Newer a Ettia. 35 



The high road from Colombo passes over the moun- 

 tains through Newera Ellia to Badulla, from which lat- 

 ter place there is a bridle-road, through the best shoot- 

 ing districts in Ceylon, to the seaport town of Battica- 

 loa, and from thence to Trincomalee. The relative dis- 

 tances of Newera Ellia are, from Galle, 1S5 miles; 

 from Colombo, 115 miles; from Kandy, 47 miles; 

 from Badulla, 36 miles ; from Batticaloa, 148 miles. 

 Were it not for the poverty of the soil, Newera Ellia 

 would long ago have become a place of great import- 

 ance, as the climate is favorable to the cultivation of all 

 English produce ; but an absence of lime in the soil, 

 and the cost of applying it artificially, prohibit the cul- 

 tivation of all grain, and restrict the produce of the 

 land to potatoes and other vegetables. Nevertheless, 

 many small settlers earn a good subsistence, although 

 this has latterly been rendered precarious by the appear- 

 ance of the well-known potato disease. 



Newera Ellia has always been a favorite place of re- 

 sort during the fashionable months, from the commence-, 

 ment of January to the middle of May. At that time 

 the rainy season commences, and visitors rapidly disap- 

 pear. 



All strangers remark the scanty accommodation 

 afforded to the numerous visitors. To see the number 

 of people riding and walking round the Newera Ellia 

 plain, it appears a marvel how they can be housed in 

 the few dwellings that exist. There is an endless sup- 

 ply of fine timber in the forests, and powerful saw-mills 

 are already erected ; but the island is, like its soil, 

 " poor." Its main staple, " coffee," does not pay suf- 

 ficiently to enable the proprietors of estates to indulge 

 in the luxury of a house at Newera Ellia. Like many 



