CEYLON COCOA ESTATE 237 



and saucers of grey ware, Japanese or Chinese 

 (I don't know which) for the equivalent of 2d a 

 cup, and saucers and basins of the same for 3d 

 each. Another day I got a small basin from a 

 native caddy in Dumbera for sixpence. It had 

 a border of a particularly good blue, and was 

 enriched by sprigs of roses, in delicate tints of 

 pink and yellow. I could fill a crate with this 

 uncommon and decorative pottery, were it not for 

 the expense of freight and the risk of breakage. 

 January 30th. — We are having an un- 

 comfortable experience common to England as 

 well as Ceylon. We are at this moment minus 

 a cook ! The faithful servant who has been so 

 many years with my son left us two days ago 

 to be married. We all thought a satisfactory 

 substitute had been provided, but he did not 

 appear as he promised, so we are at the 

 mercy of the kitchen coolie, and a young horse- 

 keeper (groom) who has some taste for cooking, 

 and has often watched the " boy " at work. 

 I ransacked Kandy for a cook, but without 

 avail, not a single servant was disengaged owing 

 to the influx of Burmese visitors. Even the 

 servants' registry, which by the way is a govern- 

 ment institution, and abides under the roof of 

 the police barracks, had not a single name on 

 its books, so there is nothing for it but to put 

 up with very plain living until our servant re- 

 turns from his honeymoon, in ten days' time. 



