KANDY AND POINT DE GALLE. 285 



the shady avenue leave the jungle, save to take us for a short run 

 through the continuous grove of ever-lovely cocoa palms, which 

 stretches along the sandy shore like dark green fringe. I envy 

 the lazy Singhalese whose clean and tidy little huts nestle in the 

 cool cocoanut groves, surrounded by thiifty banana trees that are 

 bowing down with the weight of thegreen fruit clusters. Looking 

 through the forest of clean white cocoa-trunks, you get glimpses of 

 the sea which make you eager for a better view, until pi'esently an 

 indenture in the coast brings it close to the roadside and opens 

 before you a charming prospect of calm blue water dotted over 

 with tiny white specks which you know must be the sails of the 

 small fishing-boats. We pass two large parties of seine-haulers 

 just in the act of hauling their long seines up to the shore, but we 

 dash by too quickly for detailed investigation. No doubt their 

 nets contain treasures of the deep which we would gladly seize 

 upon, but it is too late now. 



By and by we reach Kaltura, at the mouth of the Kalu Ganga, 

 one of the largest rivers of Ceylon. From the bridge it looks more 

 like a lagoon than a river. Kaltura ! Aha ! This is the place where 

 a wealthy and influential old Singhalese gentleman, a member of 

 the Church of England in good standing, died a few weeks ago, and 

 was refused a Christian burial by the pastor in charge. The re- 

 fusal was based on the suspicion, or I may say rumor, that in his last 

 moments the old gentleman had renounced his Christian faith and 

 accepted the offices of a native priest. Two sons of the deceased, 

 whose Christianity no one doubts, were greatly distressed by this 

 unfeeling refusal, and the bishop was appealed to by telegraph, and 

 also by letter, for a mandamus, to compel the minister to perform 

 the duty of his office. It was of no avail, and the family was at last 

 obliged to convey the father's remains to Panadura, where they 

 found a minister of more liberal views, who read the burial service 

 in due form. For days the papers of the island were full of arti- 

 cles anent the matter, for and against both parties, and the public 

 mind was wrought up to quite a pitch of excitement. " Fie on 't ! 

 oh, fie ! " As if the reading of the sei*vice would have offended 

 God or harmed the minister ; or the entire omission of it for one 

 moment disturbed the peaceful repose of the tired old man. Tims 

 do representative Christians affect an exclusiveness which their 

 Master utterly condemned and bring His cause into contempt. 

 Why not have given the dead man the benefit of the doubt, and 

 bestowed upon his remains the usual ceremony which his sons had 



