THE VALUE OF ROADS. 219 



had constructed a first-class macadam road from 

 Colombo to Kandy, which is now superseded by the 

 railway of 1867. 



By means of these roads not only have those in the 

 heart of the country been materially benefited and 

 more easily reached in times of famine, but by them 

 also the Gospel, with its various means, is being very 

 much more quickly and effectively brought to the 

 people, fulfilling the words of Isaiah in his prophecies 

 respecting the glorious and final' ushering in of Gospel 

 blessings to all people, " Prepare ye the way of the 

 Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our 

 God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every moun- 

 tain and hill shall be made low : and the crooked shall 

 be made straight, and the rough places plain : and 

 the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh 

 shall see it together : for the mouth of the Lord hath 

 spoken it." 



In 1807, the Governor's chaplain, writing to a 

 friend in England, said : " Practically there are no 

 roads in Ceylon." Now there are nearly 1,500 miles 

 of metalled roads, besides 900 miles of gravelled, to 

 which may be added 600 miles of improved sand 

 roads available for traffic in dry weather. 

 The benefit to the people cannot be over-estimated. 

 Waste districts have been settled up. Settlements, 



