May  r,  1897.]  THE  TROPICAL 
THE  HARBOUR  OP  COLOMBO,  CEY- 
LON; AND  A PROPOSED  RAIL 
WAY  TO  CONNECT  SOUTHERN 
INDIA  WITH  COLOMBO. 
( SiKCicd  Eepoft  for  the  “ Ceylon  Obaerver." ) 
On  Tue.sday,  Maicli  23,  in  Llie  hall  of  the 
London  Chaniher  of  Coniineree,  Lotolph  House, 
Ea.stcheap,  London,  Mr.  Donald  Ferguson  read  a 
paper  by  \Jr.  John  Fkrgu.son  on  “The  H.ak- 
BOUR  OE  COEOMBO,  CeYLON,  .VND  A PllOPOSED 
Kailway  to  CoNxVect  Southern'  India  with 
Colombo." 
SIR  albert  K.  ROLLITT,  M.P.* 
had  to  leave  the  ch.air  soon  after  the  opening  of  the 
meeting  to  attend  to  his  Parliamentary  duties, 
anil  his  place  in  the  chair  was  taken  by  Mr. 
Thomas  Christy. t There  were  also  present  : — Sir 
Charles  Lawson,  Mr.  Heniy  Kimber,  M p. , Mr. 
S.  1>.  Boulton  (vice-president  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commeice),  Ahln.  IJaddon,  J. P.,  Capt.  G.  Green, 
Dr.  George  Colborne,  Me.ssrs.  W.  K.  White,  W. 
Martin  Smith,  K.  Paulu^z,  E.C..S.,  H.  W.  Cave, 
W.  Martin  Leake,  S.  J.  Wilson,  J.  Hamilton, 
John  Haddon,  J.  Davis  Allen,  J.  B.  Meredith, 
J.  Fernando,  F.  J.  Waring,  C.M.o.,  J.  Macarthur, 
J.  L.  Shand,  A.  B.  Struthers,  George  W.  Jolin- 
son  (Colonial  OtKce),  Kenric  B.  Murray  (Secie- 
tary  of  the  Chamber  of  Commeice),  F.  H.  M. 
Corbet,  John  Kyle,  J.  Macintosh  Smith,  Zim- 
mer, F.  E.  Mackwood,  Peck,  the  Secretary  of  the 
Ceylon  Tea  and  Timber  Syndicate,  Ld.,  McEwan, 
Donald  Andrew,  E.  Hewell,  H.  Flindt,  Kobert 
White,  L.  Clerc,  Montrose,  C.  Ralston- White,  G. 
L.  Stenning,  H.  L.  Forb  s,  G.  W,  Chiistismi,  H. 
T.  Gardiner,  A.  M.  Ferguson,  T.  E.  B.  Skinner 
(late  Postmaster-General,  Ceylon),  R.  11.  Ferguson, 
Bagsliaw,  C.  Tliynne,  Y.  B.  Howard,  George  D. 
Jennings,  Alfred  Beeston,  Alex.  Ros.«,  A.  L. 
Hutchison,  J.  C.  Roberts,  &c.,  &c. 
• itollit,  Sir  Albert  Kaye,  (Islinf/ton,  South  div.)  a.  o 
Mr.  John  Rollit,  of  Hull,  solicitor,  by  Eliza,  d.  o 
Mr.  .Joseph  Kave,  of  Huddersfield,  architect.  B.  a 
Hull,  1842  ; educated  at  King’s  College,  and  the  Uni 
versity  of  London,  of  which  he  is  a Fellow  and  Mem 
her  of  the  Senate  (b.a.  1st  class  honour  1863,  ll.b 
1st  c'ass  honours  Principles  of  Legislation,  &c.,  18G1 
LL.D.  first  and  University  gold  medallist  18G6):  d.c.l. 
Durham  18t)l ; m.  1872,  Eleanor  Anne,  2nd  d.  of  the 
late  William  Bailey,  j.p.,  of  Winestead  Hall,  Holder- 
ness,  steamship  owner  at  Hull,  London,  &c.  (she  died 
1885).  A solicitor  in  Mark  Lane  and  at  Hull,  a prize- 
man of  the  Incorporated  Law  Society  1863.  Is  a'so 
a ship-owner  at  Hu'l,  Nesvcastle,  and  London.  Was 
sheriff  of  Hull  1875-6,  and  mayor  1883-4-5  ; Hon.  Free- 
man of  Hull;  Elder  Brother  Trinity  House,  Hull; 
President  of  the  Associated  Chambers  of  Commerce, 
U.K.;  chairman  of  the  London  Chamber  of  Commerce; 
president  Hall  Chamber  of  Commerce  ; president  Mu- 
nicipal Corporation  Association;  r.R.A.s.;  f.z.s.,  mem- 
ber of  the  Committee  of  the  British  Association  ; 
Lieut. -Col.  Engineer  Militia  (Humber  div.  Sub-marine 
Miners).  Is  J.  P.  co.  of  London,  and  D.  L.  London 
and  Yorks.  He  was  knighted  in  1885.'  A “ progres- 
sive and  independent  Conservative,’’  and  “ through 
unionist,’’  in  favour  of  wide  local  government  for 
Ireland. — 30,  Lowndes-square,  S.  If'.;  Bunster  House, 
Marh-lane  E.C.;  Carlton,  Constitutional,  Savaye,  Bane- 
lagh,  and  City  Carlton  Clubs;  Coyan  House,  Hull; 
Cottinyham,  E.  Yorkshire. — “Don.’’ 
t Mr.  Christy  is  a fellow  of  the  Linumau  Society, 
and  very  specially  interested  in  the  development  of 
new  tropical  products  and  lands, 
100 
AGRICULTURIST.  783 
The  Paper  (read  by  Mr.  D.  Ferguson)  was  to 
the  following  o/l'ect  : — 
“ THE  HARBOUR  OP  COLO.MBO,  CEYLON;  AND  A 
PROl’OSED  RAILWAY  TO  CONNECT  .SOUTHERN 
INDIA  Wmi  COLO.MBO.”” 
Payer  hy  J.  Fkikiuson,  Editor  of  the  “ Ceylon 
Observer”  and  ‘‘  Tropical  Ayricullurist.” 
INTRODUCTION. 
Thu  island  of  Ceylon  is  usually  described  as  the 
first  and  most  importaut  of  British  Crown  Colo- 
nies. It  has  an  ai-tsa  of  close  on  25,000  sqnaro 
miles,  and  a population  of  over  3 millions. 
two-tliirds  of  tlie  population  are  found  in  the  South- 
west portion  of  the  island ; while  extensive  dis- 
tricts in  the  Nortli-Canti'al  and  Northern  divisions 
have  scarcely  more  than  a few  units  to  the  square 
mile,  althoug’n  in  ancient  historical  times  iheso 
were  the  most  populous  and  prosperous  parts  of 
t’no  island.  The  ruins  of  the  ancient  capitals 
Anui'afiliapura  and  Polomiaruwa,  show  to  what  a pitch 
of  prosperity  the  Sinhalese  Buddhist  kingdom  be- 
fore and  after  the  Christian  era  had  attained. 
This  position  the  Sinhalese  lost  through  the  constant 
incursions  of  T.imils — -alien  in  race  and  religion — 
from  Southern  India  until— the  bunds  of  their  irri 
gition  tanks  cut,  their  towns  devastated  and  do 
stioyeJ, — tho  Sinhalese  were  forced  back  into  the 
South  and  West  of  tlie  island,  and  what  were 
cultivated  rice  fields  liave,  for  many  hundrehs  of 
year.^,  been  covered  with  heavy  jungle. 
The  great  Planting  industry  of  Ceylon  in  tea, 
cacao,  coffee,  rubber,  &c„  is  chiefly  confined  to  the 
4,000  square  miles  of  mountain  zone  in  the  Central 
South  and  adjacent  lowcountry  districts  to  the  South 
and  West.  The  natives  cultivate  cinnamon  on  the 
West  coast,  and  coconut  and  other  palms  all  round 
the  coast,  save  for  intervals  on  the  North-West  and 
North-East. 
Apart  from  the  ancient  ruined  cities,  an  1 tho 
better-known  central  capital  of  K-mdy,  the  island 
has  long  had  three  well-known  towns  or  ports.  The 
grand  u.atural  harbour  of  Trincomalee  on  the  North- 
East  cca;t  may  be  counted  among  the  half-dozen 
finest  harbours  in  the  world,  and  its  possession  for 
t'le  Naval  Headquarters  in  the  East  Indies,  was  a 
chief  reason  why,  on  the  General  Peace  in  J815, 
England  decided  to  give  Holland  the  much  richer 
and  larger  island  of  Java  in  exchange  for  Ceylon, 
which  was  then  regarded,  with  Trincomalee,  as 
very  mu5h  the  key  to  India.  Then  Poiut-de-Gallc 
sprang  rapidly  into  notice  on  the  South  of  the  island, 
as  the  Mail-steamer  Port  ; while  the  Political  and 
Commercial  Capital  was  found  in  Colombo  surrounded 
by  country  highly  cultivated  and  a dense  popula- 
tion, while  Trincomalee  had  neither  population  nor 
cultivators  to  speak  of  in  its  neighbourhood. 
Ceylon  has  always  been  cloieiy  associated  with 
India,  one  of  its  ancient  names  describing  it  as 
“ a pearl-drop  on  the  brow  of  India  ’’;  while  its 
people,  the  Sinhalese,  originally  came  from  the  North 
of  India ; and  the  Tamils  now  settled  in  the 
North  and  East  of  the  island  are  the  same  people 
as  occupy  all  the  Southern  divisions  of  the  Madras 
Presidency. 
I will  only  say  further,  b .1  way  of  introduction, 
that  the  construction  cf  a_  first-class  railway  from 
Colombo  to  Kandy  and  i.s  extension  afterwards 
through  the  chief  planting  districts  as  well  as  another 
line  South  to  Galle  and  Matara,  consolidated  the 
overshadowing  importance  to  tlie  island  of  Co- 
lombo as  almost  its  sole  export  and  import  ship- 
ping port. 
Adam’s  reef  .and  islands. 
As  regards  its  geographical  coiinoctiou  with  India, 
I would  point  out  that  while  the  populous  pjnin- 
sula  of  Jaffna  011  the  extre  ne  North  of  the  island 
* This  paper  is  printed  from  the  writer’s  first  dralt, 
and  may,  in  some  respects,  d-ffer  a little  from  the 
finished  copy  re  id  before,  and  to  be  published  by, 
the  Loudon  Chamber  of  Commerce, — Ed,  T.A, 
