ee 
— 
COMPANION 
TO THE 
BOTANICAL MAGAZINE. 
JOURNAL OF AN ASCENT TO THE 
SUMMIT OF ADAM'S PEAK, 
CEYLON. 
(Accompanied by a Sketch of the Temple at the summit, 
Tas. I.) 
I HAVE already (Bot. Misc. Second Se- 
ries, vol. I. p. 180) given a brief notice of 
the exertions of Col. and Mrs. Walker in 
the cause of Botany, in the fertile and in- 
teresting island of Ceylon. In their vari- 
ous tours the vegetable productions of the 
country have occupied a large share of 
their attention ; so that Dr. Graham's Her- 
barium and my own have been greatly 
enriched by many rarities which have been 
communicated to us at various times, and 
of which a more particular notice will be 
given in this journal. These specimens 
too, have been, in many instances, accom- 
panied by drawings made on the spot, and dosa , Tabernemontana 
bera Manghas, &c. $c. Nothing new, 
which have of course added greatly to 
their value and usefulness. One of the 
most interesting of their excursions was 
to the summit of Adam's Peak, in the be- 
ginning of 1833; and an accurate journal 
ofit having been kept by Mrs. Walker, I 
have the permission of that highly accom- 
plished lady to insert it in the present 
work, though not without the expression 
of many fears, on her part, “ that it is too 
superficial to be of any value in such a 
publication, since it was written merely as 
a memorandum of places and events, Nd 
a view to refresh her own memory.” 
shall be much mistaken if it do not 
| e. as attractive to the readers of these 
pages as it has been productive of gratifi- 
cation to myself; and I could wish that many 
other spots in our distant colonies, cele- 
brated in history, and for their natural pro- 
ductions, might meet with an equally faith- 
ful and scientific journalist. 
W:J3. B. 
Jan. 24th, 1833.—Left Colombo about 
two p.m. and drove to Cadawelle, about 
ten miles; road rather bad in some places, 
but we were not under the necessity of 
getting out of the gig as we had expected; 
the country flat and uninteresting; in the 
jungle on each side of the road we re- 
marked most of the plants common in 
the neighbourhood of Colombo, Cleroden- 
dron infortunatum, prois Cen 
Melastoma 
dichotoma, “Ger. 
but a species of Guava (Psidium) with a 
very small leaf, which I had not remarked 
before. At Cadawelle we mounted our 
horses; our road continuing t | the 
same description of country, most of the 
way close to the banks of the Kalaniganga 
until we reached Hangwelle, (about capt 
miles) where we were to pass the night; 
the rest-house here is situated within the 
ditch and walls of an old fort, built by the _ 
Portuguese, or Dutch, and formerly of con- : 
siderable consequence, but now 
garrisoned 
I by an old invalid serjeant: it overlooks the 
river, on a high bank, covered with trees, 
and low jungle or underwood. The accom- 
