KANDY AND POINT DE GALLE. 287 



the best portion of Neptune's Garden. At the sight of this lovely 

 grove of pale-green coral (the madrepores are most conspicuous, 

 growing in the crystal sea-water on clean white rocks and sand), I 

 wished that, for a time at least, I could have the power to roam at 

 will over the bottom of the sea. What treasures one could gather, 

 provided one were not gathered first by a shark or octopus. 



Galle is a famous place for precious stones, and rascally Moor- 

 men who deal in cut-glass imitations. The island produces very 

 fine sapphires, blue, yellow, and white ; cat's eyes, moonstones, 

 garnets, " Ceylon ruby " (ruby topaz), star stones, carbuncles, tur- 

 quoise, and "Ceylon diamonds." The sapphu-e is the piece de re- 

 sistance of the dealer ; but, while stones of poor quality are oflfered 

 by the score, really fine ones ai-e few and far between. Of all the 

 Ceylon gems this is the most successfully imitated in glass, and it 

 is hazardous for the average traveller to buy of any but a respon- 

 sible dealer. 



Pearls may be had by the quart, good ones, too, at from one 

 shilling to twenty shillings each. Gems are equally reasonable in 

 price, and I took the opportunity to select a series of both rough 

 and cut stones of all the kinds for sale in Galle, as so many mineral- 

 ogical specimens for Professor Ward's private cabinet. Some time 

 previously I had made the acquaintance of as honest a dealer as I 

 ever wish to see, Mahommed Ossen by name (if you care to know), 

 who took pains to supply me with all that I wished at very satis- 

 factory prices. His shop is, or was, very near the Oriental Hotel, 

 and this wholly gratuitous advertisement is inserted solely for the 

 reader's benefit when he visits Galle. 



There is one class of dealers to be encountered in Galle, which 

 is a ver}' important factor in the sum of every traveller's happiness, 

 whether he wiU or no. They are vampires of a mild sort, and feed 

 upon travellers only. The moment your steamer drops anchor in 

 the harbor they swarm on deck and crowd around you, oftering the 

 most beautiful gems (of cut glass) you ever saw. They dazzle you 

 with sapphires in all coloi's, as large as filberts sometimes, topazes, 

 rubies, and pearls, chiefly set in rings, warranted in every case, 

 "good estone, good gole, sar ! " If you buy, by all means go to a 

 respectable dealer as soon as possible, and get the gauge of your 

 gullibility. Their best " safi*er " rings would be dear at fifteen 

 cents a dozen, for the metal is brass of the poorest kind, and wiU 

 show its true colors in about a fortnight. 



These venders of bogus jewelry are all Moormen, easily distin- 



