368 JOURNAL R. A. S. (CEYLON). [Vol. III. 



but a Glengarry bonnet, or a small cloth cap, under a 

 burning sun. The wearer, in these cases, can only expect 

 what he deserves, a sun stroke or disease of the liver. 



Endeavour as much as possible to avoid a stimulating diet, 

 and heavy late meals, and observe moderation in, not 

 abstinence from, wine, beer, and spirituous liquors. It is 

 almost useless to say anything against late dinners, as the 

 occupation of most people is such as to prevent any alteration 

 in the time at which they take their meals. It is one of 

 the evils inseparable from a state of high civilization, that 

 health is continually sacrificed to temporary advantage ; and 

 the more successful that a man is in his business, the less 

 successful he will probably be in the preservation o£ his 

 health. The quality of our food, however, is nearly always 

 under our control. We are seldom forced to eat what 

 does not agree with us, and, I believe, that if we partook of 

 animal food once only during the day, it would be the 

 better for us ; and Ave should avoid highly -spiced and 

 rich fat dishes ; in fact, nature as plainly as possible seconds 

 this advice, for we find the animals of the country 

 peculiarly destitute of fat, while the same animals in 

 cold countries, are, when in a state of health, loaded with 

 it. As far as they themselves are concerned, this is, of 

 course, also a provision of nature dependent on temperature 

 of climate. 



Children here are sometimes most improperly fed ; I have 

 seen them literally crammed twice or three times a day 

 with meat and curries, to say nothing of little interludes 

 in the shape of biscuits, plantains, &c, the anxious parent 

 all the while wondering why they look so pale, and of 

 course throwing all the blame on the unfortunate climate. 

 It never occurs to her for a moment that the children's 

 digestive organs might possibly be the better for an occa- 

 sional ten minutes rest ; it is not to be wondered at that 

 they have to be sent home after a year or two of this 

 treatment. Children in this climate should most certainly 



