128 
NATURE 
[¥une 10, 1886 
periods it is well to experience both, and for the botanical 
collector it is important that collections should be finally 
made up in dry weather ; it would be found that leaving 
England in November, and landing at the beginning of 
December, the weather would still be wet and vegetation 
luxuriant, but preservation of dry species would be diffi- 
cult: a gradual change would be experienced, till in 
February and March the dry and hot season would have 
come in, vegetation would be more or less checked, and 
the preservation of dry specimens would be easy. Re- 
turning towards the end of March the English winter 
would be past, and, if he be a teacher, the traveller would 
be in time for the summer session in our Universities or 
medical schools. 
Once on the spot the first question is one of accommo- 
dation. At Peradeniya there are neither hotels nor 
lodgings; a house must be taken and temporarily fur- 
nished, and it is surprising how cheaply this can be done. 
I took a small bungalow, the rent of which was Rs. 40 
per month; friends lent me some articles of furniture, and an 
expenditure of Ks. 150 supplied all else that was required 
for temporary housekeeping. The cost of keeping house, 
including the wages of two native servants, rent, &c., with 
a margin for incidental expenses, may be set down at 
about Rs. 250 per month; allowing further some Rs. 200 
for travelling expenses, it will be found that Rs. 1,500 will 
represent the total necessary expenses of residence in the 
island for four months. But in its present depreciated 
state, the rupee is worth only about 1s. 6d.: it will there- 
fore be sufficient to lodge about 1157. at a bank in Ceylon 
to cover all necessary expenses for four months’ residence. 
T would not advise, however, that that exact sum only should 
be transferred ; it would be more prudent to allow a margin 
for possible contingencies. The total expenses of a six 
months’ trip to Peradeniya may thus be set down as 250/. 
But there are various ways in which strict economy might 
reduce the cost, while if two friends were to club together, 
their individual expenses for housekeeping would be con- 
siderably below the sum above stated for one. Thus it 
will be seen that neither in difficulty of transit nor in point 
of expense are there sufficient obstacles to prevent a visit 
to Peradeniya, or some similar station, finding a place in 
the programme of the career of an average botanist. One 
of the chief obstacles will be felt by many to be the loss of 
possible opportunities while absent, or the break in con- 
tinuity of teaching, or other work in which a man may be 
already engaged. I venture to think that these are much 
overrated objections ; and against them may be set the 
very great advantages which a tropical visit carries with 
it. A further question is, at what period in a man’s career 
will a visit of this sort best repay him? Some will say 
immediately after taking his degree: but I am inclined to 
think that even a first-class man is at that time hardly 
prepared to make the best of the opportunity should it 
offer. The experience gained by a few years of teaching 
and of original work at home will indicate what is to be 
expected and what is to be looked for, and will fit a man 
in many ways for striking out new lines for himself, even 
if it have not already defined for him a clear line of 
research, On the other hand, it is important that travel- 
ling should be undertaken before a man settles in life, so 
that his mind may be as free as possible from distractions 
and anxieties. 
We may now pass on to consider what are the specific 
advantages presented by Peradeniya as a station for 
botanical work. It is, as I have said, easily accessible ; 
being more than 1500 feet above the sea, the excessive 
heat of the low country is avoided, and it may be regarded 
as a decidedly healthy place. Secondly, it is situated in 
a central position, both as regards the whole island, and 
as regards the chief lines of communication by rail and 
road. Thus it is easy to gain access to the low country 
by train to Colombo, whence roads, traversed often by 
horse coaches, will lead along the coast, or inland in 
various directions ; or, taking the up-country line, Newara 
Eliya may be visited, which lies about 6000 feet above 
the sea, and would serve as a good centre for working the 
higher levels; or again, a journey northwards by train and 
coach to Anuradhapura would give an insight into the 
low-level vegetation of the drier northern districts. From 
the above notes it will be readily seen how varied is the 
character of the country within easy reach from Pera- 
deniya, presenting within a comparatively small area 
districts varying from the sea-level to 8000 feet, and in- 
cluding both damp and relatively dry areas at low levels. 
This in itself would lead one to expect a rich and varied 
flora ; and in fact the list of native plants now numbers 
some 3000 species, a very considerable proportion of 
which are peculiar to the island. These and other natural 
advantages are, however, eclipsed by the importance of the 
Royal Gardens themselves as providing a field for those 
hitherto unfamiliar with tropical nature. Here there are 
collected in a small area a great variety of species, both 
native and imported; truly no botanist who has resided at 
Peradeniya can any longer complain of want of scope ; 
if he does not find ample material for future work, he can 
only lay the blame on his own want of imagination. In 
the excellent herbarium and library, as well as in the fine 
series of coloured figures of native plants which are lodged 
in the Garden, he would find the greatest assistance in 
recognising and naming plants collected ; while lastly, in 
the presence of the Director, who is the best living authority 
on the flora of Ceylon, are found those social and scientific 
elements which go far to enhance the pleasure of a visit 
to Ceylon, 
In my former article mention was made of Java, where 
the Gardens of Buitenzorg, presided over by Dr. Treub, 
present great attractions for botanists. In my case, short. 
ness of the time at my disposal prevented a visit to this 
famous Garden, and probably the same difficulty will 
present itself to others. There is, however, one conspicu- 
ous advantage which it possesses over Peradeniya as a 
station for botanical research, viz. a well appointed labor- 
atory. If, as seems not improbable, a journey to the 
tropics and a period of steady work among tropical plants 
become a usual prelude to a career of active teaching in 
botany, ovght not the English to provide themselves with 
some suit ible station for such work? Is every man, 
whether well-to-do or impecunious, to depend upon his 
own resources alone for laboratory accommodation, re- 
agents, glass, and all other accessories necessary for his 
work? orare we to be content to send our botanists to suck 
what advantage they can from the hospitable Dutch, just 
as we send our forestry students to study with the French ? 
Surely it would be a most legitimate way of extending the 
usefulness of the Garden at Peradeniya, and, in a small 
way it is true, of guarding the credit of England as a 
tropical Power, to establish a laboratory for the use of 
travellers. It need not bea large or conspicuous building. 
Dr. Trimen tells me that suitable accommodation for the 
present could be found in the buildings already standing 
in the Gardens, and probably roo/. would cover the initial 
cost of supplying the bare necessaries of life in the labor- 
atory. The knowledge that such accommodation would 
be found at the other end would certainly encourage those 
who are doubtful to undertake a journey to Ceylon. 
It may be noted that no mention has been made of the 
Western tropics as a field for research ; there can be no 
doubt as to the richness of the field, but I am not aware 
that there are any stations in the West which can compare 
with Per radeniya or Buitenzorg in convenience, accessi- 
bility, and general adaptation to the requirements of those 
who contemplate only a comparatively short visit. 
Lastly, the cost of the journey will be found to be hie 
most frequent deterrent from undertaking it ; 250/. is 
large sum to spend upon six months’ work w hich can brit 
no direct financial return, however great may be the ulti- 
mate advantage gained from it ; ; travelling Fellowships are 
