Jan. I 1894.] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
44t 
But to go back, the years 1827-8-9 jn'oved a 
busy time ^dth military duty iu Colombo ; 
but there were frequent opportunities for sport, 
especially with elephants, herds of which in 
those days were frequently seen near Hanwella 
or Negorabo, 20 miles from Colombo. The death 
on 28th March 1829 of Capt. Dawson, E.E., whose 
monument stands at tlie head of the Kadugan- 
nawa Pass was a severe blow to Lieut. Skinner, 
and the death of another officer (Lieut. W. 
Moore, Royal Staff Corps) led to his being ap- 
pointed Deputy- Assistant Quartermaster-General 
on the 25th Nov. 1829. All public works 
in the island were at that time placed under this 
uiilitary department, so that Lieut. Skinner had 
charge of the roads and bridges made or making 
" in the interior, " and this gave him plenty of 
riding and work all over the Kandyan Provinces. 
In Aug. 1830, Sir Edward Barnes sent his favourite 
young officer on a special mission to the Eastern 
Archipelago and Java, connected with the 
recruiting of Malays. A Government bai-que 
with guns, ammunition, and marine artillery 
and some infantry was placed at his disposal. 
He was absent seven months and discharged 
liis mission to tiie entire satisfaction of the 
Governor. On his return, he resumed charge of 
the roads in the Kandyan Provinces. Some 
years before he had traced the Colombo- 
Puttalam road, and again in 1828 that from 
Gampola to Ramboda. In 1832, he was detached 
to open a road between Arippu, on the North- 
west Coast, the headquarters of tlie Pearl 
Fisheries, and Aiuiradhapura, the ancient 
capital of the island. Lieut. Skinner may be 
said to have been the first to discover the 
wonderful resources of the Nuwarakalawiya 
district, and in a memorable State paper in 1833, 
addressed to His Excellency Sir Robert Wilmot- 
Horton \y,-ho was a great friend of his), he strongly 
urged that Governor to become the ' ' Regen 
erator of Nuwarakalawiya," a task which would 
have been readily undertaken had the revenue 
(only R.3, 700,000 per annum ! then) permitted ; but 
tliis regeneration had to be deferred for forty years 
till the time of Sir Wm. Gregory and afterwards 
of Sir Artiiur Gordon. In 1833 when " Compul- 
soi-y Service " (semi-slavery) was abolished in 
Ceylon, Lieut. Skinner propounded the scheme 
afterwards (in 1849) matured on a modified scale 
by Sir Pliilip Wodehouse, and passed as the Road 
Ordinance and Tax wliich have done so much to 
cover the island with a network of subsidiary prin- 
cipal and minor roads. Peradeniya satinwood 
bridge designed by his chief, General Fraser, 
wa.s erected under Lieut. Skinner's care in 
1833, as many as 1,200 men being employed 
in laying and lilling up the approaches, «!v:c. 
After tliis a Ciril Engineer and Surveyor- 
Ueaeral way ».pj)oiatcd for Ceylou, aud lUl roadsi 
and works were handed over to him, while the 
Quartermaster-General's Department undertook 
a military reconuaisance and survey of the 
Mountain Zone. On this survey, Lieut, and 
latterly Capt. Skinner was engaged with few 
intermissions, from Sept. 18.33 to 1840, the total 
payments to his staff of Caflre-s— (South Africans, 
whom he describes as by far the best native 
soldiers and hardiest men ever brought to 
Ceylon) — and coolies, Leing only R4,372 in the 
seven years ! ; while the one-inch Plan of the 
Kandyan Provinces and the General jMap of 
Ceylon were the result of these labours. Capt. 
Skinner all through his career took a pride in 
the economy attending his work, and indeed 
he often suffered great privations during his 
survey operations. He was the first officer to 
explore 500 square miles of forest included in 
the "Wilderness of the Peak," and here are 
extracts from his autobiography, we cannot 
deny ourselves the pleasure of making : — 
Although it was most interesting, it was precious 
hard work, delightful to ttiink o£ m the retrospect. 
Fov six or seven months in every year I never knew 
the shelter of a roof from between tour or five o'clock 
in the morning till seven in the evening, and occasion- 
ally much later. My fare, too, was often humbla 
enough. On one occasion, goiu^ into the Wildernesa 
ot the Peak — which comprises about 500 square milea 
of splendid forest withm its extreme boundaries — to 
make my reconuaisance sketch of it, my time being 
limited before the rams might be expected, I could not 
wait for the supplies which I had sent a corporal and 
another man down to Saffragan to purchase, I had 
expected some dozens of fowls for my six weeks' or two 
months' supply, but the men returned, after rather a 
lengthened aosence, with only five miserable chickens, 
three of which had died from the rain and cold on 
their way up to the Peak, the other two had sentence 
of death passed on them immediately on their arrival ; 
they all found their way into curries, the only dish they 
were fit for ; those that had died on their way up the 
Peak did not die a natural death, having been killed 
by the cold instead of with a knife. This was all the 
animal lood I had during nearly two months; I had a 
little salt fish, which was served out to me most spar- 
ingly, about a square inch for each meal, to give a 
relish to a little plain boiled rice. My people had a 
very knowing dodge of getting at my small stock of 
wine, under the plea that the bottles were broken by 
the men falling on the rugged rocky ground over which 
they had lo travel. It appeared to me that though 
the bottles were broken, little of their contents wera 
spilt. 
These two mouths proved the hardest work I ever 
had, as hard, under the circumstances, as I believe 
any man could have endured. Bly wigwam consisted 
of "five sheets of the talipot leaf, stitcued together with 
shreds of the same material. Each leaf was about six 
by four feet ; three of these formed two sides and one 
end, with two others for the roof; along the top was a 
little ridge cap of the same material; the end which 
formed ihe door was always open. This tent of leaves 
contained my lit'le camp bed. a small camp table, and 
chair. I think the talipot leaves used lo cost ma 
IM^d., and generally lasted me the working season, 
which was six months ; my lodgings, tDerefore, were 
not expensive ! 
I used often to see the most wonderful effects when 
thus ciimping out. On one occasion my sojourn on 
Adam's Peak lasted for a fortnight on the top of the 
cone, where I was waiting ,for clear wcnthcr, which I 
did not get, to ndm t of my comp eting "'V observa- 
tion-!. (Juu morning as thc aun wa.s rising, the shadow 
of the mountain was thrown across the whglg Itwd ASj 
