o<\ MONTHLY. \>o 
XXIII. 
COLOMBO, NOVEMBEK 2nd, 1903. 
No, 5. 
PIONEERS OF THE PLANTING ENTERPRISE IN CEYLON. 
{Fourth Series.) 
ALEX. CUSHNY MORTIMER: 
COFFEE PLANTER:— 1846 TO 1866. 
MONGST the Planting Pio- 
neers of the past of Ceylon, 
few names are more worthy 
of a place in the ' ' Tropical 
Agriculturist" than that of 
Alexander Gushny Mortimer, 
so well-known in the forties, 
fifties, and sixties — first, as an 
assistant on Baharundrah and Eeilagalla, after- 
wards in charge of Colgrain, thence promoted to 
the important supervision and agency of Sir J ohn 
Cheape's valuable properties in Hantane and Nil- 
ambe, where he will best be remembered as the 
careful, methodical and conscientious Coffee Planter, 
strict with his assistants, but unsparing of himself, 
and unflinching in his duties towards the estates. 
A, C. Mortimer was a native of Old Rayne, Aber- 
deenshire, the immediate locality in which was laid 
the scene of that famous classical tale, " Johnie 
Gibb of Gushetneuk." His school education was of 
the briefest and most meagre description. The local 
" Johnathan Tawse," though a strict disciplinarian 
and wondrously learned, had not the faculty, or, 
perhaps, a fair chance of imparting much of his 
lore to others during the few brief winter months 
which, as a rule, comprised the school days of the 
average Crofter's son. The scanty seed, however, 
fell here on good ground, as the sequel will show. 
Sandy had soon to tackle the pick and spade with 
which he became a greater adept than ever he 
seemed likely to be with the pen. His brothers and 
he may be said to have literally made a farm out of 
a moorland waste, much to the pleasure and profit 
of the laird who looked with benign approval on 
the praiseworthy industry of the lads, from the 
results of whose labours he could see visions of a 
rising rental. The laird in this case was none 
other than the veritable "Sir Simon Prissel " in 
the inimitable creation of Dr. Wm. Alexander, 
otherwise known as Sir Robert E. Dalrymple, the 
father of Sir James, who, as Capt. Dalrymple, then 
sailed the Eastern seas. 
Coffee planting at that time (1837) was in its 
infancy, albeit a promising baby, as Capt. Dalrym- 
ple heard, on calling in at Colombo, and eager to 
share in the good fortune in prospect, found his 
way to Kandy, and pushing upwards, through the 
Kotmale Valley, selected the block of land which 
afterwards formed Baharundrah and Reilagalla, the 
latter now merged into Westhall. The Captain 
afterwards had some idea of settling down as a 
planter himself, but for cue so luxuriously brought 
up, the daily drudgery, monotony, and plain living 
soon lost the charm of novelty. "I could get 
nothing eatable," he said, and so returned to Logie 
for the purpose of looking out a man more suitable 
and fitted for the post of planter. His first selection 
was a son of the Manse, Alexander Cushny— (whose 
obituary notice by the way, appears in the Observer 
of 30th July to hand while I write). Alexander 
Gushny was not a success as a planter," though he 
afterwards, by a fortunate fluke, acquired a considerr 
able competence in Hongkong. 
