530 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Feb. j, 4894. 
his eyes so suddenly and anexpectedly, over sixty 
miles of lowcountry to the sea-boi dered horizon, and 
the salt-pans of Hambautota. Tiiia scene ljec<me 
familiar enough to Uini in after jeaia, for he was 
now at the end of his journey, and was abjut to 
take up his abode not many yards from the spot 
where he then st od, though the only buildings 
anywhere visible were the Government resthouse, a 
short distance back along the road, and the store 
and bungalow o- the Superintendent of the estate far 
down below. No one who has contemplated this 
view from the Haputale Fass can ever forget it, 
particularly if the conditions cf the season, and the 
time-of-day prove favorable, affording a clear atmos- 
phere and right illumination of the scene. Ilut, 
compared to the busy and untidy foreground of today, 
it was infinitely more impressi e when seen through 
the framework of Nature's own providing of grass, 
and tree, and fern, as may still be enjoyed by the 
traveller on the " railway line '' today, from the Idul- 
gashena Pass. 
When seen for the first time, under these 
favourable conditions, the effect upon the mind 
and imagination is most powerful and iusiing, both 
upon man and beast and bird, as witness the follow- 
ing instance. A pair of geese, reared at some distance, 
one day wandered to the verge of the Haputale "Pass,' 
on such a bright and clear day as just indicated, 
and seeing apparently the whole world far below 
them, they spread their wings and soared away and 
wore never again seen by their owner ! Down the 
" Pass " the forest h:id been cleared only for a few 
hundred yards, and then the road fa riding one only) 
entered and ran for miles through a niagniticent jangle 
—nearly all the huge t'ees, whose branches met over- 
head [the high-road of troops of Wanderoo monkeys] 
having their tall trunks covered \\ith a sturdy creeper, 
destined if time allowed to kill its support, and 
to grow proud and strong in its place, serving 
the noble forest tree as some " Colombo Agents," 
in those days, served their nnfortunate clients the 
planters, and so the creeper got to be named after 
them "the Colombo Agent." 
That veteran planter, " Archibald MacPhail, 
J.P.," stilt hale and stalwart, whose hospitality 
we have just enjoyed, was already theu — and 
for some years had been— opening estates "down 
the Pass," and he still lingers on the scene, a 
model and an example to the present generation 
of younger planters and a proof that a temperate 
life and constancy to work and duty, are coiiaucive 
to strength, health and a vigorous middle age. He 
has seen king coffee reigning in all his glory, (both 
making and marring his own, and the fortunes of 
many other men) succumbing to the attacks of his 
many enemies, retiring to end his days in what 
was always his stronghold and fortress ' Old Ha- 
putale." On Roehampton, and on some parts of 
the Haputale and Kahagalla estates— (but espeeially 
on Roehampton) — may still be seen fields of coffee 
as healthy-looking, as vigorous, and in as " good 
heart" as any ever seen in the best days-of old, 
hiding all the ground with a noble screen of leafy 
branches from root to top. So we saw them in 
this month of December 1893, from tbirty to fifty 
years old, and with a good show of green berries 
for spring crops— a crop scarcely known on the 
Kandy side. But, doubtless, the fine old clusters 
and bunches, at every eye, are things of the past-— 
single or double berries only being seen in their 
place, which makes all the difference tetween 10 
cwt. an acre and 2 and 3 cwt. an acre. In pro- 
portion as coffee is slow to retire, so is tea slow, 
in this part of old Haputale, to advance— not in 
growing when once planted, but in the reluctance 
of the old planters to change their allegiance 
from the one to the other. And so it comes 
about that this the chief aspect of the scene near 
the ''Pass," from a planter's point of view, 
is not much changed to the scrutiny of the 
young planter's eyes, who, we have seen, first looked 
upon it 33 years ago, and as Mr. iilacPhail has known 
it all along. Time d d not admit of a visit to such 
places as " Keiburne," " Pitaratmalie," and the 
fiutt'Si'ea eetfitf 8 Ijeyond, to Jj^^^a^awella on 
on the one hand, and to Kalupabani on the other, 
where, doubtless, a different story might be told. 
But nature no longer reigne ondisturbed at the Pass 
itwelf. Here, how changed ti'e scene ! No prophet 
could have convinced the planters of those oid aays 
that a line of Railway, eqnal to anything in tne 
world, would come to that spot, and that it would 
be surveyed and cleared, and levelled for the 
erection of a busy railway stat on. enfriaeers' works 
and stores and a native population large etions;h to 
e title it lo be called a " town ' ! But so it is ! And 
the planters, visitors and boliday makere do not now 
depend for exis ence upon supplies carried on coolies' 
heads from Nowara Eliya, when rotten beef and 
mouldy bread was always their fare in rainy 
weather. To obviate this the writer bailt the firbt 
shanty ever erected on this now boey fpot. A 
speculative Moorman volunteered, in eonoideration of 
certain "advances," to buy and kill a bnllock e»very 
week, and in order to make this sore, oor own 
kitchen became the first butcher's &hop. Bo, too, 
stubborn and shuck ponies are no longer the planters' 
sole m ans of travelUng op to Nuwara Eliya, often 
having to run the list of many a paddy-field well- 
stocked with only half-taraed charging bufialoes, 
— which often put our lives in danger, out for the 
prowess of a well-trnined dog ee'.t to their heels, 
after whom thny would wheel and go in hot parsuit 
to our own salvation many a time ! But fiery e eeds 
of this kind* are not yet quite died out, for each 
a one met us and bore us triumphantly to oat des- 
tination on the first day. This destination was the 
"Happy Valley Industri-il and Reformatory Hchools," 
or rather to their founder and governor, the Rev. B. 
Langdon, whose humanity and love for these human 
waifs and strays are only equalled bv his baaiuese 
capacity and tact of management. Ue has secured 
for his schools a tra^t of land midway between Hapu- 
tale and Bandarawella, and the Railway Extension 
not only runs through it, but a Railway station (to 
be called "Talawa") is in coarse <f formation qaite 
close to his house and schools ; and I fancy now 
'all the King's horses and all the King's men ' 
could not move him from his coign of vantage. But 
whether the "peace of the Valley" will be fled when 
he has for his neighbours a good many companies 
of soldiers, if not whole regiments from lad a, re- 
mains to be seen. What sort of scene these vride- 
rolling, far-extending patana plains will present 33 
years hence is as difficult to foretell as it has to 
foresee the present changes 33 years ago. 
We should add a good deal — if space and time 
permitted — to the above remioiBCtnces end happy 
referencPB to the Hspuiale of the present day. 
The railway journey has already bsen folly 
described in our columns— wiih the worderfnl first 
view of Uva which, on a clear day. opens to 
the tia^eilfr when he emerges from the tunnel — 
dividing the South-west from the North-?&8t 
monsoon. All round the Oheeja Valley and 
Horse Shoe Gorge, the railway ride is both unique 
and most eDjo3able under ihe same condition of 
fine weatlier ; but the panorama to watch for, is 
utclDubiedly that obtainublc for a few seconds only 
on approaching Idalgaebeua, when the lowocuntry 
becomes visible ell the way to the bills o( 
E'.tBrdgam and the salt-pans of Hambantota. 
The delight over this journey in bright sualight 
end clear weather between May and Septemter 
will be enhanced by the fact that rolling cloud 
masses if not heavy rainstorms are thfn the 
distinguishing features on the Western or Dimbula 
side of the range. When the Resthouse or Hotel 
is finished at 'Haputale Pa^s, it will certainly be 
freely patronised by visitors as will no doubt that 
at Eandara^ela six miles farther on. But the Pass 
must always hold its own with sight-seers for the 
grand panorama of the lowc3untry it efforda. 
* Who would persist ia stauSiDg stock-stiU wheq 
especiaUy urged te fly 1 l 
