o<!  MONTHLY.  IX> 
4 ' 
Vol.  XVI.]  COLOMBO,  APRIL  ist,  1897.  |No.  10. 
“PIONEERS  OF  THE  PLANTING  ENTERPRISE  IN  CEYLON,” 
{Second  Series.) 
GBORQE  SMYTTAN  DUFF. 
BANKER  AND  PIONEER  PROPRIETARY  PLANTER. 
the 
IME  wa.s  wlien  tlie  name  of 
Mr.  CT  S.  Duff  was  as  a 
“ household  word”  among  tlie 
Colonists  ot  Ceylon.  No 
more  .astute  nor  successful 
Banker  ever  came  to  the 
East,  and  no  individual  capi- 
talist has  ever  done  more 
forties  ” to  develope  and 
right  on  from 
sustain  the  planting  enterprise  of  this  Colony^ 
Moreover,  Mr.  Duff — who  is  still  wonderfully  well 
' preserved,  although  approaching  four-score  years, 
— is  an  evidence  of  what  the  tropics  may  do  to  pro- 
long a (medically)  threatened  life  and  to  carry  a 
weak  constitution  in  comfort  through  early  and 
middle  .age,  until  tlie  climate  of  the  United  Kingdom 
— once  so  inimical- can  he  faced  in  safety.  There 
js  one  case  in  our  experience  in  Ceylon  where  a 
.Scottish  lawyer  condemned  by  two  Doctors  as 
having  lungs  too  far  .advanced  in  disease  to  allow 
of  his  living  by  aii3''  possibility,  anywhere,  beyond 
two  or  three  ye.ar.s,  returned  from  Ceylon  after 
fifteen  years’  residence,  to  his  native  Highlands  to 
find  the  two  medicos  who  had  signed  his  death- 
warrant,  both  passed  awaj'  ! Mr.  Duffs  case  was 
not  quite  parallel,  but  still  striking  enough  as 
the  sequel  will  show. 
Born  .and  educated  in  the  North  of  Scotland,  Mr. 
Duff’s  banking  and  financial  career  was  early 
determined  on  and  1840  found  him  in  a London 
Banking  oflice  ; but  having  a far  from  robust 
constitution,  the  confinement  of  oflice  hours 
and  the  trying  fogs  of  the  City  soon  told, 
so  that  towards  the  end  of  1841,  he  had 
fairly  broken  down,  his  chest  dnd  luni.>-s  giving 
ominous  signs  of  being  unable  to  stand  another 
English  winter.  EortunateRq  the  young  Banker 
had  good  friends  : his  uncle.  Dr.  .Smyttan,  had  been 
a College  chum  of  the  then  Queen’s  Physician,  Sir 
Janies  Clarke,  and  the  latter  came  to  attend 
Mr.  Duff,  bringing  him  daily  throughout  Noveniber- 
December  1841,  all  the  new's  of  the  young  Prince 
(of  Wales)  born  9th  Nov.,  Sir  James  being  in 
attendance  on  Her  Majesty.  On  comparative 
recovery.  Sir  James  ordered  his  yonthful  patient 
to  leave  England  at  once— he  must  go  to  Ma- 
deira or  the  Canaries  ; but  learning  he  would  be 
quite  a stranger  there,  while  he  had  an  uncle 
(another  doctor,  Dr.  Bell)  in  Bombay,  he  gave  him 
permission  to  go  there,  although  he  added  that 
Ceylon  as  being  nearer  the  equator,  would  be  better. 
The  only  difference  the  Queen’s  Physician,  and  his 
patient  had  was  when  the  latter  began  to  en- 
quire  about  the  needful  fee  : “ If  ever  your  un- 
cle’s nephew  mentions  such  a thing,  we  shall  have 
a serious  quarrel”  was  the  generous  response. 
Accordingly,  e.arly  in  1842,  Mr.  G.  S.  Duff  sailed 
■ from  London  for  Bombay  in  the  ship  “ Sophia,” 
Capt.  Johns,  who  had  previously  belonged  to  the 
Indian  Navy.  Meeting  with  heavy  gales  off  the 
Canaries,  the  ship  sustained  serious  damage,  masts 
■and  buhvarks  being  swept  away  and  it  was  de« 
tennined  to  make  for  Rio  de  Janeiro  to  refit. 
There  were  40  lads  (mere  boys)  on  board  going 
out  for  the  Indian  Navy  ; but  they  were  kept  at 
the  pumps  in  relays,  niglit  and  day,  and  so 
saved  the  ship  from  sinking.  After  six  weeks 
spent  in  refitting  at  Rio,  the  voyage  to  Bom- 
baj"  again  commenced  and  Mr.  Duff  reached 
that  port  six  months  after  leaving  London.  He 
went  to  reside  with  his  uncle.  Dr.  Bell,  wlio 
Inad  just  returned  from  the  Scinde  Campaign, 
having  been  with  Sir  Charles  Napier  in  his  great 
defeat  of  the  Amirs  at  the  battle  of  Meanee. 
After  a time,  Mr.  Duffs  health  not  improving, 
the  Doctor  sent  him  to  Ceylon  for  a trip.  This 
occupied  two  months  anil  on  his  return  he  entei’ed 
the  Bank  of  Western  India.  In  August,  1844, 
however,  promotion  came  : the  Manager  in  Ceylon, 
Mr.  Smollett  Campbell,  was  transfej  red  to  China 
