could not secure. Its body was oblong, about an inch in length, and two-thirds of an inch broad; of a pale green colour, with a black stripe down the centre: as it held on to the cane on which we saw it, its legs extended an inch in front and an inch behind. We halted and bathed, and were well shampooed, and breakfasted or dined, and slept at Gilimalé, on each occasion, as circumstances permitted or rendered desirable. "Meantime unnumber'd glittering streamlets play'd And hurled every where their waters sheen That as they bicker'd through the sunny glade Though restless still themselves, a lulling murmur made.” THOMSON. On our second journey, when nearing the Ellapita ferry across the Kalu-ganga, we were overtaken by a most violent thunder storm. “The woods grew dark, as though they knew no noon; The thunder growled about the high brown hill, And the thin, wasted, shining summer rills Grew joyful with the coming of the rain, And doubtfully was shifting every vane with changing gusts of wind, Till came the storm blast, furious and blind Twixt gorges of the mountains, and drove back Began to turn from steely blue to grey And toward the sea the thunder drew away, The rain-clouds from Olympus."* Right glad were we to take shelter in the ferry-keeper's hut until its fury had abated; and thankful too, that we had encountered nothing like it while in the mountains. At Dimbulwitiya, about six and a half miles from Ratnapura, we met, while halting on our first journey, Wellanewatte Anunayaka Unánse, the second in rank of the priesthood of the Peak. He was on his way to the Sri-páda, travelling in state,-banner-bearers and musicians before him, himself borne in a palanquin by four tall coolies, two attendant priests on foot behind, and a retinue of servants and followers in the rear. Shrewd and intelligent in look, and in the full prime and vigour of manhood, he eyed us keenly, and on learning that we were returning from the pilgrimage, became greatly interested, questioning us as to the state of the roads, &c. When we that day regained our starting-point at Ratnapura, we were glad enough that our march of fifteen. miles was done. D.'s bungalow, the creature comforts he there provided, and the delicious beds we that night slept on, are things to be remembered as those productive of a heartfelt satisfaction, such as one meets with only on very rare occasions in the course of a busy but withal somewhat monotonous life. The next day we visited the gem pits and * MORRIS'S "Life and Death of Jason." gold diggings of Ratnapura; but as there were neither gemmers nor gold washers at work, we had to draw upon our imaginations for pictures of the treasures that possibly lay hidden beneath our feet. We saw however some fine specimens of the Talipot palm,* that "sultan of the stately tribe, Who once a century displays His flow'rs to man's admiring gaze; His buds a second time unfold. With arch on arch successive crown'd An ample screen from sun and storms, * The Corypha umbraculifera, "the stem of which sometimes attains the height of 100 feet, and each of its enormous fan-like leaves, when laid upon the ground, will form a semicircle of 16 feet in diameter, and cover an area of nearly 200 superficial feet. The tree flowers but once and dies; and the natives firmly believe that the bursting of the sheath, which contains a magazine of seeds, is accompanied by a loud explosion. The leaves alone are converted by the Sinhalese to purposes of utility. Of them they form coverings for their houses, and portable tents of a rude but effective character; and on occasions of ceremony, each chief and headman on walking abroad is attended by a follower, who holds above his head an elaborately ornamented fan, formed from a single leaf of the talpat. But the most interesting use to which they are applied is as substitutes for paper, both for books and for ordinary purposes. In the preparation of olas, which is the term applied to them when so As if her bounteous care had spread A shelter for the traveller's head, His languid form might find relief.”* One had only quite recently burst into bloom; the central flower spathe towered straight up from the stem, and was surrounded by others in gracefully drooping circles, the whole forming a most magnificent floral plume. Its appearance exactly corresponded with the description given of this noble palm by Mr. A. M. Ferguson in his Souvenirs of Ceylon. "The trunk rose about ninety feet in height. grand spike with its immense mass of primrose coloured blossoms rising thirty feet high, formed a rich contrast to the dark green of the foliage from which it sprang, and presented a spectacle perhaps the most glorious which the range of the vegetable kingdom can present." The employed, the leaves are taken whilst still tender, and, after separating the central ribs, they are cut into strips and boiled in spring water. They are dried first in the shade, and afterwards in the sun, then made into rolls, and kept in store, or sent to the market for sale. Before, however, they are fit for writing on, they are subjected to a second process, called madema. A smooth log of areca-palm is tied horizontally between two trees, each ola is then damped, and a weight being attached to one end of it, it is drawn backwards and forwards by the other till the surface becomes perfectly smooth and polished; and during the process, as the moisture dries up, it is necessary to renew it till the effect is complete. The smoothing of a single ola will occupy from fifteen to twenty minutes."-Sir J. E. TENNENT'S Ceylon, vol. i. pp. 109, 110. *"The Wanderer in Ceylon." Adam's Peak. "A gentle river wound its quiet way Through this sequester'd glade, meandering wide; Where the pure lotus, floating in its pride, Enjoy'd the breath of heaven, the sun's warm beam, "Here o'er green meads whose tresses waved outspread, Here in fleet motion o'er a pebbly bed, Gliding, they glance and ripple to the sun : CHAPTER IX. THE KALU-GANGA. KALUTARA. PA'NADURE'. - MORATUWA, BEING pressed for time on our March excursion, we returned to Colombo by the Ratnapura Coach; a course adopted, for the same reason, on our Christmas and NewYear's trip. But in September we determined upon taking the river route to Kalutara, and from thence to return to Colombo, by the Galle road. We accordingly engaged a |