150 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Sept. 1, 1900. 
The foregoing succinct sketch of Mr. Drane'a lite 
was kindly penned at our reqaest in November last 
by his brother-in-law, Sir Frederick Young, K.C.M.G., 
the founder of the Royal Colonial Institute, and 
we publish it, with some slight additions and altera- 
tions ; but we may further add a few details of the 
first attempt made to liy out a locomotive railway 
between Colombo and Kandy. 
Although Mr. Drane came out in 1844, it was 
not till after his Survey and Estimate were 
completed that, towards the end of 1845, a Cey- 
lon Railway Company was formed, and it may 
be of interest to put the following on record here 
from the original document : — 
CEYLON RAILWAY COMPANY. 
Provisionally Registered 20 October 1845. 
Capital £1,000,000, in 20,000 Shares 
of £50 each. 
London Provisional Committee. 
Chairman. 
Philip Anstbuther Esq. 
(late Colonial Secretary of Ceylon.) 
Deputy Chairman. 
John Stewaut Esq.— (late of Bombay.) 
Geokgb Ackland Esq. 
(Messrs. Ackland, Boyd & Co.) 
W. S. BiNNY Esq. 
(late of the Firm of Binny & Co. Madras). 
A. Crowe, Esq. 
(35 Old Broad Street.) 
Robert Christian Esq. 
rMessrs A. & R. Crowe & Co. Colombo). 
J. G. Frith Esq. 
(Messrs. Fhiih, Wallace & Co.) 
Colonel Sir F. HANKEir, g c.m.g. 
(Director of the Bank o£ Ceylon.) 
Sir GisQRGE Larpent Bart. 
(Messrs. Cockerell & Co.) 
Colonel MoNTREsoii— (Ceylon Rifles), 
Captain Alexander Nairne 
(Formerly of the East India Company's Service.) 
Lawrence Philips Esq. 
(Messrs. L. Philips & Bon.^ 
William Scott Esq. 
(Messrs. ScoTT, Bell & Co.) 
W. H. Thomas Esq. 
(Messrs. Boyd & Thomas). 
William Tixdall Esq.— (34 Cornhill) 
Stephen Vertde, Esq.— Liverpool. 
J. S. Wilson Esq. 
(Late WiLson, Ritchie & (Jo. Colombo.) 
^ S. li. Worms Esq. 
(Park Crescent.) 
Danlcers. 
Messrs. Glyn Hallifax & Co. 
(Messrs. Hsnkeys & Co.) 
Solicitors. 
Messrs. Wilson & Harrison. 
(1, Copthall Buildings.) 
Secretarij, 
D. I. NoADs Esq. 
Tempohaby Offices No. 8. 
Broad Street Ituildinrjs, — London: 
CEYLON PROVISIONAL COMMITTEE- 
Chairman. 
Major George Thomas Parke, 
(Deputy Commissary General.) 
De'putij dhairnian. 
Edward Jobeph Darley Esq., of 
^,^debBr8. Ackland, Boyd & Co, 
Committee : 
John Armitage Esq. 
(Messrs. Armitage, Scott & Co. 
Geouge Crabbr Esq 
(Messrs. A. & R. Chowe & Co.) 
Henry Lewis Layard E-q, 
(•Messrs H. L, Layakd & Co.J 
Gabriel Benedict WoR5is Esq, 
(Rothschild Estate — Passilawa.) 
Iloriorari) .Secretnri/, 
David VVil^on E q. 
(Messrs. Wilson Ritchie & Co.^ 
Chr/c. 
IVIr. 3. A. Loos. 
Engineer and Surrevor. 
Thomas Dhane Esq. 
Assistant Em/iuerr and Surevyor, 
C. I. Webiie Esq. 
Assistant Surveyors. 
Mr. E. S. Falkneh. 
„ Hew Bagshaw- 
Banlers. 
The Ceylon Bank. 
The Oriental Back. 
T empora/y Ojh'ce. 
No. 24, Chatham Street, Fort, Colombo. 
In the Ceylon Blue Book for 1846, the follow- 
ing reference was made to the Railway by the 
representative of the Ceylon Government : — 
THE CEYLON RAILRO.MJ. 
The number of bullock carts employed on the 
Kandy road, although trebled within the last few 
years, are still fouud insufficient for the plaoters' 
wants ; even whilst I write (May 1847) it is calculated 
that with all the available means of trausport kept 
constantly at work on the main roads, it will still 
require a period of four months longer to bring the 
Coffee of 1846 from the interior to Colombo, wbereaa 
looking to the approaching unfavourable weather, 
the whole of it should have been long since in store 
here, and the greater part already shipped for 
Europe ; many mercantile firms have still to ship 
two-tnirds of their crops, and these two-thirds mast 
necessarily be deteriorated by 5 to 10 per cent, in 
addition to the interest at 9 per cent, on the value 
of the produce thus detained, in addition to which 
as the season advances, shippi.- g is becoming scarcer 
and freights rising day by day. 
It was a to)-eshadowing of these coming 
embarrassments which led to the formation in ls45 
of a provisional committee for the purpose of 
organizing a Railway Company for Ceylon. 
Various lines of road have since been surveyed 
and a favourable one selected, along which it is 
stated by the Engineer of the Company, that a 
railwaj may be carried from the Coast of Colombo 
to the central capital at Kandy, in the heart of the 
Coffee districts, at a gross outlay of £80O,0uO, includ- 
ing several costly bridges and an extensive viaduct. 
It is suggested, however, that the more expensive 
portion of the woi'k at the Kandy extremity where 
the line begins to ascend, should be delayed, and only 
those portions more easily accomplished, finished in 
the first instance, so_|as to'give about 65 out of 80 miles 
for an outlay of about £500,000, the remainder to be 
completed hereafter, and in the meantime the ordinary 
vehicles might be employed at both ends of the line. 
The whole of the scrip is said to be taken up, 
but it is doubted if all the holders in England 
would at present respond to a call, though all those 
who have an interest in the Colony ftfould assuredly 
come forward to complete the undertaking, as they 
are well aware that as a certain means of conveying 
produce from the interior to the port of shipment, 
as well as keeping the Central Province aluaya re- 
gularly supplied with the staple articles of food, 
and thus ensuring cheap living to the labourers on 
the various estates, the Railway is of the first im- 
portance to the Colony, 
