The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1895-09-07

liSh soldiers. who are relieved every three
months by part of the Alden garrison,
and upon whom they are dependant foi
their means Of sustcnanSe The history
of the occupation of this island by the
English is rather an odd one: Some time
previous to 1860 Perrin at the time not
being the possession of any particular eoun-
try. French squadron stopped at Alden.
and the usual courtesies were extended Il
the officers by the garrison on shore. and
ut one Of the dinners. after the champagne
had started its passage around the table,
Junior officer of the visiting feet indis-
creetly made the announcement that they
were on their road 70 take possession OF
Perrin. probably to counteract some of the
| English influence in the Fast. This idea
Of the French Government Impressed the
English commandant at Alden as such d
good one that, while they were still at din
ner he despatched an English gunboat
with small detachment of troops TO the
point in question. and day or two later,
when the French did arrive at the island,
they were both surprised and enraged ID
find that their hospitable hosts at Alden
had anticipated them and the cross Of st.
George was flying over the island and i
troop Of English soldiers encanlped on the
shore
ApEN. THE PLACE OF DEsOIATIoN.
Passing ont of the Red Sea through the
Straits of Babel Mahdeb, We finally reach
| Aden. the most desolate spot along the
highway to the East nothing more than q
mass of rock rising up from the sea and
connected with the mainland by narrow
sandy neck |, Is frequently mentioned
A. a cinder heap, and very truly, too, for
it Is composed Of black, rugged mountains
of lava. without either trees. bushes OF
grlss on the bare and rocky sides To modify
the constant heat of the tropical sun. \
residence in this place during the summer
| i a terror Ia the English soldiers. by whom
| il has been named the Devil Punch
I Bowl. and. as it is about the hottest
I place in the world. and the site of the town
an extinct crater, the name seems singu-
larry appropriate and fitting. Alden was
taken and garrisoned by the English about
/ 80 years ago, and is called the .'Gibraltar
( of the East from its commanding posi-
/ ton near the Red Sea and its great natural
strength A. a fertilization 1t seldom rains
I here. sometimes three or four years elaps-
I ing between showers, even though 1t may
be raining an the mainland but short
{ distance away. To make up this de-
/ ieieney away back in the earlier centuries,
enormous and magnificent water reservoirs
were constructed, but had fallen into ruins,
and since the English occupation they have
been restored, and are among the first
points to which the sight seer is guided.
These tanks have been found somewhat
inadequate for the increased size of the
town. so the supply of water has been sup
plemented hy steam distillers, The Mo
hammedans also believe this place to have
been the original Garden of Eden. but the
orisinators Of this myth must have invented
it purely cut Of grim sense of humor.
COLOMBO
The passage aeruSs the Indian Ocean is
somewhat unintere~ting, and after six or
seven DAYS Of sea and sky, the palm -fringei
shores nf Ceylon come into view. rendered
doubly charming after the sitting atmOs-
phere and scorched rocks Of our last stop
ping place. For DAYS before reaching Co
louibo it Is quite the thing to look up the
odd missionary hymn, and many claimed
when miles away, 10 distinguish the spice
laden breezes. and one OF two. who were
careless in their inquiries a. to the ship ;
POSITION. recognized the fragrance a day or
two before land was sighted, exemplifying
the fact that, with vivid imagination,
ANYTHING can be accomplished. As son
as the ship waS sighted from Colombo a
curious feet Of small boats started out to
mee, n. the leading one containing the
pilot. These catamaranS or canoes are
very ~ingularly constructed. consisting If a
lar,e trunk Of i tree. from 30 to 90 feet
lung and hollowed cut To about foot and
a half IN width In the middle Of the
sides are small bulwarks made Of cOcoanut
6bre. and from one side stand out two long
raralIel%urved branches or bamboo poles.
connected at their outer ends to another
bamboo parallel to the canoe itself The
end If thi- outrigger just clears the surface
of the water and i Indispensable, as other
wise this f'rail and exceedingly barrow craft
would inevitably roll over This outrisger
i only fitted To the windward side. and,
despite the cranky and treacherous look OF
these beats. they are splendid sallers, and
literally fy before the wind As the wind
increases one man or two men get ont upon
the outrisger and by their weight assist in
,teadying the canoe. and thus they speak
Of A ..one man breeze or ,'two-man
breeze in the same way as We mention
single or double reefs,
We had no sooner anchored in the har-
har nf Colombo than the natives invaded
the ship in the gIise of peddlerS and mer
chants, and who were clearly distinguish
able a. belonging to three distinct classes
Of the human family The Cingalese
proper. who originally came from Northern
India. are said to belong To an ancient off
shoot of the Aryan race, They have long
glossy black hair, elaborately tied in a knot
at the back Of the head, both for the men
and the women. and held there by large
tortoise shell comb: beardless faces; a long
white cloth wrapped around the waist.
forming skirt down to the ankles, called
..comboy. and this, with the generally
effemiuate appearance of the men, rendered
it somewhat difficult to distinguish the sex.
The Tamilis form another distinct feature
of the population; they are the laborers Of
the Island. who are brought over from the
mainland and are utterly different from
the CingaleSe in stature, features color,
language, religion and customs, the Cinga-
lese generally being Buddhists, while the
Tamilis incline towards Brahminism. Fol-
lowing the first two classes, the next impor-
tant part of the population are the MOormen,
in long white cgtidas, full trousers, cop
per-colored faces, black boards, and crowned
with tall yellow turbans. They are de
seended from the Arabs who, centuries
ago. overran Southern Asia, and are of a
calculating, enterprising nature, and espec-
tally shrewd in money matters, while their