EXCURSION TO 
lled through 
extensive iy fields, bearing the finest 
crops I ever saw in the country. The sides 
of the paths were fringed by several very 
pretty species of Utricularia, generally 
blue, purple, and white. In one field I 
mistook a range of scarecrows for a field 
of reapers. This valley appearsto me the 
richest and most populous part of the in- 
terior of Ceylon through which I have 
travelled. The morning was foggy, and a 
haze continued to hang about the sur- 
rounding hills till the sun was pretty high, 
adding to the beauty and interest of the 
scene, by leaving something to the imagi- 
nation of the traveller. For about five miles 
our road continued through paddy fields, 
we then crossed a river, the name of 
which I am ignorant of; but its banks 
were ornamented by the most magnificent 
bamboos I ever saw. Just before we ap- 
proached it, we had a superb view of 
Adam’s Peak and the surrounding moun- 
tains. After crossing the river, our road 
carried us for about a mile over fine turf, 
surrounded by high trees and bamboos, 
with occasional views of the Peak be- 
tween. It was half-past nine when we 
-reached Cooroowette, our halting place 
until the cool of the evening. Having here 
joined the main road, we found a wretched 
rest-house made to look a little decent by 
the mud walls having been covered with 
white cloths for our reception. Bad as the 
accommodation here is, I should have 
liked to have remained a day on account 
of the beauty of the surrounding scenery. 
‘intended after breakfast to have taken 
a sketch of the Peak, &c.; but, alas! after 
breakfast no rock was visible; the moun- 
tains were completely enveloped in clouds, 
and a person arriving then, might, with 
apparent truth assert that, Adam's Peak 
was not to be seen from Cooroowette. This 
was the more provoking, as we did not in- 
tend to return by the same route, and are 
not likely to have another opportunity of 
seeing it again. At three, we proceeded on 
our journey, and found that we needed not 
to have delayed so long, on account of the 
sun, as we travelled through ; a forest of 
ADAM'S PEAK. 
high trees, impervious to his.rays: many of 
the trees in this forest were clothed to the 
top with the Pandanus scandens, which is 
very ornamental to those trees which do 
not throw out their branches till near the 
top, as is often the case in woods here. 
The road was good all the way through 
this forest, on emerging from which we 
travelled through low jungle; the country 
afterwards becoming more open and the 
scenery fine, generally on a descent all 
the way. As we approached Ratnapoora 
the ground became frequently marshy, and 
the road sometimes under water for three 
or four hundred yards on a stretch; and yet 
the defect in the landscape here is want of 
water. The mountains and woods are per- 
fect; but no fine lake or river embellishes 
the scene. We found here almost all 
the plants common in the moist parts of 
the Cinnamon garden near Columbo ; the 
Nepenthes, oo eee ,) very 
luxuriant; Melastoma Malabathrica, Os- 
beckia, Burmannia oth, Utricularia 
cerulea, and other anges Calyptranthes 
cumini, &c. e jungle, in some 
places, consisted entirely of dwarf Bamboo ; 
and at others nothing was to be seen but 
the Hedyotis suffruticosa : then again the 
vegetation became more varied; and, we 
remarked, among many others, different 
species of Croton, Dodonea, Melas 
Chironia; and on the day we left Ruan- 
welle we found a very beautiful Torenia, 
perhaps, Mr. Moon’s T. stricta, and the 
servants brought us a quantity of Stemodia 
lutea, which smells very strong of Cam- 
phor: I remarked it in some of the 
paddy fields through which w s 
About five o’clock we reached die fort of 
Ratnapoora; where we were kindly re- 
ceived by Mr. J. of the Ceylon Rifles, 
commandant there. 
30¢h.—Remained at Ratnapoora, pre- 
paring for our grand undertaking; this 
being the last European station on our 
route. An arm chair denuded of its legs, 
with Bamboos attached as shafts to carry 
it by, was prepared for Col. W. as an oc- 
casional help ; though he proposed walking 
most of the way. Since we sent back our 
