570 
H AMBLAMGODEE. 
first river. The road was a good one for a gig (here called a bandy), 
the whole way to the Gendra river: it never quitted the sea-shore, 
and wound along the bays, occasionally ascending and descending 
through the groves of cocoa-nut trees . The surface of the ground 
was covered by the Convolvulus pes-caprae, with its large and 
beautiful purple flowers. The jungle was loaded with creepers, 
amongst which the most common and most splendid was the 
Gloriosa superba. The cinnamon I occasionally observed, and 
many other plants, of which I had seen specimens in Europe; but 
those to which I was a stranger were vastly more numerous. The 
whole vegetation is infinitely more luxuriant than in Bengal, and 
forms the richest field for a botanist that I ever beheld, except the 
Cape of Good Hope. My bearers went but slowly, not more than 
two miles an hour, so that I had plenty of time to make my obser- 
vations as I passed. We arrived at the river before sun-set, where 
a boat was ready to take over the palanquins. It was formed of 
three of their canoes fastened together, with a platform over them. 
Mr. North had given orders for every attention to be paid to me, 
and I was consequently honoured with an awning of white cloth, 
and a chair covered with the same ; a mark of distinction reserved 
for his Excellency, and the King of Candy. The posts which sus- 
tained the awning, and the railing that wxnt round the boat, 
were fancifully ornamented with the young leaves of the cocoa- 
nut, split into pieces, which had altogether a pretty effect. The 
river was clear, and the bank was covered with jungle to the 
water's edge. We here took leave of our very kind friends, and 
proceeded in our palanquins to Hamblamgodee, where we arrived 
about eight o'clock. The country the whole .way was undulated. 
