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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [March i, 1886. 



THE NEW PROVINCE OP UVA. 



M.U)ULSIUA AND HKWA ELIYA PLANTING BISTKICTS : 



THE " ULTIMA THULE " OF UVA. 



ILL ROUND THE ESTATES, WITH THE GBOWIH OF 



areCHONA, TEA, CACAO, RcnEEE, &C. AS WELL AS THE 



CONDITION OP OLD KING COFFEE. 



(From Our Special Correspondent.) 



Unable as I was to visit the Madulsima and 

 Hewa Eliya districts as intended, after the (iovernor 

 liad performed "the function" of proclaiming tlie 

 new province, I am fortunate in being able to lay 

 before you the following sketch of a trip round 

 the districts. No one cay say that " my cousin 

 Ich Dien " does not form a competent guide, and 

 although all he says about scenery and vegetation, 

 coigns of vantage and groves of luxuriance, makes 

 one inwardly resolve to " do " the twin districts on 

 the first opportunity ; yet, for the present, your 

 readers are better served than if they had had to 

 irust to the descriptive powers of your own corre- 

 ■pondent ; — 



Madulsima, 8th Feb. 188G. 



My dear X., — I have just received your note, and 

 am greatly pleased to learn, that at last there 

 is a prospect of your being able to visit us in 

 this veritable " ultima Thule " of planting districts, 

 Madulsima to wit. I had almost prefixed the word 

 coffee to " planting," so strong is the force of 

 habit, but the old king's regal state is rapidly 

 disappearing, and the boundaries of his once ex- 

 tensive and flourishing kingdom are as surely con- 

 tracting in Madulsima, as they are elsewhere in 

 the island. Whether we have done wisely in de- 

 posing the old monarch, and placing is his room 

 and stead a sovereign whose name is Tea, sup- 

 ported by a cabinet, composed of cinchona, cacao, 

 rubber, cardamoms, pepper, i4c. — cinchona, of 

 course being First Lord of the Treasury and 

 Premier— you will be able to judge for yourself 

 when you have seen the twin-sister districts of 

 Madulsima and Hewa Eliya. It is a true saying, 

 often repeated by our jealous neighbours in 

 BaduUa, and worthy of qualified acceptation, 

 that Madulsima is not wont to hide her light 

 under a bushel, and it is with " unconcealed 

 but bashful satisfaction," that we congratulate 

 ourselves on the fact that our district is 

 the very hub of enlightenment, as regards 

 the perfect cultivation of anything and every- 

 thing which is warmed into life and usefulness, 

 by the kindly light and heat of the sun. 



More than a dozen years have gone by, since 

 we last had the pleasure of seeing you amongst 

 us, and yoti must be prepared for many changes. 



The pioneers of the district have nearly all gone 

 from us. Bailie, Adam, Mainwaring, Ballantyne and 

 de Havilland have crossed the bourne from which 

 no traveller returns. Arthur, Eeid, (iarioch and 

 Edwards have gone to other districts. Channing 

 Esdaile has just returned to his early love and 

 is, I fancy, the only remainmg representative of 

 our district in its youthful days. A now race has 

 arisen, who display an intelligent interest and 

 energetic action in the introduction and cultivation 

 of " new products," of which latter you are anxious 

 to see something. Come on then ! and see for your- 

 self, and bf ■ nvinced that our districts have taken 

 a new lease ul life, which promises to be a more 

 vigorous as well as ■ a more profitable one than 

 the old. 



As many of the old landmarks have been re- 

 moved, and you are anxious to see as much- as 

 possible, in the few days you have to spare, I 

 would suggest your adoption of a route by which 

 ynn may see nearly every estate in the district. 



You had better try to make Passara on the same 

 day as you leave Nuwara Eliya. You can easily 

 reach Attampitiya to breakfast and come on pretty 

 early in the afternoon to Badulla, where I will 

 have a trap waiting for you, and you can then 

 drive on quietly to Passara in the cool of the 

 evening. Endeavour to start as early as possible 

 next morning, in order that you may reach Lunu- 

 gala early in the day. 



The little town of Passara, which was only a 

 few straggUng caddies when you first knew it, will 

 surprise you with the manner in which it has 

 lengthened its stays and strengthened its stakes, 

 and when you have passed through its long 

 line (nearly a mile in length) of substan- 

 tial brick-built bazaars, and emerged on the 

 saddle, you will note that a bridle-path strikes 

 off on the left hand side of the road, through 

 Kitulkele and on to Madulsima, and by this route 

 I propose bringing you back. 



The path on the opposite side of the road, forms 

 the only means of communication with Monaragala. 

 If the morning is clear, you will have a tine view 

 of the Peacock Hill as you drive along the rond. 

 It is a pity you could not have afforded to pay 

 this rising young district a visit, for there is some- 

 thing well worth seeing in the shape of cacao and 

 cardamoms, and rumours are not wanting that 

 the brave and energetic band of planters whose 

 lot is cast on its slopes are in a short time to 

 astonish us with their tea. I hope this may be 

 true, for the gallant little band who have trans- 

 formed the "barren rock " into a flourishing garden 

 deserve success. 



But to return to your supposed immediate vicinity. 

 The first estate you will come to is Letchami- 

 watte, now the property of E. C. Byers. Some 

 good young cinchona in the fields adjoining the 

 road will attract your attention. Next comes a 

 small estate belonging to some chetties, who have 

 not discovered the philosopher's stone in follow- 

 ing the lead of the coffee planter. A few minutes' 

 drive will bring you into Hanipha where liveth 

 the genial " Godfrey," whose presence doeth one 

 good like a medicine, and upon whom I shall ask 

 you to call on your way back, as all his new pro- 

 ducts are on the other side of his big bold hill. 

 A few miles more will bring you to Gallabodde, a 

 full view of which you will obtain from your trap 

 as you drive along. The little |)atoh of coffee in 

 the hollow at the bottom, seems still to be the 

 best part of the property, which did more for 

 Edwards and Watt, than it has ever done, or is 

 ever likely to do for those who succeeded them. 

 A few miles after passing Gallabodde will bring you 

 into a group of young estates, known as Lower 

 Madulsima, and from this point your interest in 

 new products will be excited, and I venture to 

 say, sustained until you have seen all that there 

 is to be seen in Madulsima and Hewa Eliya. 

 First of all then, let us take Kehelwatte, which, it 

 it is not now in the van of progress \rith a large 

 area of new products, certainly can lay claim 

 to a very large share in their introduction into 

 the district, for it was here thai many hundreds 

 of thousands of cinchona, ci-.rdr mom and tea plants 

 were successfully raised, which have since helped 

 to maintain hundred.? of acres in our district 

 under cultivation, and pity 't is that the spirited 

 prime mover in these large nurseries did not meet 

 with a reward more commensurate with the 

 energy and enterprize displayed by him. May 

 he still have it, in the little property close 

 adjoining, but on the other side of the road, 

 and named Hoptou, which has some very fine 

 young cinclionas, and ft considerable area under 



