168 AROUND THE WOULD VIA INDIA. 



western Australian cities depends largely on the rich 

 gold mines in that section of the country. Fremantle 

 has a public hospital with accommodations for 40 pa- 

 tients ; the hospital at Perth is a new and modern build- 

 ing with a capacity for 200 patients. As we left the 

 harbor of Fremantle we were followed by our faithful 

 escort of albatrosses, which had never deserted us in the 

 open ocean since we left the New Zealand coast, but on 

 this occasion these magnificent living kites of the air 

 left us at dusk the first day out, never to return. With 

 the exception of occasional schools of flying fish, water 

 and air were sterile from coast to coast. Cool weather 

 continued for two days after leaving Fremantle, when 

 the winds gradually subsided, the sun displayed his 

 tropical properties and the drizzling rains saturated the 

 atmosphere with moisture, all of which made the heat 

 very oppressive. Blankets and heavy clothing were 

 laid aside and the officers set the example for the wear- 

 ing of clothes appropriate for the tropics. The low 

 palm-fringed coast of Ceylon, lightly veiled in a rising 

 fog, came in sight Wednesday morning and during the 

 forenoon we were comfortably quartered at the Grand 

 Oriental Hotel, Colombo. 



CEYLON. 



The island of Ceylon, called Singhala by the natives, 

 is about 55 miles from the southern extremity of Hin- 

 dustan, from which it is separated by Palk Strait. It 

 lies between 5° and 9° 1ST. latitude, hence in the very 

 midst of the tropics. The interior is mountainous, the 

 highest peaks being Pedrat, Allagalla and Adams' 

 Peak; the former rises to an altitude of 8,200 feet, the 

 latter 7,420 feet. The island is noted for its tropical 

 forests, impenetrable jungles and luxurious vegetation. 

 This island has had an eventful political history. It 

 was taken possession of by the Portuguese in the seven- 

 teenth century, passed later into the hands of the Dutch 

 by conquest, and was finally annexed to the British 



