KANDY IN EARLY PLANTING DAYS. 
and elevations, to try its success. We have heard 
nothing of cinchona for a long time 5 is it a failure? 
or is it slowly and quietly going to do anything for 
the benefit of our heirs and successors in the third 
and fourth generations hence? [Has our good P. D, 
been asleep ? Why, we are ail wild about cinchona I— 
Ed. C. 0<.] There are few now who will recollect of, 
even in name, one who did much for these gardens — a 
zealous botanist, whose heart was in his work, and 
who died, was cut off in the prime and flower of his 
days. Of course we refer to the late Dr. Gardner. 
The bridge which spans the river at Peradeniya is 
a master-piece of engineering, and strangers and tra- 
vellers have pronounced it to be one of the finest 
to be seen anywhere. We may be wrong, but are un- 
der the impression it was not only designed, but 
built under the directions of the late General Eraser,, 
then a colonel. ‘‘They say” — to use a common ex- 
pression — that the building and permanency of this 
bridge tended in a great measure to settle down the 
native mind to accept in peace the British rule, because 
they have it in some of their old traditions, that those 
who spanned the Mahaweliganga, rode, or drove, ot 
walked over that river dry-shod, would conquer and re- 
main conquerors of the Kandian kingdom, and so they 
accept their destiny, as written, for the river is spanned 
not only at Peradeniya, but also at Katugastota 1 
Before this latter bridge was built, which is not so 
very long ago, as it was formally opened for traffic 
by Sir Henry Ward, the Governor, on the first of 
March, 1860, the river was crossed by the usual old- 
fashioned ferry boats, and similar scenes and deten- 
tions always happened here, as have already been noticed 
as occurring at the Gampola ferry. The traffic across 
the river here was always great, as it led to and 
from the important coflfee districts in Matale, and 
a great bulk of the tide of immigrant and emi- 
grant coolies passed across here, on their way to and 
from the coffee districts, along the great north road 
leading to and from Trincomalee, Point Pedro, Jaffna, 
&c. Just above the old ferry, raised above the banks 
which .slope down to the river, stood, and we suppose 
still stands, the Katugastota bungalow. This was at on® 
time the residence of our old friend Mr Harper, from 
which he drove every morning to his place of business 
in the town, and many a pleasant evening have we 
psent here under the cool shade of the trees, watch- 
ing the rolling river flowing below. There is also 
another ferry to the east of the town, on the road 
leading out to Dumbara and the Knuckles, so that our 
readers can at once see that Kandy stands inside a sort 
of horse-shoe fiend of the river, which completely 
