414 WILD BEASTS AND THEIR WAYS CHAP. 



exceeding thirty-three years. There were mighty changes in many 

 portions of the country, but at Newera Ellia the word "progress" 

 moves but slowly. The roads were certainly improved, as they 

 were superior to any of our highways in England. The bridges 

 were built of stone ; in the old days they were dangerous traps of 

 wood ; but I was disappointed in the number of private residences, 

 which had not increased to the extent that I should have expected 

 during so long an interval as thirty-three years. I left about 

 twenty-four houses, and found only thirty. 



Newera Ellia is a peculiar position, the plain, which is 3 

 miles in length, being G200 feet above the sea. This level 

 surface is surrounded by mountains, among which is Pedrotal- 

 lagalla, the highest point in Ceylon, 8300 feet. A stream runs 

 through the centre of the plain, and issues from a gap, whence it 

 descends in a succession of falls and rapids to the lower country. 



The gap has been dammed by a solid bhund of masonry, and, 

 by raising the level between two opposing heights, a considerable 

 portion of the marshy plain has been converted into a lake. This 

 has much improved the general appearance of the locality, as in 

 former years it bore the somewhat desolate aspect of a peat bog. 



Mr. Le Mesurier, the district magistrate, has set a bright 

 example by exerting his energy for the benefit of the public. At 

 his own cost he established a fish-nursery, to which he applied his 

 attention with such success that the lake now abounds with trout, 

 all of which have been hatched from ova introduced by himself, 

 and reared in his own tanks. This officer is an energetic sports- 

 man, and he keeps a pack of hounds for the hunting of sambur 

 deer (miscalled elk in Ceylon), and follows much upon my own 

 footsteps of a bygone age. 



It was a pecidiar pleasure to revisit this settlement, which is 

 the sanatorium of Ceylon, as I had worked so earnestly in its 

 foundation during my early days. The church which we assisted 

 in erecting was there, and the churchyard which we had laid out 

 within the forest was now filled ; one of the occupants being a 

 much-loved brother, who had helped to plan the cemetery when 

 we were young. All the graves were kept in beautiful order, and 

 the sadness of the spot was relieved by beds of European flowers, 

 and gravel walks that gave the appearance of an English garden. 



Some of the mountain slopes at Xewera Ellia had parted with 

 their original clothing of rank forest, and were covered from base 

 to peak with tea plantations. Others were producing cinchona ; 

 but the latter tree, although prosperous at the commencement, had 

 exhibited the risks attending all agricultural industries. The sub- 



