EXCURSION TO 
flank of one of the strongest positions 
taken up by the Kandyans during the war, 
the river protecting their right: as far as I 
can judge on such a subject, the post 
seems to have been well chosen. 
27th.—Our ride this evening was to 
view the spot where Major Haddock, of 
the 97th Regiment was killed by an ele- 
phant, little more than half a mile from 
his own house at Ruanwelle. The jungle is 
thick and, in attempting to escape, Major 
H. took a wrong turn and met the animal 
in a narrow path where escape was im- 
possible. 
28th.—Started at six A.M. on horse- 
back, accompanied by Capt. L., to con- 
tinue our journey ; road good ; through a 
fine valley bounded on each side by low 
hills. Crossed the same river, called at 
Ruanwelle, the Kalanygunga; but here it 
goes by another name, which I forget. The 
natives give the same river a dozen dif- 
ferent appellations; calling. it after every 
village it passes; taking the name of one 
until it reaches the next, which is then be- 
stowed upon it. The scenery continued 
much the same for about eight miles, 
when we halted and had a dejeuné à la 
fourchette, under a group of magnificent 
iron-wood trees, Mesua ferrea. 
After breakfast we resumed our journey 
in our moonsheels, sending our horses 
back to Colombo, the road from hence 
being considered unfit for cavalry: our 
friend, Capt. L., who had kindly escorted s 
us thus far on our way, returned to Ruan- 
Our route continued through the 
with occasional ascents and descents, less 
cultivation, and the jungle more dense. 
Among the most remarkable of the trees 
we saw in flower, was the Cinchona thyrsi- 
flora, of great size and beauty. The same 
style of country continued for five or six 
miles with little variety, until we reached 
a long and steep ascent where a ridge 
divides the districts of the three Corles, on 
which Ruanwelle is situated, from Suffra- 
gam; and from the top of it we had a 
splendid view of that rich and fertile dis- 
trict. The descent was abrupt and nerd. 
ADAM’S PEAK. 5 
and at the foot of it lay the village of 
Patberea, our place of rest for the night. 
The villages of Ceylon all consist of strag- 
gling mud houses, at a considerable dis- 
tance from each other, generally con- 
cealed from the traveller by trees, but 
always to be discovered by the appear- 
ance of the Cocoa Nut, and Areca Nut 
trees; which, in the interior, where they 
are not so common as on the sea-coast, 
always indicate the vicinity of the habita- 
tion of man. Having travelled a cross road, 
on which there are no rest-houses, the 
headman of the village had been directed 
to prepare a place for our reception. Such 
temporary buildings are soon erected with 
a few posts and cajans, (the leaf of the 
cocoa nut plaited,) of which the roof, walls, 
and partitions are formed, and lined within 
with white cloths, furnished by the wash- 
ermen of the village for the occasion, and 
fixed up, ina primitive and simple man- 
ner, with large thorns from the neighbour- 
ing jungle, which are used as pins. Our 
sitting apartment, that we might have the 
benefit of light and air, was only enclosed 
to the height of four feet, consequently we 
were completely exposed to the whole 
assembled population of the place; Euro- 
pean travellers, particularly ladies, being a 
novel sight, we could, by no means, con- 
trive to get rid of our disagreeable levée, 
until, fortunately for us, a heavy shower 
2e which dispersed the crowd; tho 
e braved a ducking for the gratifica- 
ion ge their curiosity, and continued to 
watch all our proceedings. Our rural 
dwelling was situated in a thick grove of 
palms, consisting principally of the Areca 
Nut, Areca catechu, Cocas nucifera and 
Gigantic Tallepot, Corypha umbraculifera. 
29th.—It was seven o'clock before we 
could collect our coolies, who were changed 
here for people of the district, through 
which we were about to travel, those who 
had brought us through the three Corles, re- 
turning from hence; we, therefore, waited to 
see our off before we started. Our 
route at first lay, for about a mile, Pro 
the finest paddy fields I have ever seen; 2 
tract of dense jungle s pe 
