affording Refreshing Sleep in the Hottest Weather. The New Alabaster Sea Water Swimming Bath for Ladies and Gentlemen is now open and is free to Planters and to Visitors making a prolonged stay. ON PARLE FRANCAIS. MAN SPRICHT DEUTSCH. AU Steamers and Trains met by Hotel Porters. SPECIALITIES: Excellent French Cuisine— Moderate Tariff— No Charge for Attendance. Special Terms for Parties, families, and "Visitors making a Prolonged Stay. Telegrams— G. STRAUBE, GALLFACIO. Manager. Galle Face Hotels Company, Limited. -v* COLOMBO THE BRISTOL, j HIS Hotel occupies one of the most prominent sites in Colombo, is in proximity to the Landing Jetty, the Custom House, Post and Telegraph Offices, Banks, and Eailway Stations. The Bristol is renowned for its modern improvements and comforts. The Dining Rooms and Bedrooms are fitted with Elec tric Light, Electric Bells, and Electric Ceiling Fans and Punkahs, which ensure a cool temperature at all times. The cuisine is in charge of a French Chef, and reputed the best in the East. It has the best-aired Billiard Boom in the Island, with Four Tables. The Hotel Porter meets every Steamer and takes charge of Luggage. COOK'S COUPONS ACCEPTED. TERMS MOJtmitATE. Telegrams : " Bristol, Ceylon." P. "WERNER, Manager. ^v= GEORGE ARMITAGE & CO., MINERALOGISTS, LAPIDARIES, AND WHOLESALE GEM MERCHANTS. YMW&f'IOB®, @EfE FEB ©BKT. MINIMUM tfOfc ^5? /#?§& Mux Scale, 2 Inches to a Mile ¦Southern Drive/ — . — Central/ «&7 . k . • . Northern/ ... .do... _ _ _ , ^LtkSurvy.^5*~**iTojpZ»c7l»mT^^fH^°Tr^!F N\} Photog COLOSSAL STATUE OF BUDDHA AT KALAWEWA, ^ ^~ """"• -"-^/ f „ mmwm ma !s Lfl111 as WM SJ1 lis SJj| lis mmiis miiii si iii Gtofc to Colombo WITH A MAP. H ^an&bouft of Information, useful aline in tfte ©iaifor an& Sssibsnl. BY GEORGE J. A. SKEEN, |M Government Printer, Ceylon. FOURTH EDITION, ILLUSTRATED. CEYLON : A. M. & J. FERGUSON, THE "OBSERVER" OFFICE, COLOMBO, 1898. ^V= J PV- TO THAT NEVER - FAILING STREAM OF TRAVELLERS WHICH FLOWS THROUGH LANKA'S ISLE (foe lanka's good) EN ROUTE TO OTHER CLIMES ; WITH A GRATEFUL SENSE OF FAST FAVOUES AND A LIVELY HOPE OF CONTINUED PATEONAGE. J rv '/ A CHIEFTAIN OF THE KANDYAN PEOVIXCES IN FULL DEESS. From " The Enqlish Illustrated Magazine.'' "Vy r r ^ T is gratifying to the Author to find that his Guide Book still fulfils the objects with which, under the title of " The Passenger's Guide to Colombo," it was first issued in 1887, and that a fourth edition of it has been demanded. In its preparation care has been taken, in the arrangement of the Drives, to take in all points of interest, and, by bringing infor mation up. to date, to afford every assistance to those for whom the work is primarily written — -the large number of passengers who call at the Port, and who, without some such help, are apt to roam aimlessly about the town — as well as to make it a useful book of reference for residents. The Index at the end will show, at a glance, the contents of the book in detail, as well as facilitate reference to any particular topic. Colombo, December, 1897. G. J. A. S. Introductory The Harbour and Fort of Colombo The Southern Drive The Central Drive The Northern Drive Appendices : — A. — Strangers' First Impressions of Colombo B. — Places of Interest within easy access of Colombo C. — The Ceylon Government Railways D. — General Information Index - vi xii xx xxxiii « ¦r TYPES OF NATIVE CHARACTERS. Kif ndyan Chief. Malay Man. Colombo Chetty. Biulilhist Monk. Photographed and engraved III W. L. H. Skeen S* w1 vsr* 'Vsr* ¦»AVAt^i>^ViV>^'i v\> * •. t* * \ .r*^y-W:* Ilfl*R©®W©^@llT. HEN, at any rate before the publication of this handbook, visitors to Colombo inquired of old residents what there was to be seen in it, the reply was generally somewhat to this effect ; " Well, let's see : there are the Cinnamon Gardens, with the Museum, and the Military Buildings, some Churches,. and the Markets, that are worthy of a glance, but I can't think of anything else." It was just the old story, of familiarity breeding contempt, or, at any rate, indifference : objects, at first of intense interest, by constant intercourse soon lose the charm they originally possessed ; and hence the necessity for a work of this kind, to tell the visitor what Colombo has to show him, and to remind the resident that the town is not after all the prosaic place he has brought himself to believe. As a visitor's time is often restricted to a single day, a programme has been drawn up which will admit of his becoming acquainted with the principal features of the city within the limits of even that short stay. A J ^ 2 Guide to Colombo. For this purpose the Guide is divided into four parts, headed respectively — m Th® W®mih,®im, PrlAf© Th® I^OEtkertt ©rl'v© { while in an Appendix information will be found in regard to a variety of interesting topics. Should the visitor's stay in Colombo be limited to but a few hours, a reference to the Map will show him how he can at certain points easily pass from one Drive to another, and so visit those objects which are likely to interest him most. On the other hand, should his visit to the Island be sufficiently prolonged to enable him to run up-country after " doing " Colombo, he would do well to consult Thos. Cook and Son's Agent, who has concessions for tourists and organizes tours to Peradeniya, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Adam's Peak, and Anuradhapura, of which particulars may be obtained at his office. i Photographed and engraved] COLOMBO BREAKWATER IN SOUTH-WEST MONSOON.— See Page 7. [by W. L. JT. Skeen i- Co. =v ?? Photographed and engraved] SOUTH VIEW FROM CLOCK TOWER : Queen'8 St.. Barracks, and Galle Face. [by W. I. It. Skin 12 Guide to Colombo. ^ buildings which form the Grand Oriental Hotel, 'and on the other by the Tea Kiosk and the elegant block of the Fort Land and Building Company, with a glimpse of the Military Barracks in the background, and the Secretariat and handsome Custom House prominently in view down Church street on the right — can hardly fail to prepossess him in favour of the town, an impression _ which will doubtless, before he leaves its shores, deepen into a conviction that Colombo is one of the most beautiful, as it is one of the most healthy cities in the East. Th® tw®®t% are the stores of the Colombo Apothecaries' Company, Limited, who in addition to being chemists, druggists, and opticians, are photographers and general store keepers. (See Advt.) Immediately opposite are the stores of Messrs. Cargills, Limited, far and away the largest wholesale and retail dealers in the town, their branches of business including general drapery, millinery, dressmaking, gentlemen's outfitting,tailoring, dispensing, perfumery, oilmanstores, tea (Ceylon), cigars and tobacco, wine and spirits, &c. (See Advt.) Conspicuous from this point, across the road, standing on the site of some old Military Barracks, is a hotel of the highest class, largely patronized by the travelling public and the planting community. It is lit throughout with electric light. Its fine dining hall, which will comfortably seat 250 people, is fitted with rr 1 6 Guide to Colombo. \ electric fans, and the new decorations now being carried out make it a most attractive ballroom, evening dances on steamer days being a special feature in the Com- pany's programme. It possesses 75 bedrooms, which are all fitted either with electric fans or punkahs, and it can provide sleeping accommodation for 150 persons. The excellence of its cuisine is proverbial and recog nised as second to none in the East. Its spacious verandahs with ornamental fountain and a profusion of palms and plants, form very agreeable lounges. The Hotel has a well-aired billiard room in which are four first-class tables. (See Advt.) Several shops attached to it are tenanted by Bombay merchants, dealers in precious stones and jewellery, one being occupied as a first class Hair Dressing Saloon, (See Advt) At the northern end of the building are the stores of Messrs. Callill & Sons, military tailors and outfitters. (See Advt.) Turning to the right, next to Cargill's are the offices of Messrs. Aitken, Spence & Co., agents for Lloyds' and for the City line of steamers. Next door, at Messrs. Volkart Bros., agents for the Austrian Lloyds, Kubattino, and Shire steamers, are the Danish and Netherlands Consulates. Farther up, on the right, is St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church.* Opposite are the offices of Mr. T. J. Lipton, the trader of world-wide repute, who has large proprietory inter ests up-country as a coffee, tea, and cacao planter, and (next door) of the Messageries Maritimes de France, who carry on a regular fortnightly mail service between France and India, China, and Australia. Between Colombo and Calcutta they have a branch service, cargo being transhipped at this port. Their agent is the French Consul. Next door again are Messrs. J. M. Robertson & Co., one of the oldest mercantile firms in the Fort, agents * For the hours of Divine Service at the principal Colombo Churches see Appendix D. r. — ^^^i DON THEODORIS & CO., 40, CHATHAM STREET, FORT, COLOMBO.J JEWELLERS AND DEALERS IN PRECIOUS STONES, TORTOISE SHELL GOODS- IVORY. SANDALWOOD, AND ALL KINDS OF EBONY, CARVED CURIOSITIES, &6. QUALITY OF STONES |AND GOLD GUARANTEED. Inspection respectfully Invited. ALL ARTICLES WARRANTED GENUINE. Jewellery, Terteiees&ell, lifeeay, CALL UPON D. F. DE SILYA & CO. No. 2, Grand Oriental Hotel Buildings, and No. 7, Chatham Street, Fort, Colombo. A YARIED ASSORTMENT OF CEYLON GEMS AND JEWELLERY. PRIZE MEDALS :— Melbourne International Exhibition, 1880, and Agri-Horticultural Society, Ceylon, 1883. P. T. MEERA LEBBE MARICAR, JEWELLER, gealer in IfreeiouA fftoned and all IfatiYe flurioditied. Awarded Medal at the Cliica«o Exhibition of 1892 for Specimen Stones. I GRAND ORIENTAL HOTEL BUILDINGS, COLOMBO. STONES AND GOLD GUARANTEED -<^/- A.tM.,,,,,,,,,A rn JEWELLER AND Dealer in Precious Stones, No. 14, G. O. H. BUILDINGS, YORK STREET, COLOMBO, CEYLON. Largely Patronised by the OFFICERS OF THE BRITISH NAVY. M. C. JOONOOS & Co. JBirSErErBEKS AND fealerd in j|reeioua jftonea, No. 12, G. O. H. BUILDINGS, YORK STREET, COLOMBO, CEYLON. ^ D. D. De Silya & Co., 6, CHATHAM STREET, FORT, COLOMBO. JEWELLERS AND DEALERS IN PRECIOUS STONES AND ALL SORTS OF CEYLON CURIOSITIES. MEDALS AWARDED AT Colonial and Indian Exhibition, London ... 1886 Agri-Hortictjltcral Exhibition, Colombo... 1891 World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago ... 1893 STONES AND GOLD GUARANTEED. ^~ Harbour and Fort. 17 %. r for among others Messrs. Baring Brothers & Co., Ltd. Across the road (on the right) will be seen !?&,© Colombo Library, established in 1874, incorporating the late United Ser vice Library. It is open from 7 am. daily, except on Sundays, when it closes at 11 A.M. All respectable in habitants are eligible as members, the entrance fee being Es. 10, and the monthly subscription Es. 2. At present there are about 250 members. Any mem ber is at liberty to introduce strangers visiting Colombo to the Library, and to the connected reading-room, for a period of four weeks. Visitors may use the reading-room without an in troduction on payment of a fee of Ee. 1 for two days or Es. 2 for a week. They may also obtain books upon leaving a deposit with the librarian. English, Austra lian, and Indian newspapers are taken in, besides a considerable number of the most popular periodicals, while the collection of books numbers some 20,000 volumes. The upper floor of this, which is a Government building, is the Public Instruction Office. The large terra-cotta pile at the opposite corner is the l^ew Q©aeral WQmi Qffie©, a noble building, costing over three lakhs of rupees, completed early in 1896. Mr. A. F. Tomalin, of the Public Works Department, was the architect, and the work is his masterpiece. It is in what is known as English classical renaissance, its basement being on Doric lines, its ground floor in the Ionic style, and its upper portion in the Corinthian. The public portion is in the centre. A handsome flight of steps leads through lofty arches to the public hall. 'On the left telegraph, money order, savings bank, and parcel business are attended to ; on the right are windows for sale of postage stamps, the poste restante, and for registered letters. The floor is laid with Intaglio tiles in different colours, the bases of supporting pillars and the dado being in keeping, the escalier at the back communicating with the upper floor being entirely of B (TV V= ^> 1 8 Guide to Colombo. , < polished granite. The ceiling is of plaster with papier mache enrichments. To the left of the public hall the savings bank and general financial business is transacted and the resident postmaster resides ; to the right, the sorting of letters, making up of mails, and general postal business are carried on. The administrative offices of the Postmaster-General and Superintendent of Tele graphs are on the second floor, as well as a library and recreation room; the telegraph department and telephone exchange and quarters for telegraph master, signallers, and other employes who live on the premises, are also on this story. The building throughout, and the street in front, is lighted with the electric light, and due provision has been made against accidents by fire. The basement at the north end contains a room for the Governor's guard. There are about 150 post offices in Ceylon and 70 telegraph offices. By means of her 5-cent post card Ceylon was the first country to start universal " penny " postage, and since May, 1897, in her 25-cent tele grams she has had the cheapest telegraphic service in the world. At the end of the street (which is the Colombo ter minus of the famous Kandy road, one of the last great works constructed in Ceylon by compulsory labour) stands appropriately a bronze statue to the memory of the most celebrated of Ceylon's early British Governors, the great roadmaker, Lieut.-General Sir Edward Barnes, G.C.B. The inscription on the pedestal records that it was erected by European and native inhabitants, and friends in England and India, out of respect and affec tion for hisperBon and his distinguished administration between 1820 and 1822 and from 1824 to 1831. On the right are TU® ©@pi,@a @ardlei!is. Here in the Portuguese times stood a Eoman Catholic Cathedral, the destruction of which by fire was one of the first acts of the Dutch, who subsequently erected a church of their own, in which several of their Governors were interred. After the British occupation the fabric ¦C:=z r Harbour and Fort. 1 9 > H 30 Guide to Colombo. They now employ over 1,000 workmen in their Colombo workshops. During the last two years the Machine and Erecting Shops have been entirely remodelled and are fitted up with the latest improved tools for turning out accurate work with the greatest economy. A travelling crane runs overhead the entire length of the building, capa ble of lifting weights up to 10 tons. In the new Show Rooms they exhibit samples of most of their manufactures, as well as engines from Messrs. Marshall, Sons & Co., Gainsborough, and Messrs. W. and J. Jackson's tea machinery, for which they are sole agents in Ceylon and Southern India. They are at all times glad to have these inspected by intending purchasers. The Boiler Shop is well supplied with all the neces sary plant for the manufacture of wrought-iron work, such as boilers, iron buildings, roof work, girders, bridges, &c. Many of the largest tea factories in Ceylon have been entirely built by them. The Foundry is capable of casting from the smallest up to 10 tons weight either in green or dry sand. The Carpenters' Shop and Saw Mills have the newest direct driven steam saw frames and modern wood working machinery. They have the advantage of being able to float the logs of timber direct from the harbour to the saw mills, which puts them in a posi tion of being able to turn out all kinds of woodwork with the greatest economy. In connection with this department they undertake building contracts and their stocks of teak logs are the largest in the Colony. Marine Repairs.— As they are always able to keep a large force of workmen engaged in stock work at their specialities in coffee and tea machinery, they have at their disposal a great number of skilled workmen ready for any repairs in the engine room, boilers, or hulls of vessels coming into the harbour, and their European engineers are well qualified to carry out any work entrusted to them. They have during the past few years done some of the heaviest repairs ever attempted in the East. r \ Harbour and Fort. 3 r « All departments are under skilled European foremen and the native workmen have been carefully trained under their supervision. The Store Department, in front of the works, is for all kinds of hardware, electroplate, general and furnish ing ironmongery, the most complete of its kind in the town. Messrs. Walker, Sons & Co. are the Managing Agents of the Ceylon Steamship Company, which possesses two steamers of over 300 tons net register, the Lady Gordon and the Lady Havelock, fitted throughout with modern conveniences, for a weekly service round the Island. A trip round the Island (occupying, including stoppages, 8 to 10 days) affords a very ready means of becoming acquainted with the characteristics, resources, and different races of the Colony. The calling ports are Galle and Hambantota in the south, Batticaloa and Trincomalee in the east, Point Pedro, Jaffna (or Kankesanturai), and Paumben (on the Indian coast) in the north. (See Advt.) Occupying the central portion of a new block known as " The Times Buildings " (almost opposite Walker's) are the offices of the " Times of Ceylon," a six-page evening daily publishing weekly mail summaries, established in 1883 in succession to the Ceylon Times, started in 1846. The Times lays claim to the largest European circulation and competes with the Observer for first place in public favour : while devoted to planting and European interests, it may from the full ness of its sporting news be called the Sporting Paper of the Island. (See Advt.) Among other tenants of these buildings are the Rrawehl Coal Company, whose manager is the Belgian Consul, and Messrs. A. Pate & Sons, saddlers and boot and shoe makers. Adjoining are the Provost Cells (in which military offenders under sentences not exceeding 42 days are confined), a Fire Engine Station, and the Fort Police Station ; and, just behind these, the. Tennis Courts of the Fort and Post Office Clubs. Ss^? Guide to Colombo. v. St. Peter's Church, which is close to the " G. 0. H." in Church street, is an old Dutch building formerly the Banqueting Hall of the Dutch Governors— anything but an ecclesiastical-looking edifice. It is the garrison church and contains some very interesting memorials. Its incumbent, the Archdeacon of Colombo, is one of the few Colonial Chaplains still remaining on the Ecclesiastical Establishment. Adjoining it are the Loan Board, Treasury, and the Record and Patent Offices, the two latter occupying a portion of the lower floor of the Secretariat, of which they are branches. In the Appendix C will be found an alphabetically arranged Mercantile, Shipping, and Trade List, show-? ing the situations of the various banks, merchants, and shipping offices, and the principal retail stores ; also the names and official addresses of the various Consuls. CAVE'S STORES, AMEN CORNER, CLOCK TOWER. Queen [Street and I.iyltlJionse, Fort. (Page 23.) CUatham Street, Fort. (Page 26.) Photographed and engraved by W. L. H. Skeen & Co., Colombo and Kandy. St. John's Street, I'ettah. Photographed and engraved by W. I. II. Skeen * Co., Colombo and Kandy. Group of Coaling Coolies. Photographed and engraved by W. L. II. Skeen & Co., Colombo and Kandy. XyJ^ PART II, SOUTHERN DRIVE. y *J SOUTHERN DRIVE. Galle Face— Old Military Burial Ground — Colombo Club — Colombo Sports Club Ground— Galle Face Hotel— Kollupitiya— Wesleyan Mission — Turret Road — St. Michael's Church — St. Margarets Home for Girls — Bishop s College — Tropical Vegetation — Railway Station — Bristol Studio — Aloe Avenue — Kollupitiya Mills— Traveller's Palms — Alfred House — Palmyra Palm — Bambalapitiya — Presbyterian Church — St. Paul's — Haveloch Town— Cotton Spinning and Weaving Mills— Industrial Home- Cinnamon Gardens — Haveloch Racecourse — Lunatic Asylum, — Colombo Crichet Club Ground— Museum — Agricultural School- Garden Club— Victoria Park— Banyan Tree— Queen's College- Public Hall— Major-General's Residence— Wekanda and Union Mills— Union Place— Carriage Factories and Stables— Salvation Army — De Soysa Buildings — Rattan Works — Young Men's Christian Association— Slave Island Railway Station— Freemasons' Hall— Ice and Aerated Water Factories — Christ Church— Military Married Barracks — Military Hospital. r vn E place the Southern Drive first in order because it traverses what is undoubtedly the most pleasant division of the city as regards its roads and the surrounding vegetation (which is met with in all the richness and variety peculiar to the Tropics), native huts and bazaars being interspersed with the European bungalows. If possible, advantage should be taken of the early morning in order to see it in its best aspects. Starting from the main entrance to" the Grand Oriental Hotel, the route to be taken lies to the left, past the Gordon Gardens and the Clock Tower, with which the visitor is already acquainted. ©all© F-aee, a military reservation, to the existence of which the good health of Colombo residents is to a great extent due, the " Face " forming a capital site for exercise of all kinds, comes into view after Queen street is passed. Here, as a rule, the Military Band plays once a week (about 5 P.M.) ; and here until the year 1893 (when the Havelock Eacecourse in the Cinnamon Gardens was opened) were held the annual races, under the auspices of the Colombo Turf Club. Cricket, football, golf, and polo still find a habitat here, though the Colombo C2 (TV V=| )^> 36 Guide to Colombo. \ Golf Club has its principal links three miles off at the old Model Farm. The seaside drive is to Colombo society what the Maidan is to that of Calcutta, or Eotten Eow to the aristocracy of the West End of London, there being provision for pedestrian, equestrian, and carriage exercise. Sports of various descriptions, on horseback and on foot, of a more or less fanciful kind, take place monthly on Saturday afternoons during the Colombo season, either here or at the Havelock Eacecourse, under the auspices of the Gymkhana Club. Passing over the railway crossing, a glance to the left over the lake, which is here in close proximity to the sea, will reveal a scene of much beauty, which in many of its aspects may well remind one of an English landscape .- the lake in the foreground, St. Philip Neri's church and the Government Factory beyond, the spire of All Saints' and the tower of Holy Trinity being conspicuous objects on elevated positions in the background ; while on a fine morning or afternoon during the north-east monsoon (November to April) the Adam's Peak Range may be seen standing out in bold relief. An old Military Burial Ground (with some interest ing civil and military memorial stones), which 'will be noticed to the left, will be passed on returning. Taking the seaside road, which is bordered by a well-kept gravelled path for pedestrians and is about three-quarters of a mile long, a memorial stone will be noticed in the centre recording that the "walk" was commenced by Sir Henry Ward in 1856 and com pleted in 1859, and " recommended to his successors in the interest of the ladies and children of Colombo." The upstair building standing out prominently on the centre road, and which has not inaptly been styled as of the " night-cap order of architecture," has fer some years been leased by the Colombo Club. The building, which is the property of the Colombo Assem bly Eooms Company, Limited, was formerly used aa a grand stand during the August race meeting ; fort nightly " assemblies " are held in it during the Colombo " season," which may be said to extend from June to JJ December or January. I (( . Southern Drive. yj x< The small building farther on is the pavilion of the Colombo Sports Club, attached to which is a squash racquet court. The cricket ground beyond has lately been much improved by levelling, and as coir matting is utilized for the pitch a reliable wicket is always obtainable. Cricket in Ceylon, in spite of the tem perature, is the national game of the Island as it is of the mother-country ; and while the premier position has for some years been held by a Ceylonese club styled the Colombo Colts, Galle Face and other open spaces are alive on Sunday afternoons with natives of all classes indulging in the game, often with implements of the most primitive character. In recent years the natives have also been taking to football. At the end of the promenade, overlooking the esplanade, stands one of the largest as well as finest buildings in Colombo, terracotta in exterior, Ttoe ©»li@ Faee Setel, Built in what is known as the Eenaissance, this hotel, which holds a very commanding as well as salubrious position — being in close proximity to the Fort and Harbour on the one side and to the Cinnamon Gardens on th9 other — is a very popular institution with up- country residents, its spacious verandahs overlooking the sea and the promenade. All its interior arrange ments are on a scale befitting its imposing exterior. Its entrance hall is the finest in the Island. Its handsome dining room measures 80 by 40 feet. The hotel is lit throughout with the electric light, having its own generating plant on the premises. The upper floors, which contain several fine suites of rooms, are served with an electric lift. Many of its bedrooms, of which there are 130 in all, are fitted with electric fans. It is provided with a spacious private dining room and a library and card-room, and its fine billiard room has four first-class tables. A special attraction is its salt water swimming bath, 50 feet long by 20 broad with a depth of from 4^ to 7 feet. In a word, it possesses every comfort that can be looked for in a first-class hotel of the present day. It is estimated that the hotel, now approaching completion, will cost Es. 750,000. (See Advt.) (TV ^J The Band Stand, where the Ceylon Volunteers play once a week in the afternoon, is erected within a prettily arranged garden, well worth a personal inspection. The route to be followed now is down Park street {facing the Band stand), and from thence the road bordering the lake. A fine specimen of a Banyan Tree (Ficus indica) will be met with almost at once, at the junction of cross roads ; a close examination of this curious tree, which throws down roots from its branches, will be of much interest to those who have never before seen a specimen. Close by, on the left, stands Queen's College, a successful high school for young ladies recently removed to Colombo from Kandy. Tbm WmMim Mali. As the lake is reached the Public Hall will be noticed on the right. Formerly a wing of the Union Mills, which it adjoins, the property was purchased by a com pany set on foot under the auspices of the Colombo Amateur and Dramatic Society, and converted into premises available, at a reasonable figure, for public or private entertainments, thus supplying a want which had been long felt by dramatic and other companies, who from time to time pay Colombo a passing visit on their way to and from India, China, or Australia. Ttk® GjeneraPs StsMeaet, Following the bend of the lake, Braybrooke Hall, the official residence of the Major-General in command of the troops, is passed farther on the right. The view here in the early morning, when the golden rays of the sun reflect in the water the shadows' of the stately palms on the other side, is very picturesque. Opposite are the back " compounds " of the Kollu pitiya residences. Further on, to the right of these, will be seen the Wekanda Mills of Messrs. G. Steuart & Co., while a short distance past Braybrooke Hall the Commercial Company's Union Mills, in whose large engineering establishment tea box-making machinery D (/ 50 Guide to Colombo. ns may be seen at work, will be passed. The office and residence of the manager of the company were until the year 1860 the officers' quarters of the Ceylon Eifles. The main thoroughfare reached on leaving Lake road is Union Place, Slave Island, once a quarter second only in public favour for residence to Kollu» pitiya, but now largely given up to carriage factories, horse-trainers, and farriers, the chief of these being Messrs. A. Pate & Sons, extensive importers of horse flesh and mail coach proprietors whose stables and factory are a short distance off to the right. The Hopetoun Studio of Mr, Andree, a photographer, is close by, also to the right. Turning to the left, the outskirts of the Malay quarters of the city are reached. The territorial headquarters of the fialhration Army will be noticed on the left. The Army commenced work in Ceylon in 1883, and has now 32 stations scattered over the Island (five in Colombo) with 145 officers, of whom 16 are Europeans. It publishes a Sinhalese newspaper, the " Yuddha Gosawa." There are "barracks" for holding indoor meetings in Slave Island, Pettah, and Maradana. English meetings are also held nightly in Prince street, Pettah. A Prison Gate Brigade was started some years ago for rescuing prisoners on discharge from jail, the success of which has been recognised by a Government grant of Es. 100 per month. The Prison Gate Home stands in Buller's road, near the General Cemetery, on six acres of ground given by Government. The operations of the Eescue Home, in Kanatta road, Borella, have met with gratifying results. The Army has also a Home for destitute and orphan children at Mount Lavinia. On the right the De Soysa Buildings, erected by the late Mr. C. H. De Soysa on the site of some wretched hovels which during Sir William Gregory's rule were pulled down in order to widen an important thorough fare, and to improve the insanitary condition of a most overcrowded spot. Behind these are very good fish, meat, vegetable, and fruit markets. $ Southern Drive. 51 \> In the centre of the block will be found the Ail This Association was placed on its existing basis about two years ago. Its object is to promote the well-being of young men spiritually, socially, men tally, and physically. Its departments of work include Bible classes, fellowship and open air meetings, out- station work and holiday excursions, Gospel meetings and lectures. Its reading room is supplied with the best newspapers, magazines, and periodicals, and is comfortably provided with facilities for spending quiet pleasant evenings. There is a separate writing room. The lending library has about 700 volumes, and is constantly receiving additions. It has a reference library and runs a book club, which affords members an opportunity of reading and using books by paying a small fraction of their cost. Its hall is often used for other than T. M. C. A. meetings. There are over 200 members on its roll. The rooms are open from 7 A.M. to 9.30 P.M. Mr. Louis Hieb is the Secretary. On both sides of the road are Rattan Works, where a variety of well-made cane manufactures (matting, chairs, and fancy articles) are always on view. Opposite the western end of the block is Slave Island railway station. Dr. N. M. Cama, an American dentist of repute, has his chambers in this end (facing the lake) next to the Freemasons' Hall. A Masonic Temple, to be built close by on a corner of Galle Face, is a project which it seems probable will shortly be carried out.* A slight digression may here be made to the ice and aerated water factories on the right. The chief of these, the New Colombo Ice Co., Limited, has two machines, capable of making about twelve tons a day in blocks weighing a hundredweight (mail steamers often take as much as ten or twelve tons), while its capacity as regards aerated waters is equal to an output * For Lodges in Colombo see Appendix D. d2 ^V= vn 52 Guide Uo Colombo. of 250 dozens a day. If the visitor be thirsty,ihe «will find a bottle of sodawater, lemonade, or tonic, fresh from the ice box, most invigorating. The factory next door is that of Mr. A, von Possner for manufacturing aerated waters. Messrs. J, P. Morton & Co.'s ice and aerated water factory is on Galle Face, which after crossing the railway and the lake is once more reached. On the left is the site of Christ Church, now being rebuilt, the property of the Church Missionary Society, with a schoolroom in its rear and a mission house by its side. A numerous and influential congregation worship here and render liberal local help ,to ..the mission work of the Society. The incumbent is one of the Society's Missionaries. Both here and at . St. Luke's, Maradana, services are held in Sinhalese and Tamil for the native Christians. We turn however to the right, and presently pass the Married Quarters for the Garrison, two blocks of buildings standing at right-angles, beyond which — a structure of more architectural importance — stands the Military Hospital, erected in 1872 at a cost of about £1 1,000, having accommodation for 55 patients. The two bungalows next passed are Military resi dences, the first being in the occupation of a Surgeon, the second (Steelback Lodge) of the Deputy Assistant Adj utant-General . The visitor, after passing the old military burial ground, will have a good view of the Military 'Barracks on the opposite side of the lake, and recognise that he has been brought back to the point from which the drive practically commenced ; a few moments more and he will be put down at his Hotel, where, if his appetite and digestion be normal, he will doubtless after his early outing do ample justice to the varied fare provided. *4? I ii hH.ltt GrOtl. Jioorntittt llai In > . Photographed and engraved by W. L. H. Skeen & Co., Colombo and Kandy. Skinner's Routt. {Page 10.) Buadhist Temple nt lielaniya. {Page 84.) Photographed and engraved by W. L. II. Skeen tt Co., Colombo and Kandy. .V.: Sensation JKoc/.-. Photographed and engraved] WSBSmmm JUCeeangala Gallery. ON THE KADUGANNAWA RAILWAY INCLINE.— See Appendix C. [6y W. L. H. Skeen 6b Co. A r CENTRAL DRIVE. Slave Island — Military Quarters — Old Parade Ground — Prison —Military Offices— Government Timber Depdt — Boathouse—Lahe Ferry— Kew Police Barracks — Mohammedan Mosque — St Mary's Home for Aged— St. Joseph's College— Union Place, Slave Island, —Lanka Works— MaMema Mills— Baptist Church— Sacred Bo Tree — Palms — Campbell's Stores — Cocoanut Manufactures — Plumbago Stores — Cinnamon Gardens — Church Mission Tamil Schools— General Hospital, Medical College, Museum, Sc— Civil Medical Office — Baptist Mission House and Schools — General Cemetery— Alfred Model Farm— Colombo Golf Club : Ridgeway Links— Sensitive Plant — Prisons Hospital — Cotta Church Mission —Archbishop's House— St. Bernard's Seminary — Victoria Home for Incurables— Lady Haveloch Hospital— St. Luke' s—Welikada Prison— Campbell Park— Colombo Cyclists' Union— Prisons Office — Maradana — Sanghamitta Girls' School — Talipot Palm — Wesleyan Church— Colombo Industrial School— Ananda College- Colombo Waterworks— Presbyterian Church— Buddhist Temples— Vidyodaya College — Police Headquarters — Moorish Mosque — Railway Terminus— Technical College— St. Sebastian Mills- Royal College— Holy Trinity Church— Captain' s Garden— Dhoby Island —Government Factory— Pettah Railway Station— St. Philip Neri's —Soldiers' and Sailors' Home-Theosophical Society— Volunteer Headquarters— Racket Court Gardens. J r vn fHE' GmmTm&i,, BIIITE. UE second Drive traverses the central and south- central portions of Colombo. Starting due south from the side entrance of the Grand Oriental Hotel down York street, and curving to the left when in rear of the Military Barracks, the Seaside Eailway is crossed at a short distance to the right of the Fort station and the Slave Island road entered. Though not an island, it is nearly surrounded by water, and owes its name to the fact that the Dutch kept their slaves there for safety. Military quarters are passed on both sides. Those on the right, their frontage facing the Military Hospital across the lake, are the residences of the Commanding Officers of the Eoyal Artillery and Eoyal Engineers. Just past these, on the left, are the quarters of the Ceylon Companies of the Eoyal Artillery, mostly men enlisted in India, a considerable proportion being fine stalwart Jats. On the right is the old Parade Ground of the Ceylon Eifles, a Malay and Kaffir regiment disbanded in 1873, one of the few open spaces in Colombo available for recreation. What was until recently the Slave Island prison (a branch of the Colombo Convict Establish ment), enclosed by a high wall, will be seen beyond the parade ground ; it formerly formed the barracks for the single men of the regiment. The more ornate buildings in front (to the left of the prison) contain various Military Offices, those of %> $6 Guide to Colombo. C the General, Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General, Eoyal Engineers, Eoyal Artillery, Army Service Corps, Medi cal, Ordnance, and Pay Departments. Previous to the disbandment of the Ceylon Eifles these buildings were (from 1860 to 1873) respectively the officers' quarters and their Mess House. Bearing to the left, the Central Timber Depot of the Forest Department is passed : to this the finest timber cut in all parts of the Island is brought for sale or issue to Public Departments, timber required for local con sumption or of inferior descriptionsbeing alone disposed of at outstation depots. The Boathouseof the Colombo Eowing Club adjoins it. This club has always been a flourishing institution in Colombo, and holds a regatta every year during the race week (July or August). The lake provides ample space for sailing regattas, but these, popular five and twenty years ago, do not find much favour at the present day. Just past the Boathouse the Slave Island station of the Lake Ferry is reached : two or three steamboats are continuously employed from 5.30 a.m. till 9 P.M. conveying passengers to or from the Pettah for 2c. (^d.) each, while outrigger canoes enter into competition by doing the same at half the price. On rounding the Military Offices, Kew Point and Barracks, formerly tenanted by the married men of the Eifle Eegiment, but upon their disbandment handed over to the Police, whose strength was aug mented, come into view, with the Slave Island police station at their entrance.* Among the fine trees which border the neatly kept grounds, attention may be called to several specimens of the handsome " rain tree" of South America (Pithecolobium saman), more of which will shortly be passed, interspersed often with the flamboyante (Poinciana regia) of Madagascar, which when in flower (April to June) presents a gorgeous sight with its wealth of orange and scarlet blossom. Two hundred yards farther on a Mohammedan Mosque of some architectural pretension, belonging to the Malays, will be noticed on the left. * For Police headquarters see page 70. Central Drive. 57 rsr ^58 Guide to Colombo. obtained. The large and ornate college hall possesses a stage which is used for entertainments, etc. This hall is spacious enough to hold 1,200 persons. The grounds are some ten acres in extent and afford ample space for football, cricket, and other pastimes. Two long wings, each of two storeys, and one in process of construction, are to be added to the main building. St. Charles's Preparatory School for young boys is attached to the college. This school has a good Kinder garten department and is under the special superinten dence of the Eev. Charles Lytton, O.M.I. The number of pupils is 550, divided equally between the college and the school. Boys are prepared in the college for the various Cambridge and London Examinations. The cost of the main building was Es. 120,000. The college receives no help from Government, as it has not adopted the Government educational programme. The idea of the college emanated from His Grace the late Archbishop Bonjean. The present Archbishop Melizan, the Very Eev. Father Charles Collin, O.M.I. (the present Eector of the College), and the Eev. Father Lytton, were most active in carrying out the project. Passing by the backs of some of the comparatively few good residences still left in Union Place, what, by a strange misnomer, is known as " Hyde Park Corner " is reached. of Messrs. H. W. Cave & Co. at once meet the eye. They are probably the largest of their kind in the East, giving employment to 200 men in pianoforte and organ-building, cycle and general engineering, cabinet- making and upholstery, household furnishing and decorative painting, general wood-working and French- polishing. The industries carried on in this place are, for the most part, new to the Colony. The Messrs. Cave have, in fact, provided a Technical School for the natives. They have taught them many trades quite new to them, and have displayed remarkable facility in dis covering and turning to account such industrial ^r ^ Central Drive. 59 qualities as they possess. Perhaps no firm has done more for the benefit of the natives while doing the best also for themselves. At their two establishments it may be said that 400 men are employed who have learned their trades from their employers. There is a cycle track within for aspiring cyclists. A little further on the left are the Maddema Mills, now in the occupation of Mr. T. J. Lipton, a man who believes in effective advertising as the handmaiden of -effective trading. The gigantic hoardings round the mills announce the valuable up-country properties of which Mr. Lipton is proprietor. The Cinnamon Gardens Baptist Church, erected in 1881 at a cost of Es. 25,000, is opposite. The Baptists in Ceylon are numerically a small body, but the English-speaking congregation here entirely support their Pastor and contribute liberally to church work. The Manse stands on the right, while beyond is the Ferguson Memorial Hall, erected by relatives to the memory of the late Mr. A. M. Ferguson, senior deacon of the church, and utilized for Sunday school and other church purposes. Planted within the triangular plot in front of the ohurch will be seen specimens of the sacred Bo tree (Ficus religiosa), of the Palmyra (Borassus flabelli- formis)* and of the graceful Kitul Palm (Caryota urens),i while just ahead some large mango trees provide shelter for market women, who do a brisk trade in fruit, vegetables, &c, among the passers by. * See note, page 42. t A native of Ceylon and many parts of India, which supplies the natives with several important articles. From its flower-spikes toddy, or palm wine, is obtained, and this yields very good jaggery ¦or palm sugar, and also excellent sugar-candy ; a particular caste of natives are called hakuro, from their being solely employed in its preparation. Another valuable substance supplied is sago, prepared from the central or pithy part of the trunk, and considered to be as good and nutritious as ordinary sago. Made into bread or gruel, it forms a large part of the food of the natives. The fibre of the leaf-stalks possesses great strength, and is used for making ropes, brushes, brooms, baskets, &c. The outside part of the stem furnishes a small quantity of hard wood. The fruits are reddish berries about the size of nutmegs, and have a thin, yellow, acrid rind. n 60 Guide to Colombo. At the back of the church is a Mohammedan Mosque* Across th© road is a flourishing establishment, the Central Pharmacy and general retail stores of Messrs. Neil S. Campbell it Co. A department of businesaito which special attention is devoted is the ladies' out fitting branch, which is always replete with the latest novelties from Europe. The opening by its founder, in search of " pastures new," of these suburban stores in 18S1 was a happy idea, which has proved of great convenience to Cinnamon Gardens residents. {See Adrt.) The very handsome trees on the right, with their tiers of massive foliage, are the padouk ( Pterocarpus indicusj ; when they flower, about May, their yellow blossoms perfume the air for some distance around. In the immediate vicinity two native industries are being carried on extensively. In Dean's road, on the left, the Dematagoda Mills of Messrs. Vavasseur & Co. are engaged in Coir Manufactures, the outer husks of the cocoanuts being torn into fibre, spun into yarn, and woven into coir matting, etc. ; while at Messrs. W. A. Fernando and Brothers' Plumbago Stores, at the corner of Brownrigg street to the right, the sorting, cleaning, and packing of this mineral for the English and American markets may be inspected. Ceylon plumbago, the only mineral of commercial importance- which the Island affords, is celebrated for its purity. To the right is The Circular, in the neighbourhood of which, dotted over the Cinnamon Gardens in a. series of parallels, cross roads, and crescents, the names of which serve to commemorate the rule of most of Ceylon's British Governors — Guilford (1798), Maitland (1805), Brownrigg (1812). Barnes (1824), Horton (1831;, Mackenzie (1837), Campbell (1841), Torrington (1847), Ward (1855), MacCarthy (1860\ Eobinson (1865\ Gregory (1872), Longden (1877)* — are a large number of residences, which are receiving constant additions to keep pace with the development of Colombo and the consequent demand for " bungalows." * The rule of Lord Stanmore (Sir A. H. Gordon") is commemorated" by the Gordon Gardens in the Fort (see page IS) and that of Sir A. B. Havelook (now Governor of Madras) by a new suburb: near the Spinning and Weaving Mills (see page 43). y Central Drive. 61 \ But our route lies up Ward place, the first turning on the left of which (just before the Church Mission Board tuff Schools for Tamil boys and girls, on the right, are reached) takes us close to several Medical Institutions, Bearing to the right, the first turn ou the left brings ns to Longden place. Here the General Hospital (on the left), established in 1863, occupies 11 acres of ground. It is the largest hospital in the Island, and open to all classes of the community. Paupers are treated free ; others pay from 25c. to 50c. a day. Nearly 8,000 patients are treated annually. It is open to visitors on Thursdays and Snndavs from noon to 4 p.m. The Planters' and Anthouisz Wards form a separate block standing to the right on entering the hospital grounds. The former were built from funds contri buted by the planting community, a fund raised for a memorial to William Cameron, a pioneer tea planter, being in the first place devoted to the purpose : the latter were erected by subscriptions raised to commemorate the name of Dr. P. D. Anthouisz. C.M.G.,a distinguished retired member of the Ceylon Medical Service, lately serving his countrymen as an Unofficial Member of the Legislative Council. The wards in both cases have been equipped by the Government. The fees payable in each are an entrance fee of Es. 10 50 and Rs. 3 a day for subsistence. The Ceylon Medical College, opposite, was instituted in 1870 by Sir H. G. R. Robinson, the present building having been erected by Sir W. H. Gregory in 1876 on ground presented by a liberal patron, the late Mudaliyar Sampson Eajepaksa. It has all the necessary apparatus and appliances for the illustration of lectures according to the curriculum of British institutions, by whom its examinations are recognised, and its licentiates are at liberty on registering themselves to practise through out the United Kingdom. Ladies are now admitted to study medicine. &c, in the College, and a lady doctor (Dr. Lucille Leslie) supervises their studies. The rv ^nj ^ 62 Guide to Colombo. ns College owes this extension entirely to Lady Havelock, the wife of the late Governor. The De Soysa Lying-in Hospital, on the left of the College, was built and presented to Government by the late Mr. C. H. de Soysa. The dissemination of a correct knowledge of midwifery, by the training of efficient nurses, is a special object held in view. An Outdoor Dispensary for Women and Children under the direction of Dr. Lucille Leslie is connected with this hospital. The De Soysa Museum, which adjoins the latter, was built by the late Mudaliyar Susew de Soysa. The collections represented include specimens illustrating botany, geology, pharmacy, hygiene, physics, zoology, pathology, &c. The Medical Library, supported by medical officers, assisted by a grant from Government, occupies a room in the Museum, and contains over 2,000 volumes. The Museum and Library are open from 7 to 10 A.M. and from 1 to 5 P.M., Sundays excepted. The Koch Memorial Tower, in front of the Museum and College, was erected by public subscription at a cost of Rs. 5,000 to perpetuate the memory of the late Dr. E. L. Koch, Surgeon in charge of the Hospital and Principal of the College, who died from the effects of a dissection wound received in the performance of his duties, deeply regretted by all classes of the community. The clock was presented by the Government. The Paulusz Memorial Hall, erected by subscription and afterwards enlarged by Government, stands in the College grounds. It was erected to the memory of Mr. H. Paulusz, District Medical Officer of Dikoya, a licen tiate of the College, who died of smallpox contracted in the zealous discharge of duties during an epidemic at Dikoya. A new Merchant Seamen's Hospital is in course of construction on the land facing Eegent street and will be open for the admission of patients early next year (1898). At present this section of the hospital occupies a wing of the General Hospital. The charges payable here are an entrance fee of Es. 10-50 and Ee. 1-50 per diem for subsistence exclusive of extras. (/ Central Drive. 63 ^> At the corner of Regent street and Longden place are the Civil Medical Stores, a portion of which is occupied by the Outdoor Dispensary. Paupers are treated free, but a small charge is made in other cases to cover the cost of medicines, advice being given gratis ; in this way many dispensaries in various parts of the Island, which are a great boon to the poor, prove self-supporting. Next to these a block of eight rooms is set apart for Passengers' Wards. E.ich room is thoroughly equipped and furnished. The charge for admission is Es. 10-50 as entrance fee and Es. 5 per day. The patients are attended by the surgeon and senior physician, a nurse being in charge. Cargill's Wards, two rooms presented, thoroughly furnished, by Messrs. Cargill & Co. in commemoration of their jubilee in 1894, adjoin. Patients are admitted for a fee of Es. 10-50 and Es. 5 a day. The Grenier Memorial Eye and Ear Infirmary comes next. It was erected by subscription in memory of the late Sir Samuel Grenier, Kt., Attorney-General. Patients are seen from 7.30 to 9 A.M. three times a week. A Bacteriological Institute, to be founded by Mr.. J. W. C. De Soysa and named after him, is about to be established. The Civil Medical Office, which occupies Temple House, Maradana,lies at the back of the Medical College. Leaving the medical buildings, the drive is con tinued down Longden place, the Baptist Mission House, with an interesting boarding school for Sinhalese girls attached, being passed on the right. The Baptists were the first Protestants in the Ceylon mission field, having commenced operations in 1812. Crossing MacCarthy place, the ©eueral €?esaetery at Kanatta is reached. Of the fifteeen acres of ground which are here enclosed, a considerable portion is tastefully laid out and well cared for by the cemetery-keeper, from whom at his residence close by any information required can be obtained. Many beautiful memorials of the dead will be found within. /y 64 Guide to Colombo. \ Immediately to the left on entering is the portion set apart for the Church of England, on which the mortuary chapel stands ; beyond, on the same side, is that belonging to the Eoman Catholic community ; the ground on the right being apportioned for general Christian burial. The site of the Alfred Model Farm, founded in 1871 by the late Messrs. De Soysa in honour of the Duke of Edinburgh's visit, and endowed by them with some Es. 100,000, lies at the back of the cemetery. The Farm unfortunately never fulfilled the expectations of its founders, and the greater part of the money spent upon it was irretrievably lost. The new Eidgeway Links of the Colombo Golf Club are on the Model Farm ; they were opened by H. E. Sir West Eidgeway in November, 1896. Leaving the cemetery by the road which forms its - western boundary (the North and South Base Line), the Borella police station and the Prisons Hospital (on the right), at which the sick of the several prisons forming the Convict Establishment are treated, will be reached at.the junction of five roads. In olden days, when the Government held the cinnamon monopoly, this was a central store ; subsequently it was used as a cholera hospital. Mention should here be made of the Cotta Qhrnv^h. Ml§sl@® Station* which can be reached by a very pleasant drive of four miles from this spot down the Cotta (modern spell ing Kotte) road, on the right. The mission station, which in the time of the Sinhalese kings who reigned there was known as Jayawardhanapura, is prettily situated on the margin of the Cotta lake.* The Cotta district might be called '• Mesopotamia," for it lies between the two great rivers — the Kelaniand Kalu gangas — of the Western Province. The mission district has an area of 600 square miles, with a population of at least 100,000, and from the commencement of the work of the Church Missionary * See Appendix B. r*—= — «n $ Central Drive. 65 ^ Society in Ceylon Cotta has been a seat of learning and famous for its girls' schools and for education generally. The population is Sinhalese, nominally Buddhists, but practically demon -worshippers. The European missionary at the present time (1897) is assisted by his wife and two daughters, a lay worker, 4 native clergy, 11 catechists and readers, 4 Bible women, and 75 schoolmasters and schoolmistresses. There were in 1896, 1,468 native Christian adherentB, among whom the principle of self-support is steadily taking root, as evidenced by the fact that they contri buted during the year Es. 3,290 for religious purposes. The Sunday schools are 58 in number, attended by an average of 1,005 children. Of day schools there are 59, with an attendance of 3,576. There are Total Abstinence Associations and Bands of Hope in four centres of the district, and a Union for reading the Bible with 400 members. A normal school for masters, an Anglo-vernacular boarding school for Sinhalese girls, which has practi cally proved a training institution for schoolmistresses, and a high school for boys, are carried on in the mission compound, and exercise a powerful Christian influence in the district and are very fruitful nurseries of the Church of Christ ; there are also two vernacular schools for Sinhalese boys and girls in the premises. Extensive evangelistic operations, extending almost to Adam's Peak, are also carried on in the villages of the Hewagam, Salpiti, Eayigam, and Kuruwiti korales, which are included in the " Cotta District." On any day except Saturday and Sunday and during vacations, these day schools are at work from 8.30 a.m. to 2 P.M. and the girls' boarding school from 8 A.M. to 4 p.m. In returning from Cotta a pleasant change of scene can be secured by taking the road via Wellawatta. A short distance down the Maradana road on the left is Archbishop's House, the residence of the Eoman Catholic Archbishop of Colombo, next to which His Grace's private oratory is being erected. St. Bernard's Seminary, a training institute for the Eoman Catholic priesthood, is accommodated in the adjoining premises. ^» » 66 Guide to Colombo. « But, continuing the Drive straight along the Base Line, a group of detached buildings, which formerly were used as the Lunatic Asylum, will be passed on the left ; a portion of these accommodate the patients of the ¦Victoria Home for Inquraolos, an institution founded in 1887 in commemoration of the Jubilee of the reign of Her Majesty the Queen, having for its object the provision of a comfortable home with necessary medical attendance for those inhabitants of Ceylon who by accident or illness have become unable to work for their living and whose afflictions are of an incurable nature. It possesses at present an endow ment fund of Es. 17,000, producing an annual income of Es. 850, and is further supported by subscriptions received from all creeds and classes. The funds at present available are so limited that the scope of the institution is very restricted ; but as its extension is to form a further public memorial of the 60th year of the Queen's reign its resources will shortly be placed in a position that will enable its usefulness to be commensurate with the auspicious events which it commemorates and the noble object it has in view. At present the Home contains forty inmates representative of nearly all the Provinces (there being accommodation for about fifty), the annual cost of each averaging about Es. 130. The institution is in charge of a matron — a trained nurse — under the immediate supervision of a Govern ment medical officer. Visitors are invited to inspect the institution between the hours of 8 A.M. and 6 P.M. *Wh,® &a€y HaweX@ek Hospital is situated close by. It is a hospital for women and children, and Dr. Lucille Leslie is in charge with a matron and a staff of nurses. It was erected in 1896 and with its equipment cost over Es. 40,000, which was raised by public subscription, and named after Lady Havelock, who exerted herself in establishing this hospital for the admission of females who object to go to an ordinary hospital. The hospital consists of a series of buildings connected by corridors with the adminis- ^ Central Drive. 67 \ trative block which faces Maradana road. One of the wards, known as the Fatima ward, is intended for Mohammedan patients. Alongside of it stands St. Luke's Church, belonging to the Church Mission. Farther on, to the right of the hill immediately in advance, with the residence of the Superintendent of the Convict Establishment in front, stands the WeliMda P*is@a* the principal jail in the Colony, a series of buildings enclosed by a high wall, commenced in 1842 but largely added to during the last 25 years, containing accommodation for 542 male prisoners in separate cells and 57 females in association. In addition to the superintendent, the supervising staff consists generally of an assistant superintendent, a jailor, two deputy jailors, 50 overseers and sub- overseers, and 70 prison guards. All men in the first stage of rigorous imprisonment are employed here at the treadmill, pingo-carrying, or husk-beating for the first three months of their sentence, but those with a sentence of one month and under are kept at the treadmill or pingo for the full term ; they are separated from others, and all communication with the outside world is cut off. Other industries are also carried on within the prison. Discipline of a severe nature (said to have a marked deterrent effect) is exacted and, while sufficiently nutritive diet is provided to support the work demanded, care is taken that the prisoners are not too luxuriously fed, and that consequently prison life shall be really deterrent. Mahara Jail, 12 miles by rail from Colombo, is a branch prison accommodating 400 prisoners engaged in quarrying stone. Mutwal Jail, at the north of the harbour, is a branch prison accommodating 400 prisoners engaged on the Harbour Works. On the left is Campbell Park, named after the late B 2 the " heathen divinity, refulgent in all the rich hues of " vermilion and yellow. The edifice is situated on the " river bank, and forms an attractive object from the " water. " The original building, which was destroyed by " marauding Tamils, Avas erected so long since as 306 " B.C. by Prince Yatalatissa ; but the present structure " is not more than 200 years old. The temple is re garded by low-country Buddhists with more than " ordinary veneration, and a great festival in connection 4> with it takes place at the fall moon in the month of " May, which lasts for four weeks, during which period " it is specially deserving of a visit by night, when the " temple and grounds are brilliantly illuminated, and " attended by many thousands of worshippers with gifts " of fruit, flowers, and money, for the shrine." The image of Buddha is 36 feet long and represents him, lying on his right side, as about to pass into Nirvana. It is flanked on both sides by gigantic images of the temple guardians. The frescoes round the interior represent scenes in Buddha's previous lives. The temple also contains images of the Hindu gods Vishnu, Siva, and Ganesa. Attached to it are residences for the priests, a printing press, and a type foundry. In the garden there is an immense B6 tree. A Riverside §-e©se. Having now, with more or less discomfort perhaps, passed through some of the most important parts of the native town, some portions of which may have been of a somewhat unsavoury character, the visitor euu enjoy for a while the delights of a Ceylon riverside scene in which Eastern and Western characteristics are very happily blended. Turning down what to all appearance is a country lane — marked on the Map as Ferguson's <^ 86 Guide to Colombo. road, being named after the late Mr. William Ferguson, F.L.S., for many years Municipal Superintendent of Roads— the route, bordered by rows of the straight and slender arecanut palm {Areca catechu)* and the more vigorous cocoanut, for some distance runs alongside the river, and presents a scene which well repays the effort made to reach it. Almost at the start the station of the Segonibo and Colombo Steamboats is passed, from which passengers after crossing the river are taken by canal to Negombo, 23 miles off, for a rupee a head, the journey taking about three hours. On the left are extensive fields of the succulent fodder for cattle, Mauritius or water grass. Here and there may be obtained glimpses of Sinhalese rural life: the cadjan-thatched hut, the native woman pounding paddy, the usual dilapidated bullock-cart, a sow with a litter of young ones, a pariah dog which howls at your approach, and a bevy of children in a state of semi- nudity who stare at a European as if be were a creature from another world. In the midst of this rural sim plicity traces of Western civilisation are to be found in the plain little Baptist Mission Church for Mattakkuliya on the roadside (which a tablet announces was erected in 1862), with behind it the usual adjunct, a mission school, established in 1873. The scene, however, soon changes, and a steep ascent after crossing the Alutmawata road brings the sea into * A very handsome tree, cultivated in all the warmer parts of Asia for its fruits, which contain a conical seed about the size of a nutmeg, known under the names of Arecanut, Pinang-nut, and Betel- nut. These, cut into narrow pieces, are rolled up with a little lime in leaves of the betel pepper. The pellet is chewed. It is hot and acrid, but possesses aromatic and astringent properties. It tinges the saliva red and stains the teeth, and is said to produce intoxica tion when the practice of chewing, which is considered beneficial rather than otherwise, is begun. So addicted are the natives to the practice, that Blume tells us " they would rather forego meat and drink than their favourite arecanuts." In England the charcoal of the nuts is used as tooth powder, for which it is well adapted by its hardness. The flowers of the trees are very fragrant and are used on festive occasions in Borneo, where they are considered a necessary ingredient in medicines and charms employed for healing «^ the sick. w Northern Drive. 87 view. As one emerges on the Modara road, which leads back at right angles to the Fort, the landing stage for the Kelani river traffic may be noticed to the right. Here doubtless will be seen a small fleet of flat-bottomed padi boats, in which, when time and inclination permit, river excursions may be arranged. A trip in one of these or a double canoe across or up the river, say to Kelani, is a pleasant way of spending a day. Opposite Mattakkuliya, though not in sight, is the JCepeir Asylum at Hendalae Founded, according to tradition, by the daughter of a Dutch Governor, herself a leper, the establishment has greatly increased of late years, the patients of all classes numbering about 200. Practically the asylum, which is under the care of a Government medical officer, is one for incurables. There is no authentic record of its foundation, or as to how the institution, with its 16 acres of ground, came into the possession of Government, though an inscription on a stone would point to the year 1708 as the date at which it was established. In 1888 a chapel, the use of which was by the deed of trust liberally conceded to all Protestant sects, was erected for the benefit of the patients by Mrs. Copleston, the wife of the Bishop of Colombo. To the philanthropist a visit to this asylum is one of the most intensely interesting sights of Colombo, in the e,ourse of which, contrary to general anticipation, nothing of a repellant nature need be encountered. To the right, up the river, may be seen the tall chimneys of the Mattakkuliya Oil Mills, the position of which, as well as of the Kelani Mills, also engaged in the manufacture of oil, is noted on the Map : in front is Crow Island, the roosting place at night of Colombo crows, while to the left is a shifting sandbank which in times of threatened flood is cut through to provide an outlet for the swollen waters. A boat-building yard will be seen in the vicinity. Horticulturists will be interested in the Nurseries, close by the Kelani Mills, of Mr. J. P. Abraham, a nurseryman and seedsman, who is ready at the shortest t X- H 88 Guide to Colombo. notice to supply Wardian cases of orchids, palms, cycas, and various tropical plants and shrubs. (&«<< Advt.) Tlie road back to the Fort from this point follows, generally speaking, the count line. So vorul commodious suburban residences are situated close by, which would undoubtedly be a more favoured resort but for the unpleasant drive l.o and from the Fort. Among those may be mentioned Whist liungalow (for many yearn the sumptuous residence of tlie late Sir Richard V. Morgan), Modara, Olid", Rock, and Elio Houses. The Modara police station is close by the first named. _ lint before Mutwal Point, with the Harbour Exten sion Works has been reached it will have been observed that the northern portion of Colombo is evidently one of the strongholds of Woman Catholicism. Between the turn into the Modara road and Mutwal point three line ecclesiastical edilicos will nocossarily attract attention. These are the ©JuiMreh; ess ©ff Sit. John, si:, jamaes, amdl Si;. Aradlire'W. St, John's, on the left, was built in 181 6, and has a congregation or 2,500, chielly of the Kishor ca,Hfe. It cost lis. 30,000, and willaeconimodafe 1,200 worshippers. St. James's, on the right, is the most modern of the three, and the visitor is recommended to alight and inspect a building which is very line both in exterior and interior. It was built by the llalagama caste (cinnamon-poolers), and competed and opened in 1872. Of an estimated congregation of 3,500 persons, it will hold 2,000. Its longfh is 202 fool, breadth 82 feet, and height 18 foot. The cost is stated to have been lis. Io0,000. The line paintings are fho work of a Oeylonese artist, llonrious. A very handsome belfry containing a peal of four bolls has just been erected. St. Andrew's was builtin 1850. it will accommodate 800 outoi a total congregation of 1,800. Like St. John's, it is a church of the Fisher casfo. In this connection, it may be mentioned that until 1813 there was a Government tax or 10 per cent, on lish and that on the repeal of that tax the lishermen handed over its equi valent as a freewill offering to their church. ^^ r Northern Drive. Just before reaching St. Andrew's a Mohammedan Mosque will be noticed on the left. As Fisher's hill is approached some stone quarries will be passed. As the route strikes in a more southerly direction through Tanque Salgado (lit., " salt tank ") a good view of the harbour and shipping is obtained. When "coffee" was "king," the Uplands Mills, to the rear of the residence, did the largest coffee-curing business in Colombo ; it still remains one of the few of its kind for which the diminished yield of coffee provides work. The new Graving Dock, to accom modate the largest ships afloat, will.be constructed here at an estimated cost of two and a half millions of rupees as soon as the harbour extension works are sufficiently advanced. The turn to the left past Uplands brings one to the headquarters in Ceylon of the Church of England, viz. — The Cathedral aad st* Thomas's College, Christ Church Cathedral, though recently enlarged, is a small building, for which and St. Thomas's College rhe metropolis is indebted to the munificence of the first Bishop of Colombo, Dr. Chapman, who presided over *he see from 1816 to 1851. St. Thomas's College (with collegiate school) is in the front rank of the public educational institutions of the Colony, special attention being paid to the boarding side of the establishment, which (consisting of over 100 boys) under the immediate care of the Warden and an English matron is admirably managed. The Bishop of Colombo is Visitor of the College, which is looked upon as the centre of Church of England work in the Colony. In connection with it there is a free orphan school where boys are trained for service. One of the principal buildings connected with it is the library, which contains an oil-painting of the founder. The infirmary is happily but seldom occupied. The College publishes a monthly magazine, has a lending library, a debating society, and a cadet corps, and its " eleven " has not in the last few years had its colours often lowered, though playing the best clubs in ' 90 Guide to Colombo. the Island. Everything indeed is done to make the school life of the boys happy and many-sided, after the model of an English public school. The high position which St. Thomas's College holds at the present day is due largely to the able direction and devoted labours of a late Warden, the Ven. E. F. Miller, Archdeacon of Colombo, who after fifteen years' service resigned the position amid universal regret on his return to England in 1891, and is now worthily succeeded by the Eev. W. A. Buck, late classical scholar of Peterhouse, Cambridge. Leaving the College by Old College street, which runs past the back, the H@tato,©sa ©ndldlMst Temple will be reached in a few minutes. The walls of this temple, one of the principal in Colombo, are very tastefully ornamented with frescoes depicting scenes in the history of Buddha. It pos sesses a life-size recumbent image of Gautama Buddha, 18 cubits in length, and several smaller images of no less than 24 others who at different times attained to the Buddhahood. Among the most interesting repre sentations is that of Buddha's victory over the devils : but the main feature of the temple is a labyrinthian masonry structure, illustrating a portion of the Vessan- tara Jataka, or the story of the birth of Gautama Buddha as King Vessantara. Attached to the temple,. as is usual, is a fane or shrine, dedicated to a Hindu deity whose image it contains. Its late incumbent, Gunananda Unnanse, who died in 1891, was famed as the greatest native orator and polemic in the Island, and was one of the most bitter opponents of Christianity among the Buddhists. It was in this neighbourhood that serious riots took place during the Easter of 1883 between the Buddhists and the Roman Catholics. A short distance further on the headquarters of Roman Catholicism will be reached, conspicuous ancL towering above its surroundings being — " Northern Drive. gi ^ St. %m,ml®?n ©afbed&al, which, when completed, will undoubtedly be the most magnificent building in the city of Colombo. It is built in Venetian renaissance, on the site of the old St. Lucia's church, which was demolished in 1873 ; the structure by the time it is completed (which will depend on the rate at which subscriptions flow in) being estimated to cost from Rs. 300,000 to Rs. 400,000. Its length is 240 feet and breadth 150 feet, the cupola by which it is surmounted being 170feet from the ground. A portion was first opened for divine service in 1881, and the whole was thrown open in 1887, but much remains to be done, both inside and out, before the fabric is completed. It will accommodate 6,000 persons. Under the sanctuary there is a crypt. Connected with the cathedral, on its right, is a Convent (with a convent school and an orphanage con ducted by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd), while on its left is — St. H©n,e«ll©t*s Institute £q-f ©©ys, under the direction of the Christian Brothers, which until the opening in 1896 of St. Joseph's College* held amongst the Catholic community a position similar to that of St. Thomas's College among the Anglican. It now aims only at a good middle-class education, the advanced scholars being drafted to St. Joseph's. It was opened in 1895, and has about 560 pupils, of whom some 50 are boarders. From the Catholic Orphan Press, which is accom modated on the ground floor of the Institute, the " Catholic Messenger," an English newspaper, is issued on Tuesdays and Fridays, and a Sinhalese paper, the " Nanartha Pradipaya," on Thursdays. Crossing Skinner's road, the drive proceeds through Galpotte and Jampettah streets, where a Wesleyan Chapel is passed, the direct road back to the Fort being reached opposite St. Anthony's Church, seated beneath the porch of which will generally be found "the blind, the lame, and the halt," seeking the alms of the- charitable. * See page 57. ?/ 92 Guide to Colombo. \ The buildings of the Petroleum Storage Company, licensed for the storage of kerosine and other forms of petroleum, will be seen on the right as St. Anthony's is reached. The Ceylon Engineering Works, an important estab lishment of which the proprietors are Messrs. C. A. Hutson & Co., are in a three-storied building a short distance northwards. Connected with these works is a steam laundry where all the P. & 0. mail steamer {but no other) washing is done. Still further to the north, at the junction of the road with Skinner's road, are the Petroleum Bulk Stores of Messrs. Delmege, Forsyth & Co. The oil is pumped from the tank-steamers in which it is imported in bulk into tank-barges, and then re-pumped by a powerful pump erected on a jetty on the sea-shore close by into storage tanks, capable of holding 1,500 tons of oil. Connected with these stores is a large tinning factory. The im port of kerosine oil in bulk is about a million and a half gallons a year, and from these stores tank-carts distribute the oil to some 70 depots throughout the town, while tank-wagons on the railway supply up- country towns. Driving to the left towards the Fort, the Bird Mart will shortly be passed, cages of the feathered tribe being noticed in the boutiques on either side of the road. Tlie ©toettl©s. A short drive Fortwards will now bring one to the portion of the town (St. Paul's) favoured by the Chetty community, — men from the Indian Coast with shaved heads and the scantiest of clothing, dealers chiefly in rice and money, — 'cute gentlemen, who only ask up to 60 per cent, for accommodation, and take good care in advancing the principal to deduct the interest ! The Chetties are first-rate accountants, but to this day keep all their accounts on ola leaves. Many of them are reputed to be very wealthy. It was at one time acknowledged among the mercantile community that a Chetty's word was as good as his bond ; but of late years one has heard of shady deeds and of defaulters- " Northern Drive. 93. n- the Chetties (the great rice-importers and dealers in rice and cotton goods) and the banks have had huge lawsuits — and the high position once occupied by them has been somewhat undermined. On the left, at the entrance to Sea street (not to be confounded with Seashore street on the foreshore) St. Thomas's Church (that of the Tamils of the Anglican community) will be noticed on a slight eminence. Continuing straight on, in close contiguity in Sea street will be passed three Hindu Temples, the interiors of which may be inspected if one cares to take off one's shoes. They are not however inviting, and the visitor's curiosity will doubtless be satisfied by inspecting the curiously moulded plastered figures on their exteriors (many of them of every forbidding aspect) representing some of the 360 millions of gods in the Hindu Pantheon. After dark, when they are lighted up, a glance at their interiors is obtainable from the roadway. Arriving at the end of Sea street, the Town Hall is again in view, and the drive back to the Grand Oriental Hotel is along the route taken on setting out. We here take a respectful farewell of the visitor. Our aim has been to make him acquainted with every thing of importance in Colombo within the very narrow limit of time which, at the best, is at the command of travellers, and to afford such general information as is likely to interest; and that task has now been completed. ^ A VILLAGE HOME. w THE "BURIED CITIES OF CEYLON": RUINS OF THE JETAWANARAMA, POLONNARUWA. (JPage 11.) r B oa¦