<A MONTHLY. 
XXIII. 
COLOMBO, OCTOBBER 1st, 1903. 
No. 4. 
"PIONEERS OF THE PLANTING ENTERPRISE IN CEYLON. 
{Fourth Series.) 
WILLIAM HENRY WRIGHT: 
COFFEE AND COCONUT PLANTER AND SUCCESSFUL HORTICULTURIST 
AND FLORICULTURIST :-1840 TO 1903. 
HE subject of our notice— a 
Ceylon-born man— is still 
%Yith us, hale and hearty, and 
most intelligent and versatile 
in all that concerns his work, 
and long may he continue so. 
It would take a young 
Englishman from Colombo 
sometime to beat iVlr. Wright in a walk round his 
Mirigama property, albeit he is now about to close 
his 82nd year ! 
W. H. Wright was born in Colombo on 19th 
October, 1821, and was educated at the Orphan 
Asylum, at the time admirably maintained by 
Government, Mr. Craig being the Military school 
master. In 1840 he applied to G eruor Steuart- 
Mackenzie to be sent to England to learn Engineer- 
ing, and was accordingly promised a free passage in 
H. M, Ship " Eattlesnake "; but, unfortunately, war 
broke out in China and the services of the man-of-war 
were requisitioned to carry troops across from 
Ceylon and India to China. Mr. Wright, however, 
got a place as an assistant on Eajawella estate, 
Dumbara Valley, the property of the Hon. George 
Turnour, his superiors being Messrs. George and 
James Reid. Here he remained, learning much 
and working hard for nearly three years unti 
August, 1843. Next, on the recommendation of 
Mr. Robert Gerard of Deegalla estate, he was 
employed as Superintendent of Works under Major 
Bradley, R.E. Department, Kandy.J 
-^bout a year after, Mr. Wright became an Estate 
Superintendent once more, and he worked with 
great zeal under the firm of Messrs. Hudson, 
Chandler & Co., at Peradeniya, where he opened 
no fewer than three coffee estates— namely, " Pera- 
deniya," "New Peradeniya," and "Esperanza." 
When Hudson & Co. became bankrupt, Messrs. J. 
Murray Robertson & Co. took over the estates retain- 
ing Mr. Wright in their emplo^Tiient. Whilst working 
here he bought " Vava Kalla " in partnersh p with 
Mr. James Maartensz of Colombo, and thishetpened 
and planted with coffee, and then 15 month later 
sold it for double the amount he had paid lor and 
spent on it. After selling "Vava Kalla" Mr. 
Wright bought, in 1861, 120 acres in Haputale in 
partnership with Mr. John Hamilton, of Kandy. 
This he opened and planted with coffee, and the 
estate was afterwards known as Koslande. About 
two years later he bought Mr. Hamilton's half 
share and became sole proprietor, but in 1875 he 
sold Koslande estate to Mr. Bennet. At the same 
time (1862-1874) Mr. Wright opened Macaldenia, 
also in Haputale. 
Mr. Wright had now had 45 years' work as a 
planter ; so on selling Koslande he retired with 
a competency— Rs. 200,000 at least— the fruit of 
his well-directed and mitiring industry, and cama 
to Colombo. Here he lived in the "Aviary," 
Park Road, which he improved very much. 
He nest bought a block of land in Turret Road, 
and immediately began building " Wilhelmsruhe " 
