Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1900-03-09
COLOMBO, Jan, %, 1900. !
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exceedingly uninteresting, but when the
perceptible grade, requiring the exertion of
two locomotives for q distance of about %
miles, suddenly produces a breathabe at
mosphere, and your course along the edge
of the precipilous mountain slopes and
through overhangiug tunnels in solid rock
give you the magnificent scenery of Cey-
lon from an altitude 1900 feet above the
mean sea level, one realizes that a seaporl
town, even like Colombo, is Il poor expo
nent of countrys attractions. This
ride, overlooking rich growths of palms,
cinnamon, cnincona and spice trees, also
vast stretches of Cey Ion tea and Liberian
coffee, improves in its variations to the
very station of Handy, which is not far
from one of Ceylon's famous bridges and
e. worlds only satin-wood bridge.
Handy, a city of about %, 900 pure
booded Sngalese, who alone have with
stood the nvasions of couquerors, and when
strength of numbers failed them their
mountain Businesses gave them temporary
support and encouraged them in their
proves and bravery which has given the
Kandians IA distinct place and a respected
name among all the inhabitants of the
island, is unadulterated Ceylon, oppressed
and oesieged and assaied from all quarters,
their determination to serve no power but
their own cruel despot is still dear to their
hearts aud their allegiance and innate 10y
atty to his memory is yet quite alive.
1t was this blood thirsty tyrant aud pro-
vincial king " no slew his subjects as often as
his enemies escaped his hand, and although
little good came to his countrymen from
his reign, his one great effort which keeps
his memory fresh in the minds of all is the
well preserved artificial lake in the
centre of the city. This beautiful
creation is about mile and a half in cir
conference, with a little artificial island in
the centre, well overgrown with horticul-
tural specimens, and around the whole lake
is a uniquely constructed stone wall resem-
bling psrapet and bordering palm-lined
drive Near the shore is the ancient
mosque containing the tooth of Buddha,"
encased in a solid gold deliberately wrought
covering, bestudded with the rarest gems
and grated and guarded by Hindoo monks
and priests. No one is able TO see it ex-
cept from a distance, whereas the conceal
ed presence of the tooth is often said to be
as much a suppostion as il is probable that
the tooth is false. In this mosque the ma
tves offer prayers and make offerings of
! flowers three times day TO the deafening
weird music of tomtoms and loose strung
drums beaten with the hands and sticks
simultaneously. Much of this shrine is
beautifully constructed and in its building
was used much of the finely carved stones
and slabs brought down from the wonder
! full buried city of Anarajupura. In one
wing of the building is library filed with
| all the primitive books of the earliest ma
tive scribes, chief among which are many
old bibles written in the Hindu, Persian
and Kandian symbols, on palm leaf leaves
| bound TO two gold and silver mounted
board covers by string drawn through a
hold in the centre.
10 leave temnle mosque or shrine las
you know perhaps by previous descriptions
is TO run gauntlet of beggars, cripples,
blind men and lepers, vino jostle you from
side to side and in plaintive appeals and
weeping means hold out a rusty tin or iron
kettle for copper and this was like all
other temples in this respect, except that
you were invited to step on the bridge
crossing the moat to see the sacred turtles
swimming aimlessly about in the light Of
the setting sun and with this halt the
creeping cripples and leprous limbed
portal parasites had sufficiently increased
in number to almost demand stipend un-
less you walked over them. In another
part of the little city, and owned by the
performing their daily labor clearing out
forest brush and Jungle stumps. All are
unhobbled, and obedient to the occasion
al thrust of the keepers Angus" they
slowly move their majestic bodies up the
slopes carrying in their trunks or holding
on their tusks huge logs of wood or i'm
mense bundles of brush. Not alone are
the mightiest of the beasts compelled to
work after captivity from the interior jun
gles but the small baby elephants actually
hustle with proportionate loads.
Taken as a whole, Handy is not only in
reality the capital city of Ceylon, but in
itself embodies and presents the life of
Ceylon as it is, unpolluted by foreign in
vasion and pure in all its native customs
and traditions so essential to the perpetual
ton of the original native life and living.
Not far from the city is the fairly re.
spectacle mountain called Adams Peak, on
which Adam of garden fame is said to he
buried Tea factories are everywhere in
operation and as centre for everything
grown in the island, as we'll as a nursery
for all kinds of foreign tropical vegetation,
the botanical garden, kept by the govern
ment and covering several square miles Of
territory rich in all kinds of spice trees
and medieval growths is unquestionably
|
any I've yet seen in the world. Finding
the climate of Ceylon not sufficiently ener
waiting nor invigorating to warrant Ions
stay advisable, l failed to go to Murawt
Ellya and 1.-The Buried City," requiring
several days travel, so returned to Colombo
the seeming home of crows, for they fly in
to the windows in the early morning AM
in numbers surpass the English sparrow o
America.
shall leave here tomorrow, Goth
for Tuticorin, India, and Madras Feb. 8 TO
Calcutta. | see that England is pushing
even her little colonies like Ceylon might
hard for volunteers and the Transvaal wi
soon see some of Colombo's raw recruit
that I've had the sport seeing drill in tn
green fronting the hotel. constantly NEE
Yale men from my class, the last, Presto
! and Ames, going the other way around vi
Australia, and many friends who have a
ready "done" India are now here to en-
bark for Egypt, taking this plan to avoi
plague, which they say is unnecessary a
the Bombay boats are not quarantined i
J Egypt, but they transfer passengers I
Colombo boats at Alden. Its all a fake
this fear of plague, and don't have hes
fancy about entering it. Experience he
taught me on this trip that what peop
tell me not to do is just what ought To Dc
d and whenever I've done it, I've afterwarC
( learnt that they didn't dare venture, know
g ing nothing about the unvisited spot excel
a what they had heard and believed.
I've enclosed in a paper the remnant