574 THE RUINED CITIES. [Part X. 



which, during this and other journeys m the northern 

 provinces, we were more than once indebted to the 

 courtesy of the priests. 



The country between Matelle and Nalande is ex- 

 tremely beautiful, and the road winds between wooded 

 hills, the offsets of the Kandyan ranges, which here 

 gradually sink into the level of the great northern 

 plain. These are traversed by numerous streams, 

 cliiefly flowing eastward to the Amban-ganga, and in 

 crossing, or, as too often happens, in fording them, one 

 is forcibly impressed Avith the wisdom of the course re- 

 commended by Sir Howard Douglas, to be pursued in 

 opening up an eastern country with highways, — to build 

 the bridges firsts and trust to the future for the formation 

 of roads. 



In Ceylon, for nine-tenths of the year, the groimd 

 is so indurated by the sun tliat it may be made tra- 

 versable for wheel carriages simply by leveUing the 

 surface ; and the real obstacle to movement is the 

 depth of the nullahs hollowed out by the numerous 

 riA'crs when swollen by the rains. Were the latter 

 bridged over in the first instance, the traffic attracted 

 would ensure the eventual construction of roads ; but in 

 Ceylon, where the opposite practice has prevailed, and 

 roads have been opened in all directions, without bridges 

 to connect them, they necessarily fall into disuse, and 

 speedily become overgrown with jungle. Those who have 

 visited Ceylon ^vill admit, as an axiomatic truth, that in 

 such a country bridges are more important than roads ; 

 whereas, roads without bridges are comparatively without 

 value. 



To the right of our hue of march, between Lenadora 

 and Dambool, stretched the low country once traversed 

 by the celebrated canal of Ellahara, cut by Prakrama- 

 bahu, in the 12th centuiy', by which tradition asserts 

 that an inland navigation was maintained from this 



^ FoKBEs's Eleven Years in Ceylon, vol. ii. p. 95. 



