THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
77 
Aug. 2 , 1897 .] 
cleared out of Ceylon with at least £100,000 to 
his credit; but it was not quite enough, so he 
stuck to it a little longer ; and like a great 
many others, a little too long for coffee, and yet 
not quite long enough, for tea ; but he was 
fighting against adversity as pluckily as any one 
ever did, and was on the right road to ‘ pull 
round,’ when he was overtaken with the incur- 
able disease which handed our good friend over 
to the ‘majority’ on 5th Dec. 1888.” 
We have been favoured with another account 
which we think ought also to be read by itself 
without incorporation in a general memoir as 
was meant by the writer when, on boardship, he 
dashed off the appended interesting notes of his 
dear friend of long-standing at our request. 
This gentleman shared bungalows with Mr. 
Downall for many years : — 
“ I first met K. B. Downall early in 1866 on 
my return from England, when I went to live 
in Kandy. He was then living at Peradeniya 
bungalow on the old sugar estate, which con- 
tinued to be his headquarters till he went to 
resident Barnes’ Hall, Nuwara Eliya. I believe 
he arrived in Ceylon in 1863 and commenced 
life as a coffee planter under W. W. Wynn on 
Kent and Ambokka estates in Matale North. 
Whilst he was there he and Wynn made one or 
two shooting trips to Kanthalai tank on the 
road to Trincomalee which he never forgot. 
After leaving Kent and Ambokka I believe he for 
a short time took charge of Kaloogalla estate 
in Dolosbage when George Wall appointed 
*him his Visiting Agent, and he was acting in 
that capacity when I first met him in 1866. 
When not visiting, he used to attend G. Wall & 
Co.’s office in Kandy daily. Although he had been 
a planter such a short time (only two or three 
years) Wall discovered his ability end ap- 
pointed him his Visiting Agent. Though Downall’s 
practical knowledge at that time was limited, 
he did all his work most thoroughly and 
conscientiously, and was most particular in seeing 
that no unnecessary expenditure was incurred 
on any of the estates he visited. George Wall had 
the greatest confidence in him, and Downall 
gained experience rapidly. In 1866 he owned 
half of Middleton estate, Dimbula, with Elliott, and 
he subsequently purchased Tangakelle 1 tliink 
in 1869 ? In 1877, he sold these estates and pur- 
chased Dambatenne and Lemastota in Haputale 
from Crllwell, also Barnes’ Hall, and soon after- 
wards Monerakande estate from J. T. White 
and H. Bois. From that time coffee in Haputale 
began to decline, and poor Downall died hope- 
lessly involved. He had paid much too large a 
um for Monerakande estate. If he had been 
content with Dambatenne and Lemastota, he 
might have pulled through. During the last 
two or three years of his life in Ceylon he gave 
up Barnes’ Hall, Nuwara Eliya and went to 
manage his Haputale estates and lived first at 
Monerakande and afterwards at Dambatenne. I 
stayed with him two or three times at each 
bungalow. On tlie occasion of my last visit I 
met him at tiie top of Dambatenne, (having 
crossed over the ridge from Nayabedde). He 
was superintending a large gang of coolies cutting 
out young coffee to make room for tea, and ex- 
pressed his doubts as to whether he was acting 
wisely or not ! At that timetlie coffee was suffer- 
ing from green bug as well as leaf disease. 
“In 1868 I went to live with Downall at Pera- 
deniya and we lived together till he went home 
in 1870, when he left me his power of attorney. 
We were both fond of animals, and at one time 
we had two small elephants, besides elk, spotted 
deer and other pets. One of the elephants 
Downall brought up from Hambantota after a 
shooting trip, having shot the mother. When 
he went home in 1870 it went to the Kandy 
Temple, and it now takes part in the Perahera 
every year. It is a female. The other small 
elephant, which was given to us by Capt. Eudd 
of the 59th Regiment died soon after it was sent 
to the Dewa Nilame with the other one. Downall 
was very fond of sport of ali kinds. He had 
taken to racing when I first knew him in 1866, 
and he was then p.art owner of ‘Grandmaster’ 
one of the best horses that ever erme to Ceylon. 
Downall continued to keep race horses up to a 
short time before he died. He was also fond of 
cricket and used to take part in the annual 
cricket matches at Kandy from 1866 to 187 ), viz., 
Keir, Dundas & Co. (captained by W. Martin 
Leake) against the World. He afterwards started 
a cricket club at Kandapolla, Haputale, and 
took great interest in it up to the time of his 
death. He took several shooting trips after big 
game both in Ceylon and Southern India. He 
was far from well when he went on his last trip 
to Travancore and never recovered. When he 
lived at Barnes’ Hall, Nuwara Eliya, he kept a 
pack of hounds and gave excellent sport to his 
numerous friends. 
“In 1876 he succeeded me as representative of 
the planters in the Legislative Council, and con- 
tinued to represent the pl.anting interests on 
and off up to the time of Ids death. He rendered 
most valuable services to the planting com- 
munity in tlie Legislative Council, esiiecially in 
respect to railway extension to Haputale. He 
spared no pains nor trouble in pushing forward 
any good work and in making sure of his facts. 
He was very independent, and his opinion always 
