PEOOURING COOLIES. 
past, slioufcing out, as they did so, the name of the 
estate to which they were proceeding. In this event it 
was a hop less case tryiin^ to get a word with them. 
Another likdy place for finding coolies was in some of 
the waste patches of ground about Gampola, where, in 
the evening-;, you might see, at some distance off, the 
curling smoke proceeding from their cooking fires. Fail- 
ing t'us we went on to Kandy, where most of the immi- 
grants geaerally remained for a day or two, to rest, 
and, as at Gampola, might be found encamped about 
the out streets of the town, or on the flat grass-land 
between the end of the lake and Bogambra Mills, where 
a set of rude mud and wattle ‘Mines,” with thatched 
roof, was erected by Government for their accommo- 
daion. But, failing Kandy, we then proceeded dowm 
the Matale road towa ds Dambulla, or on the road to 
and beyond Kurunegala. I think the present system 
of coolies shipping to Colombo in the native boats was 
then unknown: at le tst I have no recollection of anything 
of the sort in those days. 
Afterwards, as the demand for coplies increased, 
sup ‘rinten^r^s take passage at Colombo direct 
for the coa^tj^aoft^^ engagements with them in their 
villages, and bring them over with them, leaving a 
supply of money for the benefit of the relations of 
those who left them behind, and plac-M to the debit of 
Ramaswami’s account, to be subsequently worked out by , 
him, as wages in advance, on ihe est ate. The k anganie s 
and coolies now began to open their eyes ; they must 
be people of ver^^ great importance and consequence that 
the “durais” took all this trouble, and were at all 
this expense in coming so far to visit them. Kanganies 
on the estates began to tell the masters it was no use 
their taking all this trouble. They (the kanganies) 
would manage it ail nicely. They would take the 
money, go over to the coast, and be sure to bring 
back lots of coolies. The sums asked were so very 
small? and the kangani generally leaving a gang, as 
security for his return, this method w'as adopted, for 
a long time with most wonderful success. And so, 
this the thin edge of the wedge, “coast advances,” 
was fairly in ! Small sums of from ^3, £5, to £10 were 
the usual amounts advanced; £15 or £20 was thought 
an unusually large sum, and scarcely safe ; however, 
none was lost, the kanganies in general punctually turned 
up, the rate of labour procured for the advance being 
probably about, often considerably under, Ss, or 10s. a 
head. Indeed it used to be remarked that the less 
money that was given to a kangani, the more coolies, 
in proportion to those who were more heavily advanced^ - 
he brought. 
