34 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 



gravel walks run through the estate. But a few years 

 past, and this was all wilderness. 



Dense forest reigned where now not even the stump 

 of a tree is standing ; the wind howled over hill and 

 valley, the dank moss hung from the scathed branches, 

 the deep morass filled the hollows; but all is changed 

 by the hand of civilization and industry. The dense 

 forests and rough plains, which still form the boundaries 

 3f the cultivated land, only add to the beauty. The 

 lonkeys and parrots are even now chattering among 

 he branches, and occasionally the elephant in his 

 ~.:<ghtly wanderings frespasses upon the fields, uncon- 

 scious of the oasis within his territory of savage nature. 



The still, starlight night is awakened by the harsh 

 bark of the elk ; the lofty mountains, gray with the sil- 

 very moonlight, echo back the sound ; and the wakeful 

 hounds answer the well-known cry by a prolonged and 

 savage yell. 



This is " Newera Ellia," the sanatorium of Ceylon, 

 the most perfect climate of the world. It now boasts 

 of a handsome church, a public reading-room, a large 

 hotel, the barracks and about twenty private residences. 



The adjacent country, of comparatively table land, 

 occupies an extent of some thirty miles in length, vary- 

 ing in altitude from 6200 to 7000 feet, forming a base 

 for the highest peaks in Ceylon, which raise to nearly 

 t)ooo feet. 



Alternate large plains, separated by belts of forest, 

 rapid rivers, waterfalls, precipices and panoramic view* 

 of boundless extent, form the features of this country, 

 which, combined with the sports of the place, render a 

 residence at Newera Ellia a life of health, luxury and 

 independence. 



