Nov. i, 1894.] 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
315 
desired by the mercantile and.shipping commu- 
nity. The manifest destiny of Colombo being 
what the Duke of Buckingham pointed out 20 
years ago to Sir William Gregory, in reference 
to Southern India and the Southern Asiatic as 
well as Australian world generally, it is a pity 
any fiscal or administrative obstacles should be 
allowed to delay the special development and 
success generally anticipated. 
The currency complication has provoked a com- 
mission (the Hon. J. A. Swettenham, C.M.G., 
Auditor-General, being chairman) here as at the 
Straits, and its report recently appeared— 
a very able document, though it advocates no 
immediate action on the part of our Govern- 
ment. The Indian rupee being our standard, 
and our largest trade and closest relations be- 
ing with India, it seems impossible for the 
majority of our officials, bankers, and merchants 
to see how we can venture on any currency 
different to that prevailing on the adjacent con- 
tinent. We should prefer an "honest" rupee 
following the course of silver, for many reasons and 
it is a grievance as matters stand that our revenue 
'■ets no benefit, as that of India does from 
the closing of the mints, except so far as 
remittances to England for the Ceylon public 
debt, pensions, and leave allowances go. But, 
011 the other hand, we can see very grave 
practical difficulties in the way our starting a 
coinage of our own, as some members of the 
commission and a few merchants and planters 
ur ir e ; and, if our manifest destiny is to get into 
closer alliance with Southern India through a 
railway junction, and Colombo becoming its 
commercial capital to propose a separate and 
distinct currency for this little island, would 
seem to be an unwise, even if practicable, pro- 
ject. At the same time, we are all keenly 
alive to the " bounty," as Mr. Goschen des- 
cribed it, which the difference between the 
rupee and its silver value gives to China as 
against Ceylon and Indian tea. _ Should this 
fact lead to any marked increase in the ship- 
ments of China tea during the approach- 
ing season to the United Kingdom, there 
Mould certainly be a loud protest against 
the injustice done to them from the planters of 
India, and especially of Ceylon. 
If, as is expected, the planters of Assam and 
Ceylpn begin to work together in advertising 
their teas m America, the coalition may lead to 
joint defensive, if not aggressive, action in other 
directions. 
Our beautiful little island generally is fast 
becoming quite a show place for visitors 
and tourists. Every winter now brings 
us an instalment of visitors from Europe and 
America, and many take a health trip from 
Northern or Central India, Burma, the Straits, 
or China, or even Australia, to see the Eden 
(if the eastern waves, and few, if any, are dis- 
appointed with the beauty of Colombo, its vege- 
tation, and the interesting, diversified peoples 
in its bazaars; or with our first-class mountain 
railways, covering 200 miles and rising 6,200 
feet above sea level ; with Kandy, the last 
capital of the Sinhalese kings, and its uniquely 
charming situation, old palace, Buddhist temples, 
and adjacent extensive botanical gardens ; with 
Nuwara Eliya, Uva, and hill tea and cinchona 
districts, or with Anuradhapura and its ancient 
buried ruins. 
The island is now so well opened up by rail- 
ways and roads that public health is much 
improved, and, in the case of European resi- 
dents, an effort is being made to get all 
English and American life assurance office 
to remove the extra charge imposed for tro 
pical residence. Some offices have already done 
so ; others only continue it for five years. 
Opium has never been grown or prepared in 
Ceylon, and until forty or fifty years ago the 
Singhalese never used it. There is, therefore, 
no difficulty in a little island like this in dealing 
with it, as in Burma, and the leaders of the 
Buddhists, Hindoos, and Mahomedans here are 
very keen that the sale of the drug should be 
placed under medical restrictions. 
Following Western examples and modes of 
working, educated leaders among the Buddhists 
have of late given their attention to opening 
schools — and for girls as well as boys — especially 
in Colombo and its neighbourhood. But the 
scandalous waste and misappropriation of Buddhist 
temple endowments in the remoter native dis- 
tricts continues unchecked by Sir Arthur Gor- 
don's Temporalities Act. It is a great pity that 
that very able as well as strong Governor did 
not take steps, in accordance with the wishes of 
the people, towards devoting the larger proportion 
of the said temporalities in each district to primary 
vernacular, unsectarian, and industrial education. 
The intelligent portion of the Singhalese people 
would have cordially voted for and endorsed such 
a step, for they view with disgust the corrupt 
conduct and waste of many of their Buddhist 
priests left in possession of lands and rents. 
I must not omit reference, even at the close 
of this long summary, to a movement ini- 
tiated by Lady Havelock (after Lady Duf- 
ferin's example in India) for the establishment of a 
Women's Hospital for the different races, and 
qualified female medical attendants, in Colombo. 
Already ahout K 40, 000 have been collected as 
donations towards this very desirable object. 
Let me mention the very striking way in which 
English games, as well as English instruction and 
habits, are taking a hold of the Singhalese. Every 
town, if not village, has now its cricket votaries, 
if not club ; tennis is freely played, and golf 
is just coming into vogue. One team of Ceylonese 
cricketers is considered to be as strong as any 
team picked from the Europeans in the island, 
and there has been a talk of inviting the Bombay 
Parsee Club to send the team to Colombo that 
visited Europe not long ago, to play a series of 
matches. Such competitions between Asiatic-born 
subjects of our Queen-Empress must lie regarded 
witli much interest. 
" The schoolmaster" is verily abroad in Ceylon : 
a great work in educating the people through 
missionary as well as private and official agencies 
is going on, though natch remains to be done. 
And this little island has already begun to send 
forth enterprising sons (Sinhalese, Tamil, and 
Eurasian) to become teachers, clerks, dispensers, 
and medical assistants in India, Burma, the 
Straits, East and South Africa and Australia. 
Two Sinhalese Wesleyan ministers are at work 
as missionaries among their fellow Buddhists 
in Burma : preparations are now being made 
in Jaffna, our Northern Peninsula, to train 
in college and hospital, under qualified male and 
female European and American doctors and 
nurses, medical assistants and qualified nurses to 
work among the millions of India. 
One point more. Now that Ceylon tea has 
covered nearly as much ground as is desirable 
in the island, many of our planters, now being 
trained, are looking to East Africa, at Nyassa 
as well as Uganda, as their future field of labour 
for the cultivation of coffee, cacao (chocolate), 
rubber, coca, kola and other tropical plants. 
