THE ISLAND OF CEYLON* 
141 
after them carrying their betel-boxes, or are employed in 
bearing umbrellas over the heads of their mistresses, who 
seldom wear any head-dress, but have their hair combed 
closely back and shining with oil. Their chief finery consists 
in these female attendants, and their splendour is estimated 
by the number of them which they can afford to keep. 
These slaves are the comeliest girls that can be procured, 
and their mistresses in general behave very kindly to them. 
With that caprice however, which always attends power in 
the hands of the ignorant and narrow-minded, the Dutch 
ladies frequently behave in a very cruel and unjust manner 
to their female attendants, upon very trifling occasions, and 
in particular on the slightest suspicion of jealousy. 
The unmarried ladies usually pay considerable attention 
to their dress ; and since the conquest of the island by our 
forces, have greatly improved their appearance by adopting 
the English fashions. On my first arrival in the island, they 
dressed in the Dutch manner with long waists and stiff high 
stays, which to me appeared very grotesque and awkward. 
The dress worn by many of them, which is a mixture of the 
European and native fashions, is light and pretty. It consists 
of a piece of fine cotton cloth wrapped round the body, and 
fastened under the arms, which forms the under dress. Above 
it is worn a jacket of fine muslin or calico, and a petticoat 
of the same. Over the whole is thrown the kabey, or muslin 
robe with sleeves fitted close to the arms, and reaching down 
to the wrist, with five or six buttons of gold, silver, or 
