324 
NEGUMBO 
English, and who, having nothing to carry, would be able to keep 
up with us the whole way. 
January 14. — At seven in the morning I and Mr. Salt in palan- 
quins, attended by my servant in a dooly, quitted Saint Sebastian, 
guarded by the Governor's lascaryns. The weather was plea- 
sant and cool ; the road, which is tolerably wide, was completely 
shaded by cocoa-nut trees, with frequent cottages, forming one 
entire village the whole way to the Betal river, distant three 
miles and a half. This river is here of a considerable size. We 
crossed in the usual manner, and now quitted the sea shore for a 
very narrow path through a close jungle, with cottages as before 
at every ten yards, almost concealed by the trees, till we ap- 
proached Giaile, where the country around became more open. 
Formerly several cinnamon gardens were in this space, which were 
abandoned, and ordered to be sold in 180^. We reached Giaile by 
ten o clock : it is seven miles from the river, and five miles from 
the sea; and the want of the breeze made it very sultry. We staid 
here till twelve to give the boys time to eat and rest ; they were 
nevertheless soon tired, nor did we reach Negumbo till four o'clock, 
though only distant ten miles. We passed close to the salt marshes 
that are to be drained, through a country that was more open, but 
less picturesque, than usual. His Excellency went to Captain . 
Blackwall's, the Commandant, where I also took up my abode. It 
is an old fashioned large Dutch house, like the rest I have met with, 
situated close to a beautiful lake, which they have ingeniously con- 
trived to hide by a range of offices. Facing it is the fort, merely a 
protection against the Cingalese, for it has no defence but a mound 
of earth that slopes equally both in and out; on the top of which 
