Feb. I, 1894.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
on his right (Mr. Mitchell) had referred to a subjeot 
wbich oercaialy had a ouaaeotioQ with the oojoot 
of that iaslitution, aoi that was the duty on raw 
material. He was not aware whether his hon. friend 
waa tryiui? to driw him, but this much ha wou'd 
aay, that the abolition was one which be thought 
had the sympathy of every othoer of the Govern- 
ment, oertainly within the last six years, but the 
ditfioulty was whether that would be the only 
pjint in the tariff that would be touched. If his 
Jtion. friend would undertake that that would be 
80 a very great difficulty would ba removed 
from the way of the Government. (Hear, hear.) 
Before sitting down he would like to say that 
Mr. de Soyaa, for himself and Lidy de Soysa, 
had been good enough to say that he and Lady 
de Soysa would eaob give a prize to the Teohnioai 
Institute. (Loud applause). He was also autboriz:id 
to make another gratityiog announoement and 
that was that Messrs. Walker SonsA Co. had been 
good enough to offer for competition among the 
students a free apprenticeship in their large and 
important workshop, and that the "Times'' 
Printing Otiiae had made the same offer. 
His Exoellenoy concluded by congratu- 
lating Mr. Human on the suooess which he 
bad 80 far attained and offering beat wishes for 
continued success in the responsible work he had 
undertaken. It had Ijeen very gratifying to him 
to be present aui ha hoped they might have 
many more as successful — be was sure they 
would be more successful — meetings in the future. 
(Loud applause). 
The proceedioga terminated with obeera by tbe 
students for His Excellency, tbe Bishop and other 
speakers and tbe ladies. 
A letter we understand was leoeived from Mr. 
Pearoe, General Manager of the Railway expressing 
his regret at being unable to be present owing to 
his having to go upoountry and promising aU 
the support in his power to tbe Institute. 
We take the following from the local " Times": — 
DEiCHIPION OF THE BUILDING. 
The entrance is ex »otly opposite the Colombo rail- 
way terminus. Eucering cue gates one orosdes a 
bacbeoae, tlauke 1 ou one Hide by a long buildiag, some 
300 feet la lunijth, and at tbe top by a more compaot 
block about half tha lengta. The former building is 
utilioeJ aa tlje woikshap lu the metal-work and wood 
work brauobcs ; tbe upper buildiog beiog devoted to 
physios, mecbanics, drawing, and mathematics, while 
ihe readiog-room, (be leoture hall, and the secretariat 
officee are also bere. The centre of the burbecue ia 
broken up, and one soon learns that this is the result 
of the principal of the school beiog himly imbued 
with tbe ducirme of me/is sana in corpore sano , the 
demolition of tbe barbecue having been started to 
make room there tor a tenuis court. Eateriog the 
scbuol by the ordiaary door, on ) bods onanelf in a hall 
which li ia every way suitable. There is an office near 
tbe doo. wfty lu uUarge ot Mr. Hoole, the olerk and 
regia.rur, and opposite ou the notice-board are several 
auiiuuucemeiits uoC tiie K-ast iutaresting, beiug a li^t 
of tbe pupiis who have enrolled themselves, and who 
number iu all 63. Near the entrance hall is a small 
reaJing room — at present without reading material, 
but in which it is hoped to evautually t stablish a smull 
library for the use 01 the pupil^i. Above tue euttauce 
to tbo BoLool IS tue office for Mr. Human, t'le Bupenn- 
tcudont, aud Mr. VaiiUort, me aasiatiuc Sjpjrm- 
tendent, while, making one's way through this, one 
reaches tbe meabauios and phyiics laboratory. 
THE LA.BOKATOKV. 
The latter ii already fitted with appliances for 
laying a louadatioa ot lecbniojl kuowiedgo. For 
iualanoe, u( ooc bide of tbe hall there is a rather 
elaboikle ciateca lor measurium the How Qf water, 
which, of course, depends upon the head, or prea- 
sare brought to bear oo it, and the eize of the orifice 
furough which it passes. There are many ways ot 
regulating the pressure provided, and, further, there 
are many sizes of orifices to be used in the meaeur- 
ings. There are also several apparatus for finding 
out the laws of friction ; others for demonstrating 
the principles of the beltings used in shaftings ; 
others again for finding out the energy stored in 
revolving bodies ; others for finding out the resistance 
of beams, &e., &}., &c., The stock of appliances is 
not large, but it is nearly enough for present purposes 
and, furthermore, there is this to be said of it — it 
was all male here. 
THE LECTUBE HAII.. 
Adjoining the mechanici room is the Lecture 
Hall, where today's gathering took place. This ia 
a light and airy building with seats rising one above 
another from tbe Leoture platform, which is pro- 
vided with the familiar blackboard and instructors' 
table, 70 or 80 can be seated comfortably in the 
hall, and at a pinch a hundred could be accom- 
modated. Going on through the building, one comes 
to the drawing school a big hall exceedingly well- 
lighted. This is fixed np with 25 separate tables and 
chairs, each pupil having a separate chair, table, draw- 
ing-board and J. square. All tbe necessaries here 
are made of Ceylon wood, and they were all made 
at the school ; and it is noteworthy that this is tbe 
first time Ceylon timber has been successfully used for 
drawing boards. They are all made of lunamaO.illa, 
aid are very snitable, all the boards baviag kept 
their shape well, a thing that has not been attained 
before. For the present only mechanical drawing 
will be attempted; but later on the pupils will be set to 
plan drawing and survey-drawing, 
THE WOEKSHOPfl. 
Adjoining the drawing-room is a cla'S room to be 
used chiefly for mathematics. Here agaiu provision 
has been made for 25 scholars, and it may be remarked 
that 25 has been taken as the unit in the arrange* 
ments. Mr. Human himself fixed it at 25, Govern- 
mect never expected to get more than 10, and then 
thought that tbe scholars would have to be paid to 
come, whereas all tbe tiO odd etadents wbo have 
enrolled themselves are paying as much as K70» year. 
Passing from the top block to the long building, one 
comes first on the fitting shop and the metal-working 
shop, which is fitted with 12 vices and well 
supplied with tools, many of which, we may 
mention, were made on the premises, in the centre 
of the metal-working shop there is a 5-horse-power 
vertical engine, sapplied by Marshalll, Sons & Co. and 
to this is attached a shafting whicb already drives 
machines for turning, drilling, and plauing metals, 
bat will eventually drive tbe machinery used in 
wood work. The place is excelleutly fitted np, and 
this fact (he more impresses itself on one when one 
hears that iu raising it the authorities bad no such 
aids as pnlley-blooka and screw-jacks, there having 
been a difficulty in getting them. In this strait Mr. 
Gabriel de Silva, a clever Sinhalese, lormerly with 
the Commercial Company, waa very serviceable, and 
great praiae is due to bim for toe result accom- 
plished, all the machines having been set deai true- 
The wood-turning lathes are being made at the 
school itself, and are already well under way. 
There will be five of them all. These will be fixed 
in the wood work-shop which is a continuation of the 
emitby (a shop-fitted with forge, anvil, and tools, and 
continuing from the metal-working shop.) There 
are ten carpenters' benches with additional appli- 
ances, sach as straiiiht edges, shooting boards, i&o.,and 
there are other toola ot excellent deaigns in an almirabi 
ATHLETICS. 
Passing through tbo carpenters' shop one comes out 
again on the barbecue with its embryo tennis court, 
and leains that altoady an athletic club has been 
st»rled, and that the scbolari are now doing all they 
can to get a cricket ground of their own and to esttb- 
li«b A T, S. U. 0. %t sooo »» poMible. 
