SALAFIES. 
‘ atement was a little overdrawn, but tlie first two 
Leas are quite correct. It must not however be as- 
. amed that this ant^cdote of Mr. Wildgoose’s ‘ spread’ 
was a sample of planting iifa. As a rule, mmy of the 
planters were hard- working men, according to the light 
of the times. 'I'hey had little comforts, no luxuries. 
Their houses were simply miseiable; they had little 
socie' y, no amusements^ The result was, that when they 
went to Kandy, and any one gave a dinner, and there 
was any reaction from th ir dull routine of life, they 
generally made the most of it, in a temporary spree. 
One great drawback in the old planting days, was the 
want of go )d wholesome substantial food. No man can 
keep up his st .mina long on curry and rice. In 
many cases the small pay given to superintendents was 
a positive cruelty and quite calculated to make the 
recipient lose all self-respect. Fifty pounds a year, and 
keep up the position and standing of one in charge of 
two or three hundred coolies. Absurd ! The superin- 
tendent had to choose between two evils : either to live 
so very low as would eventually ruin his health, and 
send him off to die of dysentery in Colombo, like Mr. 
Eobertson, or to run into debt at a Kandy store, as 
Mr. Brown did at Mr. Solomons'*. The small pay 
inducing penurious living on the part of the planter 
tended to lower him and his p ssition in the estima- 
tion of tile coolies, apart altogether from cooly nature; 
it is human nature, and it may foe supposed that the 
two are very much combined, because coolies are 
human beicgs. N > subordinates whatever can long 
pretend respect for a master, who is always in pe- 
cuniary straits and difficulties, because this chronic 
state leads eventually to acts which are not becoming 
the character and position of a gentleman. And none 
know better than the coodes, who are very sharp in 
soon finding out, as to who is, and who is not, a 
gentleman. I do not refer to a tnati’s parentage or 
pedigree. That has nothing whatever to do with the 
subject, but to his general conduct and beh.jvioiir as 
an honourable, upright, nnd, aoove all, just man. 
Now with every intention to be all this, how can a 
man be just, when the salary he receives is not suffi- 
cient for the o'*dinary necessarie- of hfe. If he thinks 
to do himself justice, and orders a fair supply of 
creature c >mfo‘-ts, he is unjust to his creditors, when, 
he cannot pay their bills. So that, in order to be just 
to his c editors, he had to treat himself unjustly. 
Many wilt say £50 to £100 per annum is taking a 
very low scale of salary. Such ^ums wmre chiefly paid, 
to assistants. Wed., take the higlii*st ; £200 w as about it ; 
in some few c -ses £250 or £300 was paid ; these were 
the outside^ and considered rare and difficult caiohes » 
