MRS COL. WALKER’S TOUR IN CEYLON. - 225 
be seen ; indeed, none, but occasional small patches of the 
Sweet Potatoe (Convolvulus Batatas), or what I believe, is now 
called Batatas edulis, which they plant on little mounds 
like new-made graves in a country church-yard. Between 
Amblamgoddé and Hukady, wherever there is water suffi- 
cient for the purpose, the air is poisoned by the effluvia from 
the decaying cocoa-nut husks, which are steeped, as flax is 
at home, to prepare them for the manufacture of coir rope; 
the smell is even more offensive than that of flax undergoing 
the same operation. In this stage of the journey, there is 
also a good deal of lime made from the coral and shells 
collected on the beach, for burning which, we remarked 
quantities of the trunks of old Cocoa-nut Trees, cut up into 
. regular lengths; we were led to notice this circumstance, as, 
generally speaking, I do not think the cocoa-nut is ever used 
as fire-wood for domestic purposes. ^ The smoke from these 
lime-kilns, is only not quite so bad as the putrid cocoa-nut 
husks, so that, altogether, this is a disagreeable stage to the 
traveller, although there is some little appearance of industry 
- init, not met with elsewhere on this route, where the people - 
seem perfectly idle. It is probable that their only occupa- 
tion is that of fishermen, as the beach is covered with small: 
fishing Dhonies, in which they fish at a considerable distance _ 
from the land. : Ed 
“I shall give you separately, a list of the plants, cultivated  - 
and uncultivated, which we remarked between Colombo and _ x 
Galle; and only mention here those used for any particu- 
lar purpose, or such as greatly abound. At Cultura, the e = 
make hedges of the Cerbera Manghas in that neighbourhood ; E 
and as far as Amblamgoddé, Convolvulacee are very preva- . 
lent, extremely various, and many highly beautiful. From 
Bentotté, where the Galle district commences, the vegetation 
begins to vary, the prevailing plants being Cactus, Pandanus 
odoratissimus, and Crinum toxicarium, which covers acres in 
some places and of which, and the Pandanus, fences are made. E : 
In a river near Galle, we found the Nymphea Lotus, with 
deep rose-coloured flowers, inygreat abundance; the natives - 
Journ. of Bot. Vol. II. No. 13. June, 1840. — 26 — 
