34 



NAXURM 



[November 9, 1899 



■annual temperature of 6i° F. Frost never occurs, though 

 it is frequent at sHghtly higher elevations, such as 

 Nuwara Eliya (6200 feet). There is, unfortunately, 

 no accommodation for visitors at present nearer than 

 Nuwara EUya, six miles away ; but it is hoped to erect a 

 small laboratory in the garden, with a small living room 

 attached, where workers may live and sleep. 



A fourth garden is kept up at Badulla, the capital of 

 the Uva province, at an elevation of 2200 feet, on the 

 eastern side of the mountains. The chief botanical 

 interest of this district lies in its somewhat drier climate, 

 •so that it has much more patana land than the western 

 side of the mountains, and in the fact that its dry season 

 comes, not in the north-east but in the south-west mon- 

 soon, so that the periodicity of the vegetation is different. 

 Fruit, which at Peradeniya ripens in March and April, 

 ripens at Badulla in August, and so on. 



Yet another garden is maintained at the ancient capital 

 of the island, the famous " buried city " of Anuradhapura, 

 the capital of the north-central province. This lies in the 

 middle of the dry country, which makes up about three- 

 fifths of the island, and has an Indian climate, with rain 

 almost confined to the last three months of the year, and 

 drought during the remainder, including the south-west 

 monsoon. The flora of this district is therefore, as might 

 be expected, very different from that of the rainy south- 

 western and central provinces. 



The island can show, within an area of rather less than 

 that of Ireland, a most remarkable range of climate and 

 flora, rendering it very interesting to the traveller and 

 naturalist ; in this respect it is unrivalled in the tropics. 

 The working botanist or student has, further, the great 

 advantage of having at his hand the excellent flora pre- 

 pared by Dr. Trimen, and finished after his death by Sir 

 Joseph Hooker. There are doubtless many new species 

 still to be found in the eastern and south-western 

 districts, as well as many unrecorded species ; but the 

 student who does not desire to specialise in this depart- 

 ment of botany will be grateful for the useful flora, which 

 renders the identification of his collections, or of the 

 .plants he may be experimenting with, a matter of com- 

 parative ease. The vascular cryptogams and many of 

 the mosses have been identified, but there is much to be 

 •done at the lower forms of vegetation. 



Peradeniya is easily reached from any part of the 

 world, Colombo being one ,of the greatest ports of call. 

 Direct lines of steamers run to Europe, China, Japan, 

 Java, Queensland, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney, 

 Mauritius, South Africa, and all Indian ports. Madras 

 may be reached in thirty-eight hours by boat and rail. 

 To England there is a very large choice of steamers. 

 The favourite lines with Ceylon people are perhaps the 

 Bibby and the Norddeutscher Lloyd, but the P. and O., 

 "the Orient, Messageries Maritimes, British India, and 

 many others, are much used. The first-named is the 

 •cheapest of the large English lines, but is first-class only. 

 First-class returns to Colombo, available for six months, 

 ■are from 70/. to 90/. Second-class, which is very com- 

 fortable on the largest lines, is from 50/. to 60/. A few 

 pounds are necessary on the voyage for tips, sports, trips 

 on shore, &c. Banking accounts may be opened in 

 Kandy, and money easily remitted to and from Europe. 

 The value of the rupee is now \s. 4</.,and seems likely to 

 xemain at that figure. 



Very little is necessary in the way of outfit. Drill and 

 khaki clothes can be bought here for less than half their 

 price in England ; also topees (sun-hats). At Kandy the 

 usual dress is similar to that worn in England in summer ; 

 at Nuwara Eliya it is colder, and tweed suits are often 

 worn. All articles of clothing can be bought here, and 

 usually as cheaply as, or more so than, in Europe. 



The usual division of the day is as follows : Rising at 

 -daylight, a light early tea of eggs and toast is taken about 

 '6.15, after which a walk in the garden is pleasant, com- 



NO. 1567, VOL. 61] 



mencing laboratory work at 7.30, and continuing till 1 1, 

 which is the breakfast hour. After breakfast follows a 

 rest indoors, but not sleep, and work may be resumed at 

 about 1.30 for a couple of hours or so. After tea the re- 

 maining two hours of light are given to tennis, cycling, 

 and other forms of exercise, followed by a bath, and 

 dinner at 7 or 7.30. The evening is devoted to amuse- 

 ment. 



Travelling in Ceylon is easy in all but the most out-of- 

 the way or sparsely populated parts. Railways and 

 good roads intersect the greater part ot the island, and 

 there are coach services to a great number of places not 

 served by the railways. Rest-houses or Government 

 inns are found in alb towns that have no hotels, and at 

 intervals of 14 miles along all main roads. The average 

 cost of living while on tour may be put down as about 

 Rs. 7 or 8 per diem exclusive of fares by rail or coach. 

 Steamers run round the island, calling at all the chief 

 ports. 



There is at present no rest-house or hotel at Pera- 

 deniya itself, and visitors must live in Kandy, where 

 arrangements have been made with some of the hotels 

 to board persons working in the laboratory at from 

 Rs. 5 to Rs. 7 per day. There is a convenient service of 

 trains, but the most satisfactory way is to cycle in and 

 out. The road is in excellent order, and the distance 

 from the furthest hotel under five miles. It is hoped 

 that accommodation may be provided at Peradeniya 

 itself before long. 



Assuming that six months are spent from starting to 

 date of arrival back in Europe, the cost of the trip 

 should not much exceed 185/., made up thus : 

 Fare (first return) ... ... ;^85 



Twenty weeks' board 66 



Travelling ... 20 



Sundry ... ... ... ... 12 to 20 



This might be much reduced by economy, and by 

 travelling second-class from Europe, and the propor- 

 tionate cost would of course be less if the visit were of 

 longer duration. If much travelling is to be done in the 

 island the amount shown above will have to be increased, 

 the 20/. being allowed for four weeks only. By very 

 close economy and reduction of travelling, and by 

 travelling second-class, the total might be reduced to 

 perhaps -140/. 



Trustworthy information about Ceylon maybe obtained 

 in various books. The most interesting are Sir E. 

 Tennent's "Ceylon," which is now out of print ; and to a 

 botanist, Trimen's paper " On the Flora of Ceylon as 

 affected by Climate," in the Journal of Botany for 1886. 

 Ferguson's Handbook and Directory contains a vast 

 mass of information and statistics, and his " Ceylon in 

 1893" is also of interest. 



Intending visitors should communicate some time in 

 advance with the director, mentioning what line of work 

 they propose to take up, and any special facilities they 

 may require. JOHN C. Willis. 



THE STOCKHOLM INTERNATIONAL 

 FISHERIES CONFERENCE. 



THE International Conference, which met in Stock- 

 holm from June 15 to June 23 last, and had for 

 its object the arrangement of a scheme for the explor- 

 ation of the northern seas in the interests of fisheries, 

 has now issued its report. The Conference assembled at 

 the invitation of the Government of Sweden, and official 

 representatives attended on behalf of the Governments of 

 Germany, Denmark, Great Britain, Norway, Holland, 

 Russia and Sweden. 



The formal resolutions unanimously passed by the delegates- 

 Messrs. Archer, Cleve, Drechsel, Ekman, von Grimm, Heincke, 



