CEYLON COCOA ESTATE 177 



emotional creature whose grief is at the outset 

 almost uncontrollable, but so evanescent that a 

 few days or weeks sees the deepest sorrow 

 assuaged, and smiles quickly follow tears. In 

 the words of the wise old Book — " Sorrow may 

 endure for a night, but joy cometh in the 

 morning." A temperament which they share 

 with Celtic nations ; and one, I think, much to 

 be coveted, for to such, sorrows and cares press 

 lightly, and do not cut into the very soul, as 

 they do in a deeper nature. I am often struck 

 by the similarity in the Tamil character to that 

 of the Celtic branch to which I belong. Both 

 in faults and virtues they are singularly like the 

 Welsh ; but the Sinhalese are of quite a 

 different type. 



September 14th. — We have had another 

 proof of the efficacy of Muti vale's cure for 

 snakebite. Two days ago, a bull and two cows 

 were, whilst grazing, bitten by a brown tic 

 polonga ; they each fell down sideways quite 

 suddenly — and were very ill for some hours, 

 but the Kangany took them in hand and by 

 next day they were convalescent, and seem 

 now, the second day, to be as well as ever again. 



I may mention that last week another cow 

 was seized with identical symptoms in the same 

 grass field, but no one seeing a snake, the cause 

 of her illness was not suspected, and she died 

 two or three hours after the attack. I can only 



