THE ISLAND OF CEYLON. 
ill 
walls, a town or village, called in the language of the natives 
the pet tali , and by us the black town , from its being chiefly in- 
habited by black merchants and trades-peoplc. The pettah 
of Columbo deserves particular notice, from its extent and 
superior structure. It is divided into two parts ; that nearest 
the fort consists of one very broad street, beginning at the 
esplanade near the walls, 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 parallel to it. 
In one of them stands a large well-constructed building, called 
the Orphan Seminary, or school, where the Dutch used to 
educate the children of their soldiers and the poorer Euro- 
peans, as well as those which they had by native women. 
These children were here brought up at the public expence, 
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 in- 
stitution is still kept up ; and our government, with a liberality 
highly praise-worthy, contributes to its support. 
Close by the esplanade, is the burial-ground of the garrison ; 
the church, as I have already mentioned, stands at the other 
end of the town. 
