Pettah of Columho. 135 
walls, a town or village, called in the language of tlie natives 
pettah, and by us the hlach town, from its being cliiefly in- 
habited by black merchants and trades-people. The pettah 
of Columbo deserves particular notice, from its extent and su- 
perior structure. It is divided into two parts; that nearest 
the fort consists of one very broad street, beginning at the 
esplanade near the wails, and running on till stopped by an 
old mud wall, and a gate called Kenman’s Port. In this di- 
vision of the pettah are several excellent houses, where many 
Dutch gentlemen and merchants reside. Through Kenman’s Port 
there is a narrow passage leading into the other division, which 
consists of a long straggling town, skirted on one side by the 
lake I have already described. Besides a principal street, there 
are several smaller ones running loaraliel to it. In one of them 
stands a large well-constructed building, called the Orphan Semi- 
nary, or school, where the Dutch used to educate the children 
of their soldiers and the poorer Europeans, as well as those 
which they had by native women. These children were here 
brought up at the public expense, till the boys were old enough 
to become apprentices to trades ; and the females were settled 
in some comfortable situation, or married to persons of their 
own rank. This .laudable institution is still kept up; and our 
government, with a liberality highly praise-worthy, contributes to 
its support. 
Close by the esplanade, and adjoining the black toAvn, is the. 
burial-ground of the garrison; the church, as I have already men- 
tioned, stands at the other end of the town. 
The shops, bazars, and stalls placed all along the streets, are 
replenished with various articles of merchandise, peculiarly in 
use among the natives of India ; and the town, during the whole 
