Nov. 2, 1903.] 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
[299 
lady would look at him ! To which he cheerily 
responded that he did not know " what they called 
an old fellow," that he felt yet in his prime, 
remarkinii hy the way, that Sir John was sixty and 
his wife twenty-seven. It was in vain that friends in 
Ceylon warned him against stopping the year too 
long.'" The difficulty of getting suitable men to fill 
the important appointment was not so easily over- 
come. Though there was now a plethora of good 
planters, few exactly suited Sir John Cheaiie. 
At length, however, Mortimer secured the services 
of two thoroughly capable and reliable men, James 
Beaton and Wm. Cameron. The former, a good 
planter, and as a clever, methodical, well-trained 
accoantant, had proved himseli extremely useful to 
the estates. The latter an admirably equipped 
horticulturist and planter, whose brethren will long 
remember, as the man who introduced that most 
useful of fuel and timber trees, the Grevillca 
ruhii>fi(. jMany a man has had a monument built to 
him fur less. 
With two such men in charge of the estates 
51r. Alortimer now felt he could confidently leave 
Ceylon, and in March, 1866, he finally took farewell 
of the beloved Watties — rather run down, but 
hopeful that he would soon recruit in his native land. 
It was not to 6c— the farewell letter to Mr. Beaton 
from (ialle indicated much suffering from heat and 
general weakness. His parting words were " Do 
yoLir duty to God and man, and fear not." 
As the voyage proceeded he gradually got worse till, 
in his own words, he reached Cairo " more dead than 
alive." He felt somewhat refreshed, however, by a 
night's comfortable rest in a good climate. Would 
that he had remained there for some weeks, but 
hope hastened him onwards to his mother-country. 
The season of tlje year seemed favourable and well- 
chosen. The month of May would be remembered 
by him as one of the most genial of the year, but 
unquestionably there has been a change during the 
past half-century, and the merry month of May has 
now become the most treacherous of all the twelve. 
This was experienced as the "Delhi" entered the 
English Channel, when a sudden chill brought on a 
serious relapse, and Islr. Mortimer died on the day 
after reaching Southampton. 
The remains were conveyed to Aberdeenshire, and 
in the church-yard of Old Rayne may be seen a neat 
head-stone bearing the following words : — 
"In Memoky 
of 
"ALEXANDER CUSHNY MORTIMER, 
" Youngest son of James Mortimer and Elizabeth 
" Wilson, Sunside of Rayne, who left his native 
" country in 1846, and lived for about twenty years 
" thereafter as a coffee planter in Ceylon, where he 
" was much respected by his employers and friends. 
" Having left that Island in bad health and arrived 
" at Southampton, he died there on the following 
" day, 3rd of May, 1S66, in the 46th year of his age, 
" and was buried here beside his kindred deceased— 
" on the 9th of May— deeply lamented by his 
" surviving brothers and sisters, who have placed 
" this stone to mark his grave, and in token of 
" their sorrow and affection for a beloved brother."' 
The Rev. Henry L. IMitchcll, one of the ablest 
and best beloved of our jungle padres, paid the 
following eloquent tribute to his old friend in 
"Missionary Record" of June, iS69 ; — (Referring 
to the Deltotte Church) ' ' One most saddening 
characteristic of social intercourse in a country 
where all are emigrants, and look constantly forward 
to leaving for a home iu another land, is the 
rapidity with which friend? are lost by removals. 
Of the numerous congregation that used to assemble 
in this Church in 1862, when the writer of these 
words began his ministry in it, mostly all now 
reside elsewhere or are gone to rest in the grave. 
One of these, A. C. Mortimer, whose name will be 
long associated with this Church and district, where 
the memory of his persevering energy and conscien- 
tious rectitude will long remain green to many, 
passed away on the very day that, after twenty 
years of successful exertion, he reached his native 
shore." 
Dear old padre Mitchell, too, is gone, but his 
graphic word-picture of this locality is well worth 
quoting : — 
"In all parts of the island of Ceylon, and 
especially amongst the central hills, the scenery is 
most beautiful. No more picturesque surroundings 
could be imagined than those of Deltotte Church. 
Unlike the splendid .-615,000 churches seen in towns 
at home half hidden amongst houses of seven or 
eight storeys, as if sites were grudgingly granted on 
soil where mammon might flourish, Deltotte church 
borrows all of splendour there is about it from 
Nature's scenes around. It is situated all alone in a 
valley, along which a winding stream flows to 
irrigate many a rice field. The frowning peaks of 
Kitoolamoola are seen to the North ; Galaha, one of 
the finest Coffee estates in the island, lies under its 
semi-circular crest of rocks towards the east ; the 
rounded hills of Gallantenne and the Vedahettes 
on either side bounding the nearest horizon, away 
to the south lovely patnas crowned with forest 
slope away to Rathoongodde, and a winding road 
traverses by a gradual ascent the whole length of 
this unequalled landscape." 
CONTEMPOEAEIES AND NEIGHBOURS, 
In those days the Scots planter was in the 
ascendant in Ceylon, particularly the sons of toil, 
with some knowledge of agriculture. It was the 
natural reaction from a different class of pioneers 
who had previously tried their hand at planting 
with but very partial success. The new typo of 
planter was, however, very far from being an 
invariable success, and it is curious— and not un- 
profitable to note the diversity of character even 
amongst those reared on the same soil. 
Another protege of the Elphinstones was one Hay, 
who was sent out from the Garioeh, much better 
equipped educationally than A. C. Mortimer, but 
lacking in that solid God-fearing principle which 
the latter brought steadfastly to bear upon all his 
duties. After all, it is character more than ability 
that brings success. Hay at first forged ahead of 
his contemporaries and soon got charge of a couple 
of estates, Kent and Ambokka in Matale, but he 
took to drink, went mad, and after burning some 
Sinhalese villages had to flee the country. G. E. 
Dalrymple afterwards entrusted Hay with the 
management of a flax-works in Aberdeenshire, but 
strange enough it too took fire, and the last part 
this man played was acting as a chance porter in 
Aberdeen, in which position he died. 'Twas he who 
on seeing " Ceylon" on the baggage he was wheeling, 
asked the passenger if he knew Sandy IMortimer, 
and on hearing he was flourishing and worth 
thousands, set down his barrow and, throwing his 
arms in the air, esclamed "L— d man, he and I 
worked together I! " 
Amongst the immediate neighbours of A. C. 
Mortimer in Hantane, iu the fifties, was Normaii 
Stewart on Oodoowella, a good and very popular 
planter, followed by the equally good, though morg 
