Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-08-02
PEOPLE IN CEYL0N.
EXTRACTS FROM A LETTER BY Ex-
MAYOR HARRISON.


TIE Several Distinct Races Which 1.-Two
Upon the Isle -Cinnamon Gardens
Native Boat-A Comely People-John
Bull and the Bullock Cart.
Ceylon has several distinct races living
upon it Long before history began to be
written it had prosperous people, and contin-
ued so for ages. 1t has old cities, deserted
ages ago, and great tanks for gathering and
holding water for irrigation purposes, which
show that portions of the island, now wild
and waste, were once teeming with popula-
ton. The ruins and the tanks are all that is
left as record Of the people who built them
Even the descendants of these people have
dwindled down to little over 1900 and are
wild savages, stunning civilized men The
Singalese, who have Persian and ARAB blood
In them, arc rather fair, delicate in form and
organization; expert manipulators in jewelry
and other nice work-au Buddhists, and
number less than 100000. They were,
many generations ago, overrun by Tamils-
vigorous, hardy, nearly black men from
southern India-who today number about
tro-thirds Of million, and are the hard
workers and Hindoo in religion The mixed
blood-calIed Eurasians and Burghers-are
the descendants Of the Portuguese, who held
the island for nearly q century and half,
and of the Dutch, who controlled for CEN
fury and third, and numbers less than co.
000 These, with many Singalese, are Catho-
lies mostly. Other peoples swell the popula-
ton to 400 900, and are governed by less
than 5000 Europeans. These latter are
planters and officials. Eurasians and full
natives have cinnamon gardens.
By the way, this plant when cultivated is
kept down to a small shrub not over eight
feet high. In the forest it grows to a pretty
tree and as large, say, as the pear. A garden
is very pretty, the foliage being very glossy
end of Light, cheerful green The bark on
the green stem, while spicy, has not the pun
gency OF the cured article. The sun in cur
ing seems to bring it out. will here state
that the growing tea leaf has no more flavor
than an ordinary tasteless weed and gives no
promises to the uninitiated of that wonderful
quality which makes it the sweetest friend
and kindliest solace of so many countless
millions Of human beings. 1t has not its
properties brought out by sun heat, but by
fire. A few of the fine brands in China are
sun cured, but do not reach the general
markets, being confined to the larders of very
rich Celestial connoisseurs. Cinnamon and
rice cultivation is confined to the low, hot
lands Of the island, and is in the hands
generally Of the old Singalese population.
They and the Tamils are the fishermen.
NATIVE BOAT.
The native boat is queer thing-a log Of
wood from ten to twenty feet long, turned
upward at each end, is dug out into shallow
trough, rarely over foot wide On top of
this the boat is carried with boards to a
length twice as great as the solid keel below,
and say two or SO feet high, but no wider
From this craft springs two bent poles to
light log of wood from six to ten feet off.
This out rigger makes queer caeamaran,
one of the safest small ats which run out
into the sea. The native sits with one foot
IN and one outside Of the narrow trough, and
rows OF sails far out on the deep, and can
brave storm the ordinary long boat could
not survive. They are rowed rapidly and
sail eight to twelve knots an hour Two
small platforms, say four feet square, are
built on top. On this the boatman carries
bis freight and the fisherman his nets. am
told the fisherman frequently goes out forty
miles to sea
All along the coast the natives are semi
amphibious. A number of half grown bows
surround steamers coming and going on
queer little RATS built of three huovant sticko
ten to twelve'feet long and dashed together
Upon this the half naked fellows sit on their
legs and paddle very rapidly So expert airs
they at diving that silver coin thrown
thirty to fifty feet of, never reaches tue bot
tom before it is caught. Passengers get ssr-
eral of these boats around il a se,alcircle
from the steamer, then drop a slnai. coin
close to the ship. The boys spring toward it
and swim up to the point, then go headlong
below, squirming like frogs, after the shin
ing metal. They will even get a copper, if
not very far Off But they like the white
ness of the purer metal These boys are all
quite dark, but the bottoms of their feet are
almost white. Whyf
The Singalese are comedy looking race,
with features quite effeminate in their deli
cacy. This appearance is further increased
by their long hair, tied in a knot at the back
Of the head and held smooth by a light tor
toise comb, such as young girls at home wore
when | was young. The dress is the universal
band Of CLOTH here left to fall like skirt; a
jacket is worn in the cities-in the country
and villages only cotton cloth is thrown
over the shoulders. The women have, to a
great extent. adopted semi European COS
tune. AT least those i saw had.
THE BULLOCK CART.
The Tamil population dress as the southern
Indian does. BY the way, the tea and coffee
of as yortad and ba bea 10 10 obo,,+