Jan. 1, 1902,] THE TROPICAI. AGRICULTUEIST. 
459 
PASSABA 
has now developed into a very important 
district containing over 5,000 acres of 
tea. The new bungalow near the factory on 
the Gonakelle Group is very substantial and a 
pretty piece of lawn well kept, improves the 
lTonta,ge surrounded with dense shade trees. 
The Lunugala and Badulla coach passes just 
underneath and blow their horns, announcing 
the arrival of the daily mail. " Things are 
looking up " as poor old Hebenton used often 
to remark in the old coffee days in Uva. 
After enjoying the kind hospitality of Mr. VV 
S Taylor, we pass on to see some old friends, 
the Cottons, of Dammeria. This is another 
valuable property with great improvements 
made during the past twenty years— with 659 
acres under cultivation, really a compact and 
pretty estate with tea looking very promising. 
A handsome new bune-alow commands a 
comprehensive view of Peacock Rock or 
Monar,igala. It appears that all the estates 
on this extraordinary formation are on the 
side facing Dammeria and the other side is 
sheer precipice. We met Mr. S Sparkes at 
Gonakelle and he was good enough to invite 
the writer to see some of the estates on 
Monaragala, so we must make up our minds 
for another long and warm journey on re- 
turning to Passara. Mr. J B Cotton was kind 
enough to drive me part of the road to Lu- 
nugala, putting' me down at Galhoda one of 
the properties incorporated in the Passara 
Group — including Galboda, Medumpitiya, 
Hanipha, and Polgahalande, comprising 500 
acres of tea. Being alone on the Lunugalaroad 
I was unable to glean the amount of inform- 
ation regarding the new estates above and 
below the cart-road required to do justice to 
the great improvements made since I was 
last passing this way. 
There are many pretty fields of tea and 
new bungalows and factories smoothing the 
monotony of this once rather tedious and 
steamy 
JOURNEY BETWEEN BADULLA AND LUNUGALA. 
One feels more inclined to be poetical when 
comfortable and riding is better than walking 
in a iive-rupee pair of ammunitions. 
Ramasamy does not grumble and he, 
Eoor fellow, carries all the kit on his head 
are-footed, so why should your correspond- 
ent complain of a few nails sticking up in 
his boots and a blister occasionally, how 
nice it is to have a bath and a change 
after a troublesome journey ; yet after all 
said and dune, there is no disputing the 
fact that riding is far and away better than 
walking esjiecially in the tropics. 
Well— "there is no rest for the wicked ' 
and we go on like the Wandering Jew of E. S. 
(the name of the French Author is B. S.) 
We pass through Hopton estate and 
between two small bungalows and sight old 
Clifton, the former some 400 acres of tea and 
Clifton, with Kehelwatte, about .340 acres. 
We remember John Darley on Clifton in 
the "seventies" and afterwards Carey. Coffee 
has given place to tea and isdoin^ w- ll. 
When our old friend, G. H Hall, opened 
Shawlands, he little thought it would some 
day be converted into such a large tea 
estate, now nearly 500 acres, with new 
bungalow and factory— the tea coming right 
down from a respectable elevation to the 
cart road. Poor old Hall : he died in the 
Straits Settlements somewhere, I believe in 
Perak— another good planter gone. 
G. H. Hall was a regular correspondent of 
the Observer and often wrote some very 
smart things. He was a well read man and 
very good company, and we passed many plea- 
sant evenings at Shawlands. 
We were very sorry on arrival at the 
Park to find our friend, Fred. Hall, away 
from home, especially as we had walked ten 
miles in a very hot sun and we felt very 
tired imleed. However, we rested our weary 
bones that night. Next morning at 6 o'clock 
we made the ascent to Madulsima. 
The view of the lowcountry from Madul- 
sima is very grand with occasional glimpses 
of the silvery sea, and " Westminster Abbey " 
and "Friar's Hood," two well-known land 
marks on navigators' charts of the Eastern 
Province of Ceylon. From Mr. G B Cotton's 
bungalow we could see distinctly the little 
Basses' light with its minute an I fifteen- 
second flashes or rather two fifteen second 
flahes at intervals of about one minute. 
We will bring this letter to a conclusion now 
that we have arrived at Verela Patna,. 
There are only two old planters we re- 
member up in Madulsima. In about six years 
the district has completely changed and a new 
generation has sprung up who knows not 
.Joseph. We can look down on tlie Logaloya 
Valley, where we put in six years in the 
"seventies" before going into Government ser- 
vice at Perak in the Malay States. 
Poor old (iarrioch, Donald Raid, Sandy 
Brown, Ned Linton, Isham, Karslake, Dolly 
Osborne, Beneson, Richard Mant, Dick Ster- 
ling, and many others have been gathered 
to their fathers. Still the old district is 
flourishing, and risen out of its own ashes. 
The new bungalow at Verela Patna is 
nicely situated commanding a very exten- 
sive view of the surrounding estates, in- 
cluding the Gonakelle Group— Pait of Ury 
and the new tea flelds of Mr. J Peris. 
To the right, Sarnia and Dotlands, Ledger- 
watte and Keena Kelle Group and Gampaha 
the back ground. 
There will be many changes in and about 
Badulla within six months or so. Planters 
at home on leave will return to their change 
and their Locum Tenens will have to find 
new billets. Ceylon seems very full of Superin- 
dendents and Assistants just now and re- 
auction of expenditure is the order of the 
day. South Africa after the War^ may offer 
a new field for young men, and Canada can 
provide for those who can find a little capital. 
The Canadian Government give 160 acres of 
land in the Far West. 
We regret to hear of Mr. Marshall's sudden 
death from lightning in Dolosbage. 
The greatest improvements in the districb of 
Madulsima is the su'istantial cart roail with its 
new bridges and railed-ia ca. verts passing 
through all the best tea e.st,ates. 
