<4 
Vol. XIV.J 
COLOMBO, DECEMBER ist, 1894. 
[No. 6. 
PIONEERS OF THE PLANTING ENTERPRISE IN CEYLON." 
GEORGE WALL, ESQ., F. L. s., F. R. A, S. 
PIONEER PLANTER, MERCHANT, POLITICIAN, JOURNALIST, &C. 
Introductory. 
are not in a position to 
enter into details of Mr. 
Wall's early life. All that 
we know of his career 
before coming to Ceylon is 
from our recollection of cer- 
tain conversations with the 
subject of our notice well-nigh thirty years 
ago, in reference to his employment as a clerk or 
assistant in the office of Messrs. Whitworth & Co., 
tile great machinists, gun and tool makers 
of Manchester. Mr. Wall had for his fellow 
assistant Mr., now Sir, Edward Watkin ; 
and they became very great friends, living and 
Working together. Their work was laborious 
and trying and long hours at the desk undermined 
the health of Mr. Wall who was by no means 
strong as a young man. Indeed, he broke down 
more than once and had to get short leave each 
time, to recover from the effect of close con- 
finement on delicate lungs, culminating in 
spitting of blood. Returning from one of 
these furloughs, greatly discouraged by finding- 
very little improvement in strength and by the 
fear that he would have to throw up his 
employment, Mr. Wall found his fellow-worker 
excited over art offer which had been made to 
him to proceed to Ceylon to take the business 
Management of a Plantations Company which 
had just been formed for the cultivation of coll'ee. 
"T can't and don't want to go" said Mr. 
Watkin, " hut it is the very place and climate for 
V'ott, my friend ;" and so Mr. Wall first came out 
to ( leylon. We may not recall the facts exactly as 
related by Mr. Wall, but we retain a vivid 
general impression of the narrative he offered to us 
of tins episode in his life. Many years after — in 
lsiii! when the late Mr. A. M. Ferguson took his 
Hvst holiday to the old country after a residence here 
of over 25 years, he found himself in Manchester, 
and was much interested in all he saw especially in 
the huge cotton factories. During one day's drive, 
he happened to come to the gate of Messrs Whit- 
worth's establishment. He recalled his interest 
in " the battle of the guns " (between Whitworth 
and Armstrong) and the connection of his fellow- 
colonist, Mr. Wall, with the factory before him ; 
but he had never thought of a letter of introduc- 
tion. However, he tried to introduce himself as 
from Ceylon, a newspaper editor and very anxious 
to see over an establishment of which he had 
heard so much, and finally as a friend of Mr. 
George Wall. The gentleman to whom he spoke 
looked dubious!—'' We are very particular," he said. 
Mr. Ferguson responded : -" I'll describe Mr. Wall 
to you : he is a man -with a most active brain, 
energetic an 1 clever ; but one who, when any 
great public work, like a Railway, is started, always 
takes a gloomy view of the difficulties ahead 
and conjures up every possible obstacle in op- 
position." The Manchester man laughed and 
responded: — "Come away in; there is no doubt 
you know my old friend, Wall." One other little 
reminiscence related by Mr. Wall comes back 
to us : before he was 20 years of age Mr. Wall 
had brought out his first patent and his hair 
had begun to turn grey ! 
IX CEYLON : AT KANDY 1846-56. 
Mr. George Wall landed in Ceylon, we believe, 
on some date in September 1846, he being 
hen about 2"> or 26 ycais of age. 
The 
group of estates he came to manage belonged to 
"The Ceylon Plantations Company,"- including 
then or afterwards Algoollenne, Dotelagalla, Elea- 
dua, Happoowidde, Kitoolgalla and Nillookande 
cut out of a block of 1,760 acres of forest-land and 
cultivated eventually up to 1,500 acres of coffee. 
These estates were situated at Elkadua in the 
Hunasgiriya District, some miles North of Kandy. 
In thai town Mr, Wall took up his residence 
and he cither came out married, or Mrs. Wall, 
his first wife, a pious lady of the Wesleyan 
Methodist denomination, joined him soon alter. 
In those early days, Mr. Wall took a warm 
