St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-05-03
VERY NEAR UTOPIA.
A st. Paul Boy Thinks Ceylon
in the Neighborhood
of It,
He Finds 1t an Earthly Para
disc Of Everlasting
Green.
A Pilgrimage to the Temple
Erected to Buddha'S
Tooth.
The Wonderful Botanical Per-
OdiVia Gardens Near
Kaudy.
special Letter to the Globe.

Special Letter to the Globe.
COLOMBO, Ceylon, March 20.-Ten
days ago, after spending three days in
CeylOn with us, our friends of the En-
press of India streamed out of the har
Dor on their way to China. They said
goodbye to us as affectiOnately as If
they never expected TO see us again,
md seemed to think they were consign-
ing US TO a land about equally divided
between cholera and cobras. They evil
IDENTIFY admired our nerve in stopping
off for an extended trip through the
tropics at this season of the year. but re-
GREETED our recklessneSs, for like
many fellow globe trotters we
are in another country at the
wrong season. However, it is so
easy to strike the wrong season in max
ing tour around the world that l am
convinced if travellers wait for the
right season in each country they will
never make the circuit. Hence, after
loading up with a big stock of gratuitous
advice. which the residents gladly part
with in the most alarming way possible,
we proceeded to purchase our tropical
outfits. We began by laying in stock
of white canvas shoes and half dozen
white drill suits each, like those worn
by
Judge FIandrau
In hot weather. and brown suit of some
material for travelling purposes. Next
we dOnned SOlah tOpee, or pith he'll
met, and secured an assortment of those
useful articles which bear the unneces-
sarily alarming names OF "cholera
BELTS" topping all of with
double rooted sun umbrellas, in
which array our own mothers would
have difficulty in recognizing her son.
We have now been here nearly two
weeks. but our fortnight's stay in Cey-
lon was not prolonged through pleasure,
but as the L. Il o. steamer from Aus
Iralia, on which we had engaged pas
sage to Bombay failed TO arrive, day after
day, we soon dropped into the dolce far
nlente ways of the islanders and turned
our enforced stay into a most delight
yul visit. The importance of Colombo,
The principal city, beautiful and pros
porous place of about $4,000 people, as
4 seaport. aStOnished us as much as
The beauty of the island en-
rhanted Us. We were prepared to find
much beautiful verGure and luXuriant
vegetation in Ceylon from our reading,
widest expectations. After a weeks
stay in Colombo. supplemented by
similar period Of excursions into the iu-
terror amid jungles entitled TO be called
tangled" and up thousands of feet in
lhe mountains among the native vii
lagos, where no Europeans abide, after
inspecting the tea, coffee and cinchOna
plantations of the highlands, and the
green, terraced rice fields of
The LOHIands;
after gathering cOcoanuts, pineapples.
mangOeS and dozens of other tropical
fruits whose names are as foreign as
their flavor from the trees in
perfection, the writer is prepared
10 state that CeylOn is one of the love-
lest bits Of the Almighty's creation,
an earthly paradise Of everlasting
green, of perfumed atmosphere ana
pleasant scenes, where roses, honey
Suckles and lovely orchids vie with
each other in radiance of foliage and
burden the air with their fragrance.
Utopia must lie somewhere hereabouts.
for here are all the elements that go to
make up the realization Of such a
dream. Softly signing breeZes fan our
br0wS by day and slaves innumerable
Keep the air in motion with punkahS
10y night And how soon we become
accustomed 10 such surroundings, or to
anything for that matter. Our attention
was drawn on our arrival, to the Moor
man merchants in their tail, vari-col-
ored, cone-shaped. silk hats, and the
barefOoted Cingaese walters at the
hotel seemed queer, with length of
calico or muslin wrapped around their
waist and legs in lieu Of trousers, and
their long black hair done up in CHG
mons, held in place by their only head
dress, circular tortoiSe-shell comb,
which gave them such female appear
ance that it was most confusing. And
the Taucils, who supplement their suit
OF glossy complexion with as little
clothing as possible. and who require a
Saratoga no larger than cccoanut
she'll for their
Entire Wardrobe.
seemed at least unusual, whilst the fat
and prosperous-l0Oking Cingalese chill
dren, playing in the dusty street,
with nothing about them but the
warm air of CeylOn, two silver bracelets
and a string of beads with a charm at
tached around their bellies to ward off
danger, caused US to blush at their mud
ity. And on going 10 our rooms at night
ii seemed new to US TO have to thread
our way through the double rows of
servants sleeping in front of their mas
ters' doors along the hallway. But our
short stay of two weeks has accustomed
us to such sights and manners, and we
thlnk no more OF the nudity of the ba-
bleS than of so many pigs, or the naked
ness Of the NickShaW men, whose
black backs and legs glIsten in the hot
sun as they wheel us around
the streets in their miniature car
IlageS. and who would look sadly
out Of place in store clothes, than we
do or the coolies on the tea plantations
with clrclet of cloth around their
heads, and as little around their waists.
Such clothes and customs seem suited
10 the country, and any change would
be marked innovation. Some of the
natives affect the white duck suits
worn by the Europeans. and their black
bodies encaSed in white give them very
much the reversed appearance of a
photograph negative.
The Mail Carrier
at Colombo announces his approach by
the constant tlnkling of q silver bell
attached TO a small, but warlike spear.
and as he goes along the street. heads
with much bejeWeied ears and noses
appear at the windows. wearing the
same eXpcctant look so familiar to our
pOstmen at home.
AraOl HaSna ana several OF his officers
are in exile here for the active part they
took Oh the wrong side of the late
Egyptian war. The once proud spirit of
Arab has been entirely broken by the
restrictions of exile, though he has the
freedom of the island, and nothing of
The former daring but misguided leader
remains. He attracts no attention
whatever rs he moves around Colombo.
and is really broken-down old man
living on the pension granted him by
the English government. Of course no
one would think of stopping in CeyIon
tor any length OF time without taking
The beautiful railroad trip of seventv-
i've miller to Kaudy, the ancient capital
ltrequired some skillful engineering ia
construct this road, and many good
English pounds TO pay for it. And the
builder seemed to possess an artists
BYE, for surely he could not have So.
lected route more pleasing to lovers of
nature. Soon after leaving Colombo we