Chapter XXVII: Christian Work in Ceylon (2)

Buddha made no offer of the Divine Gift of Life, for it was not his to bestow.[239] Of Christ it is true now as of old, that ‘as many as receive Him, to them gives He power to become the sons of God, who shall dwell with Him for ever and be like Him. Buddha offers no power nor help of any sort. He merely gives rules how so absolutely to conquer every natural instinct, that, after untold ages of weary agonising, men may attain to a cessation of their very undesirable individual existence, in other words, to Nirvana, _i.e._, the condition of a flame after it has been blown out. The highest ideal of bliss is the attainment of perfection in the colourless, loveless condition of a dewdrop falling into the ocean, thenceforth to exist only as merged in the Infinite. It is not a very inviting goal for which to agonise, except as a means of escape from the prolonged miseries of innumerable transmigrations. Surely not worth even a passing thought from any one who has received Christ’s gracious offer of immortality—His own gift of Eternal Life in Himself.

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Footnote 239:

When Prince Gautama was born the world had still six centuries to wait
ere man might again have access to the Tree of Life (the tree of
which, according to the old allegory, Eve failed to eat, and the
approach to which was thenceforth guarded, lest, having sinned, she
should nevertheless eat of its fruit and live for ever in estrangement
from God); and so the Redeemer reveals Himself not only as the Life,
but as the Life-Giver. ‘To them who by patient continuance in
well-doing seek for ... immortality, He giveth Eternal Life.’ ‘To him
that overcometh will I give to eat of the Tree of Life, which is in
the midst of the Paradise of God.‘ ‘THIS IS LIFE ETERNAL, that they
may know Thee, the Only True God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast
sent.’

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I think if good Prince Gautama had been born 600 years later, and within hearing of the truth as revealed in Jesus Christ, he would assuredly have been the most earnest and devoted of His apostles, and he would now be spared the grief of seeing dim-eyed men turn from the fulness of the True Light to grope after the pale glimmer which, when he kindled it in the black night of unmitigated idolatry, was so eagerly blessed, even as the weary watcher prizes the feeble rushlight if he has nothing better; but candle and lamp alike pale before the glow of the Eastern dawn.

To us Christians the whole of life is glorified and gladdened by the consciousness of living union with our ever-present loving Lord, and the certainty (too often proved in our own experience to leave any room for doubt) of His sympathy and care for all that concerns us. But for the Buddhist there is no such companionship, only lonely striving after a perfection unattainable to the weakness of unhelped humanity.

He seeks absolute perfection here. The Christian knows his life here to be but the embryo of what it shall be; of the next stage he knows no more than the dull grub, working out its little round of existence, dreams in what perfection of life and radiancy of colour it will emerge from its chrysalis coffin. Our life here is that of the chick cradled within the egg-shell—a life hid (but hid with Christ in God), and even now being formed and developed, soon to burst the shell and pass through whatever stages may yet be needed to bring us to perfection.

‘It doth not yet appear what we shall be,’ any more than a vast collection of birds’ eggs of all nations can suggest the myriad forms of beauty which they represent—the soaring eagles, swift sea-birds, jewelled humming-birds flashing in the sunlight, too quick for sight to follow, bright birds of paradise, all varied types of radiant plumage and musical song, and all developed from a lot of empty egg-shells. So from the soul-cases in which we now dwell shall go forth the living US to be perfected, each after his kind, and dwell for ever in His presence, which is fulness of joy.

Of course one radical difference between the striving after perfection enjoined on the Christian and on Buddhists, Parsees, Brahmans and Mahommedans lies in the motive for good works. The Christian knows he is bound to do his very utmost as a thank-offering for the free gift bestowed on him, whereas, in all other creeds, the one idea is that of purchasing salvation by works. Multiply acts of self-denial, external rites, pilgrimages, prayers (though Buddhism ignores God), and by these means weave a robe of self-righteousness—the dearest of all to human pride.

In the case of Buddhism, repeat the name of Buddha as a perpetual charm. You can never say it often enough; so go on and on all your life. If you could be sure that you had thus, or by any other means, acquired sufficient merit, there would be no occasion to pay the monks for reciting endless acts of devotion (which cannot be prayers) on your behalf, to get your soul out of the many purgatories in which devils will delight in tormenting it. Oh! the hopelessness of such a creed, with its weary prospect of successive transmigrations, each carrying forward the account of good or ill from the previous state of existence.

Kandy, as might be expected in the city of the sacred Tooth, has as yet proved a rocky soil, unfavourable to the growth of Christian seed; and though the Episcopal Church, the Wesleyans, and the Baptists are all at work, it has been well said that the atmosphere is as full of heathenism as it is of heat. Seeing the very important bearing on this subject of female education, it is somewhat remarkable that, with the exception of the Wesleyan industrial schools for poor girls, no female boarding-school should have been established in the mountain capital. Mission-agents send their daughters from here to Cotta, but for those of influential Kandyan gentlemen no such education is available, though it has been proved that wherever such schools are opened, parents willingly send their daughters, though well aware that a considerable number invariably embrace Christianity. This subject is one of increasing importance, not merely on account of the influence which might thus be acquired in many influential homes, but as the surest hope of providing suitable wives for such converts as may be won from among the high-caste Kandyan boys who are now being trained at Trinity College, Kandy.

Such is the anxiety for a good English education, that the parents of these lads and young men are eager to secure it, notwithstanding a well-grounded impression that it will probably result in the renunciation of Buddhism. The college is under the direction of two English clergymen and a staff of ten masters. The two hundred day-scholars and the forty boarders are of all denominations, but the majority are professedly Christian, as are also all the masters; and when we hear of these scholars holding prayer-meetings by themselves, and that in one year eight of the senior students dedicated themselves to active Christian work, it is evident that the tone of the college must be encouraging to any Buddhist lad who is inclined to think seriously on the subject.

I have already spoken[240] of the great school at Cotta, commenced by the Church Missionary Society in A.D. 1822, with its boarding-school for girls and training-institution for native clergy.

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Footnote 240:

Page 108.

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In addition to these varied duties, the Principal of Cotta, the Rev. R. T. Dowbiggin, has also the general superintendence of upwards of fifty village-schools, twenty-seven for girls and twenty-five for boys. These are scattered over an area of five hundred square miles, and have an average daily attendance of 1,100 girls and 1,600 boys, most of whom are Buddhists. This extension of girls’ schools is deemed a most satisfactory feature, full of promise for the future, were it only for the breaking down of caste prejudice. As in the schools for Hindoo girls in the Northern Provinces, so here Singhalese girls of four distinct castes now sit on the same benches and learn the same lessons. This result has been achieved with far greater facility in the boys’ schools than in the girls’. But the fact that girls should be allowed to live in the houses of Christians, and eat food cooked by them, proves that caste in Ceylon is a less grievous yoke than it is in Northern India.

This caste question, however, does prove a very serious difficulty, not only among the Tamil people, who, of course, keep up the regular Hindoo caste distinctions, but also among the Singhalese. One of their own pastors, the Rev. L. Liesching, writes, that although born and bred in Ceylon, he could not have believed how strong its influence really is. He says that even the Duriya (low-caste) Christians, on whose behalf he has to combat the prejudice of their higher-caste neighbours, show just as much unwillingness to associate with those who are of inferior caste to themselves. And as regards the highest castes, this is undoubtedly the greatest obstacle to their conversion. This is the more remarkable as caste is not a sacred institution among the Singhalese, for Buddhism does not recognise any such distinction of rank, and the Buddhist priests, to whom all yield reverence, are admitted from every caste. Here the distinction is simply social; nevertheless the line of demarcation is so marked, that no amount of wealth can overcome it, or induce the native aristocracy to admit a man from a lower caste to social intercourse, far less to intermarriage.

Thus, of all the races who people Ceylon, the Moormen alone are apparently free from caste trammels, at least I suppose they are as free as average Christians, which, after all, is not saying much, especially in free America, where the general interpretation of social equality seems to lie in being the equal of all superiors and the immeasurable superior of all of lower degree.

The Church Missionary Society did not commence work in Colombo till 1850. Three years later a large church was erected on the Galle Face Esplanade, in which English, Singhalese, and Tamil services have been constantly held for the three races. Here the Society also has district schools for boys and girls, and a boarding-school for Tamil Christian girls. It also carries on all manner of evangelistic work among Hindoos, Mahommedans, Buddhists, and Portuguese.

The work amongst the latter is most discouraging, the majority being so steeped in hopeless poverty that their life seems to have lost all spring; and as Ceylon has no poor laws, all such are dependent for relief on a voluntary association called the Friend-in-Need Society, which, at best, can merely mitigate the sufferings of the most needy. Though of Portuguese descent, many of these poor Burghers, living in the lanes and alleys of Slave Island, are absolutely heathen; so the Wesleyans have latterly commenced holding services in Portuguese for their benefit, while the Church of England endeavours to reach some by means of a ragged-school and special services in Singhalese, which the majority can understand better than English. Their own language is a very debased Portuguese. Of course the well-to-do Dutch Burghers form a large and very important class of the community. As may be guessed by a glance round any of the churches one may chance to enter, they fill all sorts of responsible positions, but the Portuguese seem never to have got over the crushing oppression to which their ancestors were subjected by the Dutch, and to this day few rise high in the social scale.

In the Southern Province, where the population is principally Singhalese, and consequently Buddhist, the Church of England Mission is carried on chiefly by the S.P.G. and Diocesan clergy, the only station of the Church Missionary Society being that at Baddigama, which was commenced about A.D. 1820. Here one European and two native clergymen superintend the work of fifty male and female lay teachers. Baddigama is a large district, extending as far north as Bentota, and including a population of 100,000 souls, of whom only 526 are as yet professedly Christian. Twenty-six church-schools, with an average attendance of about sixty-seven children, are, however, so many centres of good influence, though there are villages where the schoolmaster himself is as yet literally the only Christian. Yet even in these the people seem quite willing to listen, and many profess to have lost all belief in Buddhism.

These villages are generally in the poorest districts, which have been almost abandoned by the Buddhist priests, and the temples left to fall into decay. This points to the fact that in the low country there are few rich temple endowments in land, such as were bestowed on the priesthood by the Kandyan kings, and which make the priests of the Central Province altogether independent of the people. That the people themselves desire education is certain, and at one of these low-country villages the Bana Maduwa (Buddhist preaching-place) was offered to the Mission by the village headmen, to be converted into a Christian school; and when this was declined because it adjoined the _pansala_, _i.e._, temple-school, they at once erected a new building for the purpose.

It is, however, to be feared that the present ‘Buddhist revival,’ so diligently fostered by Europeans, will awaken much priestly activity in regard to long-neglected schools. Thus, in September 1890, a Buddhist school was opened at Welligama, the temple south of Galle, which was endowed by ‘the Leper King,’ apparently for no other purpose than to draw away the children from the Wesleyan and S.P.G. schools there. Sixty were allured from the former, and twenty from the latter, and a few days later a dastardly attempt was made to burn down the Wesleyan schools.

That a period of renewed struggle and difficulty may be at hand seems only too probable. Yet, on the whole, there is good ground for encouragement. In summarising the present position of Ceylon in regard to Christianity, it must be borne in mind that, apart from actual conversions, a very much wider work has been accomplished in the softening of prejudices, the general loosening of the far-reaching roots both of Buddhism and Brahmanism, and especially in awakening a real interest in religious questions in place of the former utter apathy. This last change is, doubtless, due to the amount of careful Scriptural training which has for so many years been imparted to many thousand children in the schools of all the Protestant Missions. These at present number over forty thousand.

Consequently, in any district where Mission-schools have been at work for any length of time, a Christian preacher may be sure that many of his hearers have some previous understanding of the subject, which in itself is an immense help. Moreover, Christian teachers are more and more supplanting the heathen teachers in all the schools, so that all influence is in the right direction.

It is quite evident that the way is now open for real progress, if only the Mission-field were provided with a sufficient working staff. Whether these can be supplied must depend in a great measure on the pecuniary support placed at the disposal of the various working societies. Of Ceylon, as of so many other lands, it must be said, ‘The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few.’

From the present position of Buddhism, it is evident that every month of delay in occupying any fresh Mission-field in Ceylon will increase the difficulties and diminish the prospect of success; therefore, it is surely the plain duty of English Christians to rouse themselves to a resolute effort on behalf of the beautiful Isle where such a multitude of England’s sons are striving to earn their living.

Now here, it seems to me, is one of the most practical bits of direct work that could well be found. There lies the beautiful land, with, IN ONE SINGLE DISTRICT, TENS OF THOUSANDS of neglected villagers, weary of their own dark ignorance, and ready to be taught by whoever will first enter the field. Earnest workers who have gladly devoted their lives and consecrated every energy to ploughing and sowing in neighbouring districts, look longingly on this great field which now lies white to the harvest, and from their lonely stations they send home to rich Christian England such a cry for help in this great need as must surely arouse the most indifferent to a true understanding of their privilege in being allowed to help such a work from those funds which we know we each hold in trust, to be accounted for hereafter, as we so often need to remind ourselves, as we say ‘Both riches and honour come from THEE, and of THINE own do we give THEE.’

Our MASTER has deputed us to offer to all men throughout the whole world His priceless gift of SPIRITUAL LIFE; and yet there are millions to whom His message of love has never been delivered, because they to whom He has entrusted His talents of gold and silver are either squandering them on themselves, or hoarding them for other purposes than that of sending messengers to carry this great Light to the nations who still dwell in the darkness of heathenism.

The funds at the disposal of the various societies being quite insufficient to supply the means of livelihood for even the native catechists, schoolmasters, and Bible-women so sorely needed for the work, it is evident that Europeans possessed of sufficient private means to support themselves would be especially welcome. Surely there must be some—and many are needed—who will recognise in this glorious work for eternity a better use for God-given talents than that of shaping the pleasantest career in England.

Why should not two friends who realise the true purpose of their lives agree that whereas their companions are starting in couples in search of big game in far countries, they too will start together as fishers of men, to cast the Gospel-net in waters teeming with life? Assuredly in no other career will they find so true a spring of joy and gladness for their own lives as in this ceaseless effort to draw all around them to the knowledge and love of their Saviour.

And of all Mission-fields, few offer greater attractions than this beautiful Isle, with its mountains and forests, its bold crags and picturesque rivers, its gorges and waterfalls, its lower hills and wide verdant plains. Furthermore, as compared with such vast Mission-fields as China or Africa, this has the charm of a simple language, a people gracious and kindly to Europeans, the protection of the Union Jack, and the possibility of at any time securing a day with some fellow-countryman who will welcome the sound of his own mother-tongue.

Here then are the inducements:—A healthy open-air life in a lovely country, ploughing and sowing fields which assuredly cannot prove barren, inasmuch as the Lord of the harvest is Himself with His servants to direct their work; and when the angel-reapers have garnered their ripened grain, the patient sower will realise such everlasting gladness as all the fleeting honours of earth fail to secure.

INDEX

Aboriginal worship, 408, 410

Actors, Tamil, 261

Adahana Maluwa, a sanctuary, 216

Adam’s Peak, 523

Adult baptisms, 365

Aetagalla, 497

Agnew, Miss Eliza, 559

Agnosticism, 588

Alexander the Great, 538

Alexandrite, 319

Allegalla Peak, life on, 500;
footprint on, _ib._;
rain-storm on, 501

Alu-Vihara rock-temple, 239

Ambetteyos or barbers, outcasts, 380

Ambulam, 313

American Mission, 557

_Amherstia nobilis_, 38

Ancestral worship great hindrance to conversion, 587

Ant-eater and ant-lion, 337

Ants, red and black, 44, 82

— white, 43-45, 337;
eat dead timber, 326;
their foes, 337;
their ravages on tea-plants, 513

Anuradhapura, its tanks, 252, 257, 303;
origin of name, 264;
its ruins, 267;
buried city, 278;
history of, 283-285;
bo-tree at, 288-293

Arichandra, 261

Ark, sacred, 286, 314

Arnold, Sir Edwin, 598

Arrack, 418, 434, 470;
trade, 437-439;
farms, 437,
(Skinner on), 505

Arrows, of gods, 216;
of Saman, 314;
of Maha-Sen, 398

Artist’s difficulties, 186

_Artocarpus incisa_ and _integrifolia_, 119

Ashes, of cow-dung, 343;
of sandal wood, use sanctioned by Rome, _ib._

Astrologers, 197, 199, 598

Aukana Vihare, 266

Australian gums, 506, 514

Avissawella, 311

Axis, or spotted deer, 171, 346, 459

Badal-Wanassa, 182

Baddegama, 430

Badulla, 330, 331;
its church, 335

Baker, Sir Samuel, his farm on the Moon Plains, 137;
on honey as an industry, 152;
on climbing elephants, 154;
on sambur hunting, 171;
and the devil-bird, 388

Balalu-wewa, 250, 258

Bamboo, gregarious flowering, 152;
gigantic, 190

Bana Samanala, 311

Banana plant, 32

Bandarawella, 330

Bandicoot, 513

Banyan-tree, 86;
at Negombo, 104;
on the Nerbudda, 105;
near Kalutara, 472;
at Captain’s Gardens, 475

Baptisms, adult, 365

Barber, Tamil, 27

Barnes, Sir Edward, 57

Barringtonia, 472

Bassawa-kulam tank, 252, 258;
oldest, 303

Bats, nitre, 239, 303

Batticaloa, 362, 426;
derivation of, 363;
the harbour-bar, 428

Batticotta College for Tamils, 565-570

Bears, 357, 459

_Bêche de mer_, 95, 397

Bees, 151

Belligama, sand village, 443

Bentota, 466;
oysters, 468

Betel-chewing, 31, 32, 95

Bhuwaneka Bahu IV., King, 499

Bible-women, 562

Bintenne, 372

Birds’ nests, edible, 95, 397

Bishops of Colombo and Ceylon, 29, 37, 550

Blue-bells, 136

Blue Ribbon Army, 570

Boar, wild, 359, 360, 459

Boatmen, picturesque, 14, 87

Bolgoda Lake, 475

Botanical gardens, Hak-galla, 153;
Peradeniya, 187-192;
Henaratgoda, 192;
Anuradhapura, _ib._;
Badulla, 192, 336

Bo-tree, sacred, 105, 288-293;
prophecies concerning, 290;
cremation of branch, 291;
of leaves, 292

Bow and arrows of gods, 216, 314

Branding cattle, 26

Brazen temple, 279, 280

Bread-fruit tree, 119

Bridge of boats, 57

Brownrigg, Sir Robert, 65

Buddha, his birthday, 69;
as a roast hare, 211 _n._;
twenty-five Buddhas in Ceylon, 290 _n._, 547;
relics of Buddha, 273, 306;
dreary negations of, 304;
or Christ? 598-601

Buddhism, incorporates Hindooism, 58, 196, 211;
is Atheism, 60, 576;
and State patronage, 62, 65, 69;
and serpent worship, 92;
and Roman Catholicism, 341-343;
reasons given for abjuring, 596-598;
esoteric, 597

Buddhist, rival sects, 58;
robe, how worn, 59, 266;
temporalities, 63;
cosmology, 67;
fighting priest, 72;
reverence for animal life, 157 _n._;
heavens, 296;
stone railing, 297

Buffaloes, 109, 351, 353, 357, 359, 360, 402, 459

Bulan-kulum, 258

Bungalow, 41;
temporary, 184, 334, 380, 402;
beside a lake, 476;
on Allegalla Peak, 500

Buona Vista Orphanage, 430

Burning forest, 338, 339, 343, 344, 522

Buttercups, 136

Butterflies, 147, 381;
Samanaliya, 531

Cable-Rattans, 402

Cacao or chocolate-tree, 514

Cacti, 90, 93, 241, 345

Calico, white (royal cloth), 184, 209, 215, 314, 365, 380

Calpentyn, 93

Camphor, oil of, 46

Canals, 79;
ancient, 258, 259

Candle-nut tree, 113, 114

Canoes, 13, 87

Cape Barberyn, westernmost land, 466

Car festival, 314, 326

Cashew bark, 300

Cashew nuts, 96

Cassia, 49

— bark, 300

_Cassia fistula_, 299

Caste, 366;
persecutions, 366-369;
prejudices, 376;
Singhalese, 377;
fisher subdivisions, 473;
Singhalese, its strength, 603

— and outcast, 377-379

Cat’s-eye, 319

Cattle, humped, 27

— estate, 370, 371

Centipede, 83

Ceylon Rifles disbanded, 478

Chandivelle, 369

Chanks, temple trumpet, 183, 184

Chapman, Dr., first Anglican Bishop of Colombo, 29

Charms, 196-198, 442

Chekku oil-mill, 435

Chena-farming, 344

Chetahs, 167, 168, 349-356, 459

Chilaw, 96, 98

China, early trade with Ceylon, 396;
Ceylon tributary to, 397;
modern trade with, _ib._

Cholera, 465, 518

Christianity and other creeds contrasted, 601

Chrysoberyl, 321

Chunam, 41, 277

Cinchona plantations, 515, 516

Cinnamon, gardens of, 37, 44, 45, 50;
laurel and oil, 45-47;
sensitive nature of its perfume, 47;
peelers, 48;
in jungles near Negombo, 107

— doves, 46

— stone, 320

Civil servants, frequent removal of, 441 _n._

Clearing the forest, 338, 339, 343, 544, 522

Climbing plants, 345, 400

Close season for game, 346, 458

Clothes, smart, 146

Cobra, reverenced, 92;
five- or seven-headed, 92, 292, 295, 306;
tame, 93, 292;
and tic polonga, 293;
bite remedies, 301

Cock, red, sacrifice, 199

Cocoa plantation, life on a, 359, 369. _See_ Palm, Cocoa

Coffee, fields, 327, 340;
stores as churches, &c., 340;
thieves, 493;
disease, 507;
history of, 507-510

Coffin, stone, 296

College, St. Thomas’s, 28, 29;
Royal, at Colombo, 30;
Vidyodaya, 66

Colombo, its Cathedrals (Anglican), 29;
(Roman Catholic), 71;
its harbour, 7, 8;
ironworks, 9;
cotton-spinning, _ib._;
churches, 30;
fort, 34;
siege of, 34, 35;
lake, 38, 39;
its esplanade (‘Galle Face’), 39

Convolvulus, marine, 80, 90, 100, 421, 471

Coolies, 518

Coral-tree, 120

Cotta mission-station, 108, 601

Cottiar Bay, 412

Cow-catcher, 110

Cow-dung, plaster, 31, 337, 370;
ashes, 343;
boiling, 474

Crabs, 100, 421

Cremation of a Buddhist priest, 72, 73

Crime, regarded with indifference, 477, 480;
causes of, 481

Criminals, few women, 481

Crocodiles, 256, 303, 358, 403, 456;
longevity of, 403;
skin, 404

Crops, two, annually, 110, 262

Crow Island, 443

Cruelty to animals, 494, 495

Curry, 31

Customs, Singhalese and Tamil, 85

Dagoba, various kinds of, 210, 268;
Ruanweli, 268, 270, 277, 287;
Miriswetiya, 269, 276;
Abhayagiria, 270, 273, 276;
Thuparama, 271, 273;
Lankarama, 273, 276;
Jetawanarama, 273, 276;
of two classes, 274;
circle on a square, 275;
Hanguranketa, contents of, 276;
Seta-Chaitiya or Lajjikavihara, 276;
derivation of the word ‘dagoba,’ 276 _n._;
Kiri Wihara, 277;
at Buddha-Gaya rebuilt, 289 _n._;
Etwehera, 306;
Maha Seya, 306;
Ambustele, 307;
Rankot or Ruan-welle-saye, 276, 393;
Kiri, at Pollonarua, 393

Dambulla rock-temples, 240;
scene of last insurrection, 249

Datura blossom, 128, 133

_Datura fastuosa_, 301

Dawson, Captain, monument to, 122

Days of the week, 219

De and Don, Portuguese prefixes, 490

Deaths, falling from trees, 418, 419;
accidental, 492

Decoration, church, 142

Delada-Maligawa, at Kandy, 174, 201, 206, 221;
at Anuradhapura, 271;
at Pollonarua, 392

Delada-wanso, 220

Demon-worship, 197, 199, 371, 585, 586

Detractors of missionaries, 578

Devil-bird, 388

Devil-dancers, 183, 196, 199, 314, 585

Devils, how to deceive, 198

Devotion, legendary acts of, 201

Dewenipiatissa, King, 252, 273, 289, 303, 305

Dhatu-Sena and Mahanamo, 250, 260

Dhobie, village laundryman, 380;
prepares bungalows for travellers, _ib._

Dimbula district, 135

Dondra- or Dewa-nuwara, 285, 442, 446-448

Douglas, Sir John, 255

Doves, 467, 468

Dragonflies, 327

Drama, 261, 422, 423

Duel, historic, 242, 243

Dufferin, Lady, her medical school for women, 562

Dutch invasion, 550

— missions, 430

Dutugemunu, 243, 265, 268, 269

Ebed-melech, the Ethiopian, 592

Ebony, its durability, 43;
peculiar characteristics of, 57, 419;
raft of, 57

Eiswara, ancient worship of, 295

Elala, Prince of Mysore, 243, 265

Elephant Plains, 135

Elephant, Tom Skinner’s first, 123;
the war elephant, Kadol, 265;
shooting, 350, 357, 359;
a midnight adventure with an, 460, 461;
charmer, professional, 462

Elephants as surveyors, 125;
as climbers, 153;
natural history, 155-167;
cause of tender feet, 163;
export of, 166;
in full dress, 212;
bridge-building, 357;
close season and consequent increase, 458, 459

Elk (sambur deer), 169, 170, 346, 356, 459

Ella Pass, 334

Elu or high Singhalese, 204

Encroachments of the sea, 448-451

Eribuddu, 79

Esoteric Buddhism, 597

Eucalyptus, 506

Euphorbia, 462

Evil eye, dread of, 376

— spirits, how to deceive, 198

Eye flies, 347, 381

Fa Hian, Chinese traveller, 271, 288

Faiths, Blended, 196, 556

False accusation, murders to cause, 483

Farrar, Archdeacon, on Buddhism, 599

‘Father,’ American mission, 564

Feet of Buddha, 274. _See_ Holy Foot

Female medical students, 562

Ferguson, A. M., editor ‘Ceylon Observer,’ 52

Ferguson, William, botanist, 52

Ferns, tree, 134, 401;
maidenhair, 308;
climbing, 311, 471;
basket, 401

_Ficus religiosa_, _indica_, and _elastica_, 105, 106, 187, 188, 288

Field-hospitals, 333

Filters, the necessity of, 90, 381;
for village use, 382

Fire, sacred, 62

Fire-flies (beetles), 20, 81, 131, 315, 423

Fish, varieties of, 28, 98, 100;
culture, 139, 140;
in boiling springs, 416

Fishers, their attire, 14;
method of shooting by firelight, 364;
net drawing, 451;
the law of caste among, 473;
their allegiance to Rome, 549

Fishing, by torchlight, 79, 94;
with baskets, 94, 404

Flamboyant, 38

Floral offerings to Buddha, 61, 201, 278

Flowers, profusion of, 41, 129;
at Nuwara Eliya, 141, 142, 144

Flying fish, 424, 429

— foxes, 192, 400

— squirrels, 192

Foliage, brilliant, 12, 86, 132

Footprints, legendary, 523;
Christian, 525;
on Allegalla, 532;
on Adam’s Peak, 540, 541

Forest Department, 344

Forres, 534

Fort Austenburg, 406

Fort Frederick, 407, 411

Frescoes, in rock-temple of Dambulla, 242;
at Sigiri, 247

Frogs, 38;
embedded in stone, 68 _n._;
green, 400

Fruit, varieties of, 28;
tropical, cool when first gathered, 307

Fungi, brilliant, 326

Galgé, cell for chief priest, 296, 308

Galkulum, 267

Galle, its treacherous harbour, 6, 7, 429, 432;
relics of Portuguese and Dutch at, 17;
Buddhism at, 70;
its lighthouse, 432;
coral reefs, _ib._;
its excellent roads to Colombo, 470, 475

Gal Sannaso, 308

Gal Vihara, 395

Gambling, Singhalese love of, 17;
leads to crime, 480, 481

Gampola, 129, 285, 498

Gangarowa, 502

Gemming, 149

Gems, the gem notary, 315;
gems and gem pits, 315-324;
legislation concerning, 323

Giant’s canal, 258, 264

Giant’s tank, 251

Gigantic bean, 89, 401

— images, 395

_Gloriosa superba_, 470, 479

Glow-worm, 315

Goats, long-legged, 294

Gobbs, 74

Gogerly, the Rev, J., 204

Goldsmith’s curse, 182

Gordon, Sir Arthur Hamilton, as governor, 258-260

Gordon Cumming, John, 1st chena Inspector, 344;
his diary, 348

Grain, suitable to dry soil, 255

Grammars in rhyme, 206

Grasshoppers, 327

Grassy plains, 135

Grave-stones, domestic use for, 337

Green, predominance of, amongst submarine animals, 432;
prevalence of, in birds and butterflies, 469

Gregory, Lake, 139

— Sir William, 139, 257

Grove of the Tank Gods, 398

Gunner’s quoin, 397

Gutta-percha, 188

‘Habsidum,’ or retention of breath, 296

Haeckel, Ernst, the naturalist, 379

Hak-galla, 152

Haldummulla, 315

Hambantota, 327, 435, 457

Hanomoreyos outcasts, 379

Hanwella, 311

Happy Valley Mission, 330-333, 577

Haputale, 327, 330;
its railway system, 112, 329;
its pass, 328

Hardy, Rev. Richard Spence, 204, 205, 213

Hare, mark on moon, Buddhist legend concerning, 211 _n._

Hat-bodin, seven Bo-trees, 446

Havelock, Sir Arthur, 305

Haye, Admiral de la, 412

Head-covering, Tamil and Singhalese customs regarding, 85

Hedgehog-grass, 89

Hendala, leper hospital at, 444

Hibiscus, 33

Hindo-galla, 176

Hindoo-Buddhist procession, 211, 314

Hindoo images in Buddhist temples, 58, 196, 242

Hoffmeister on Kandy, 174

Holy Coat, 233

— Foot, or Feet, 523-525

— Footprint, claimed by various creeds, 523, 540, 541, 542

— Girdle, 231

Holy oil, how obtained, 228

— places in the forest, 398, 400

— teeth, a complete set, 226

— Tooth, 206-235;
burnt, 222;
manufactured, 222, 223, 225

— Trousers, 237

Home-sick Britons, 29

Honey-sucker, 194

Hooker, Sir Joseph, on gutta-percha, 188

Hornets, 151

Horoscope, 197

Horse-keepers, 26, 362

Horses, 362

Horton Plains, 134

Hospitals, 56, 333

Hot-springs, 415

Hounds, 169

Hydrophobia, 56, 494

Ibn Batuta, Moorish traveller, 39, 446, 538

Idol’s eyes, 70

Iguana, 80, 431

Images, Hindoo, in Buddhist temples, 58, 196

India-rubber tree, 106;
avenue at Peradeniya, 187;
how india-rubber is collected from, 187

Industrial homes and schools, 10, 332

Infidel books, 589

Inheritance, law of, 489

Inscriptions on rock or slabs, 244, 309;
the ‘Galpota,’ 391

Insects, noisy, 20

Iranative, snake-temple on, 91

Iron-wood, 38, 132

Irrigation works, 173, 250-264

Ixora, 387

Jackal’s horn, 302

Jackals, 171, 349, 355

Jaffna, Missions at, 554;
the Tamil College, 565-570;
the Iona of Southern India, 568;
devastated by cyclones, 582

Jak-tree, 119, 215

Jambu-tree, 365

Jay, blue, 149

Jaya-wewa, 303

Jetawanarama, temple at Pollonarua, 393;
irrigation works, 398

Jinrikisha, 8

Juggernath car, 314, 326, 342

Jungle fever, remedy for, 111

Jymkana, 143

Kaasyapa, the parricide, 246, 285

Kabragoya, 80, 431

Kaduganawa, 500

— Pass, 111, 122, 128

Kala-wewa tank, 249;
its feeders, 252

Kalidas, poet, 445

Kaloona, King, 285

Kalpitiya, 93, 95

Kalutara, 472

Kandy, its library, 118;
ancient approach, 122, 123, 201;
its history, 172;
its kings’ funeral ceremonies, 175;
chiefs’ dresses, 177;
ladies’ dresses, 180;
four Hindoo temples at, 215

Kannya, its hot-springs, 415

Kanthalay tank, 251, 256, 398, 400, 405

Kapok, 121

_Kapuas_ (devil-dancers), 183, 196, 199, 314, 585

Kapurales, 215, 216

Karajo or Parangi, 586

Karative salt-pans, 96

Kataragam Devale, temple, 215, 336

_Kattadia_ (devil-priest), 196, 197

Kattregam (Kataragama), 253, 398, 464

Kelany Ferry, 39;
its bridge of boats, 57;
temple, 58;
an inland town B., 306, 449

Kiklomani Mount, 139, 147

Kingfishers, 363, 405

Kirti Nissanga, King, 384, 391

Kitool, 182

Knox, Robert, captivity of, 283, 412

Kopay Church, fall of steeple, 583

Kumara Pokuna, 394

Kurukkan (grain), 255, 262

Kurunegalla, 241, 402, 497

Kushta, Rajah, 443, 444

Kutara Daas, king and poet, 445

Kuttam Pokuna, 303

‘Lagerstrœmia regina,’ 114

Lagoons, 38;
how formed, 39, 74, 363;
salt formations in, 456

Lajji-tissa, King, 276

Lake Gregory, 139

Lakes, artificial, 38, 39, 250

Langdon, the Rev. Samuel, 330, 331, 577

Lanka, 288, 384, 449

— Dwipa, the Happy Isle, 91

— Tileka, 498

Lantana, 345

Layard, Sir Charles Peter, 52

Leeches, 83, 84, 184-186

Legends and folk-lore, 243

Le Mesurier, Mr., 139

Lemon-grass, 136, 137

Leopards, miscalled chetahs in Ceylon. _See_ Chetahs

Leper King, 443, 444;
hospital, 444

Lettuce-tree, 38

Lighthouses, 448

Lilies, water, 82, 298;
white (virgin), 403, 421, 471;
the _Gloriosa superba_, climbing lily, 470

Litigation, prevalent among the Singhalese, 489

Lizards, 80, 81, 400, 403, 453

Loris, little, 302

Lotus blossoms, 298, 310, 387;
gold and silver representations of, 206, 210, 286

Lowa-maha-paya, Great Brazen Temple, 279-281

Luminous creatures, 315

Lunatics, 26

Lyrics, Christian, 593

Madoolseme, 338

Madulsima Mountains, 458

Maha Eliya (Horton Plains), 134

Maha-Sen, King, 251, 397-400, 405, 463

Maha-Wansae dynasty, 384

Maha-wanso chronicles, 204, 268, 283

Mahadova, 338

Mahagam, ancient city of, 458

Mahindo, royal missionary, 305-307

Mahindo’s bed, rock-ledge, 308

Maidenhair fern, 308

‘Makin’ a toil of it!‘, 519

Malaria in Dekanda Valley, 111

Maligawa, Tooth temple at Kandy, 174, 201, 206

Mana grass, 136

Mandeville, Sir John (fourteenth century), 549

Mangosteen, 473

Mangrove, 79

— swamps, 363, 471

Mantis, praying, 193

Manuscripts, ancient, 204-206

Maradankadawalla, 267

Maravilla, 103

March, on the, 347

Marine convolvulus, 80, 90, 421, 471

Masks, hideous, 183

Matale, 238, 239

Matara, 412, 445, 451

Mavalipuram submerged, 451

_Memecylon tinctorium_, 299

Midwifery, native, 560

Migration of butterflies, 147

Mihintale, 271, 276, 277, 303;
its 1,840 steps, 305

Mildew, 42, 272

Milk, Singhalese objection to, 81;
offerings of, 91, 291, 387

Millepedes, 194

_Mimosa pudica_, 301

— _sensitiva_, 190

Minery Lake, 251, 252, 384

Minery village, 398

Miracle plays at Chilaw, 101

Mission, native, 574;
Happy Valley, 577;
Tamil coolie, 589;
Kandyan Itinerancy, 595

Missionary detraction, 578

Missions, chronological table, 554;
summary of, 555;
American, commenced, 557;
Wesleyan, 571;
Native, to Burmah, 578;
Baptist and Presbyterian, 579 _n._;
Salvation Army, 579;
Episcopal, 580;
to Portuguese burghers, 604

Models of hands, arms, eyes, and ears, as thanksgiving offerings, 464
_n._

Mohammedan festival, 69

— mosque, characteristics of, 93

Monara or Mayura-paya, 279

Monastic records graven on rock, 310

Mongoose, 75, 95;
antipathy to cobra, 76 _n._

Monkeys, 78, 87-89, 459;
mischievous tricks of, 380

Monoliths, 268, 273, 274, 277, 281, 303

Monsoon, seasons of, 40

Monteiro, Juan, first Catholic primate of Ceylon, 37, 550

Moondim Aar Lake, 369

Moon-stones (columns), ancient sculptural designs on, 278, 287, 390

— gems, 149, 319

Moormen (Mohammedans), 15, 93, 94, 315, 316, 458

Mosquito, 79, 381;
its fecundity, 140

Mouse-deer, 169, 459

Mudaliyar, dress of, 178

Mulgirigalla, Buddhist monastery, 454, 455

Munro, Sir Hector, 412

Murders to cause false accusation, 483, 484

Murray, Mr. A., inventor of clay sluice-pipes, 261

Musical instruments, 183, 266

— shellfish, 364

Naga Pokuna, 306

Naga-dipo, Isle of Serpents, 91, 377

Nainativoe, snake-temple on, 91

Nairs, peculiar undress of high-caste women, 248

Names, descriptive, 149;
of persons, 490;
of estates, 520-522

Nanu-Oya, 128, 130, 139, 328

Nationalities, divers, in Ceylon, 14, 15

Nattoor, river, 375

Navatkuda, 365

Negombo fort, 106, 107

— lake, 79, 104

Nellore, 555

Nestorian Christians in Ceylon, 548

Nests, curious moths, 193;
peculiar character of birds’, 194, 195

New Year, Tamil and Singhalese festival of the, 69

Nillo, 151, 152

Nine and three, mystic numbers, 214, 215, 218, 219

Nipple hills, 459

Nirvana, Buddhist ideal, contrasted with the Eternal Life of the
Christian, 266, 598-601

Nutmeg-tree, 51

Nuwara Eliya, 128, 130, 137;
its climate, 140, 143

Nuwara-Kalawiya, 256, 386

Nuwara-wewa, 303

Oath-stone at Pollonarua, 398

‘Observer, Ceylon,’ newspaper, 52

Officials, busy, 461 _n._

_Ola_ palm-leaf book, 118, 204, 206;
copy-books, 375

Olcott, Colonel, 598

Oliphant, Laurence, 536

Oodooville, first girls’ school, 558

Opera-glasses in the temple, its effect on the priest, 208, 209

Opium crave and the use of quinine, 516

— dens, 439 _n._:

Orchids, Wanna Rajah, 78;
yellow ground, 136

Orchilla, lichen, 94

Ordeal, boiling oil, 474

Oriental Bank Corporation, its failure and re-organisation, 509, 510

— Library, 66, 202, 204

Otters, 139, 171

Owls, 388

Oysters at Bentota, 468

Padda-birds, 90

Padivil tank, 251

Pali, 204

Pallagolla, 130

Pallai, 584, 585

Palm, Areca, 23;
blossoms of, 96;
characteristics of, 115

— _Coco de mer_, 189

— Cocoa, 23, 434;
at high elevations, 86;
with several heads, 107;
its cultivation encouraged by foreigners, 264, 433, 434;
life on a plantation, 359, 369, 426, 427;
oil and other industries connected with the cocoa palm, 435, 436;
the manufacture of toddy and arrack, 436-439;
legitimate uses of the cocoa palm, 440-442

Palm, Date, Thorn, Oil, and Sago, 189

— Jaggery or Kitool, 115

— Palmyra, 86, 115, 416-421;
marriage with the banyan, 86, 420

— Talipot, 116

Palm-blossom, its resemblance to wheat, 96;
used for decorative purposes, 181;
charm against evil spirits, 442

Palm-leaf books, 118

Palm-leaf umbrella, 116, 286

Palms as lightning-conductors, 441

Pandals, erection of, 181

Pandanus, 79

Panduka-abaya, 303

Pansala schools, 63, 296, 330

Panther, 168

Pantura or Panadura, 475

Papaw, 120

Paradise in Ceylon, 520

Parangi or Karayo, 258, 262, 304, 462, 586

Park-Country, near Batticaloa, 334, 346, 372

Parroquet, yellow, 498

Patenas, 136, 137

Patipola dividing range, 328

Peacock Palace, 279

Pearl-fisheries, 5;
police regulation of, 495, 496

Peepul, 105, 288, 290

Pelicans’ nests, 251 _n._, 358

Pengolin or ant-eater, 338

Peradeniya Gardens, 188-192

— Station, 128

Perahera, at Kandy, 200, 211, 213, 217;
dates of the feast, 213;
at Ratnapura, 313;
at Dondra, 447

Periyakulam, 415

Perjury rampant, 486, 487

Pettah, 26-28

Phosphorescence, 20, 21, 94, 423-425

Pidaru-tala-galla, 139, 144

Pigeons, 152, 459, 467

Pig-sticking, 360

Pilgrimages, government regulation of, 464

Pilgrims, aged, 533, 535

Ping-chattie (water-jar), 468-470

Pioneer corps, 125

Plains, Horton, 134;
Totapella, 135;
Elk, 136;
Agra, _ib._;
Moonstone, _ib._;
Maturata, 136, 145;
Kondapallé, 136;
Patena, _ib._;
Uva, _ib._;
Matale or Mahatalawa, 336;
Moon, 137

Planet-worship, 196, 218, 219

Planters, life of, 359, 517-523;
aid in mission work, 591

Plays, ancient Buddhist, 272;
Tamil, 261, 422

Pleurisy, 585

Plumbago, 324, 325

_Plumeria acutifolia_, 61

_Poinciana regia_, 38

Pokuna, Kumara, 394

— Kuttam, 303

Police work, 477-496

Pollonarua, 284, 285;
derivation of name, 293;
as a city, 383

Polyandry, 450 _n._

Porcupine, 171, 359-361, 394, 459;
its ravages on tea-plants, 513

Portuguese, their invasion of Ceylon, 550;
names, _ib._;
present condition, 604

Potato-tree, 132, 335

Pottery, offerings of red, 400

Prakrama Bahu, King, 244, 253, 266, 285, 384, 385;
his statue, audience hall, and lion throne, 389

— Seas, 252, 384

Precautions in tropical countries, 300

Prescriptions, native, 300-302

Prickly heat, 83

Processions, Buddhist and Roman Catholic, 71;
Roman Catholic, at Chilaw, 101;
Roman Catholic, in coffee districts, 340, 341

Progress in Ceylon, 2, 4, 5

Proverbs, 297

Provinces, 181

Puliyantivu, 363

Pussilawa, 129

Puttalam, 93, 98;
Saltworks at, 96, 456

Quarries, 277

Quinine, as a cure for opium crave, 516

Races, diversity of, 14, 15, 85

Ragalla, 145

Rag offerings, 546

Railway, Colombo to Gampola, 110, 111

Rainbow, rose-coloured, 327

Rain charms, 387, 392

Rajah Battiyattissa, 306

Rajah-kariya, 6, 124, 173;
abolished, 253

Rajah Singha, 206

Rama, Prince of Oude and Ravana, 134, 449, 531

Ramayana, poem, 531

Rambutan, 28

Ratnapura, 311

Rat-snakes, 41, 129, 313

Rats, 41, 152, 171

Ravana, the demon king, 134, 449, 531

Razors, cheap, 520

Red-deer, 169, 459

Red rain, 445 _n._

‘Red thread’ to keep off witches, 244

Reformatory, 333

Regimental coats for coolies, 340, 520

Registration of servants, 492;
of carts, 494;
of dogs, 495

Relic shrines, 210, 275

Relic worship, 228;
blood of Thomas à Becket, _ib._;
Father Arrowsmith’s hand, _ib._;
arm of St. Augustine, 229;
the True Cross, _ib._;
toe-nails of St. Peter, 230;
corpse of the Bishop of Ischia, _ib._;
Sainte Ceinture, 231

Relics, recently discovered Buddhistic, 67-69;
several religious relics, 233-237

Religions, amalgamated, 58, 196, 211, 341-343

Religious conflicts, Roman Catholic, 71, 101

— intolerance, 566 _n._

— orders, 37

Reptiles, 53

Rest-houses, 312, 405

Rhododendron-trees, 133

Rice, cultivation of, 109;
from wrecked ships, 264

Rice-fields, terraced, 109, 239

Rice-name, baby’s, 197

Rita-galla, 350

River, the Kelani, 39, 57, 128, 311;
the Maha-welli-ganga, 73, 128, 130, 139, 172, 190, 381, 386;
the Maha-Oya, 80, 104, 128, 347;
the Ging-Oya, 80, 104;
the Luna-Oya, 82, 86, 102;
the Dedroo-Oya, 89;
the Moondalani, 90;
Puna-Ella and Garunda-Ella, 130;
Sita-Ella, 134;
Nanuoya, 139;
Fort M’Donald, 170;
the Ping-Oya, 238;
the Kala-Oya, 250;
the Malwatte, 252, 263, 298;
Ambanganga, 252, 386;
the Kalu-Ganga, 311, 472, 473;
the Manick-Ganga, 321, 465;
the Kataragama, 465;
the Belihul-Oya, 327;
the Welawe-Ganga, _ib._;
the Magama, 334;
the Dambera-Oya, 347;
Nattoor, 375;
Gindura, 430;
Nilwalla-Ganga, 442, 445;
Kumukkan, formerly called Kombookgam, 459;
Alutgama, 466, 474;
Sita-Ganga, 536

Road bungalows, 312

Roads, 475

Robert de Nobili, Jesuit, 342

Robin, Ceylon, 103

Robinson, Sir Hercules, 65, 256

Rock frescoes at Sigiri, 247

Rock-masses, huge, 240, 241;
rounded, 307, 497

Rock-snake, 352, 358

Rock-temples, Hindo-Galla, 176;
Alu-Vihara, 239;
Dambulla, 240;
Isurumuniya, 295, 528;
Ella Pass, 335;
Mulgirigalla, 454

Rodiya outcasts, 377-379

Rogers, Major, 155, 158, 159;
memorial church to, 160, 335

Roman Catholic Mission, 341, 556, 557

Roots of trees, peculiar buttress-like, 348, 498

Royal maiden, a, 450

Rubies, 316-318

Ruby sand, 465

Rugam tank, 348

Saami Rock, Trincomalee, 407-410

Sabaragamuwa, 317, 321

Sack-tree, 84

Saints, tradition regarding stature of, 528, 529

Salt-works, north-west coast, 96-98;
south-east, 456, 457

Saman, brother of Rama, 531

Sambur deer (miscalled elk), 196, 170, 171, 346, 459

Sanghamitta, 289, 307

Sanscrit, 204

Sapphires, 316-318

Satin-wood bridge, 120

‘Saved from smoke,’ 570

Schools, Wesleyan Industrial, at Colombo, 10

Scorpions, 443

Scotchmen, colonies of, 534

Screw-pine, 79

Seas of Prakrama, 252, 384

Seeds, varieties of, carried by rivers, 89;
as water purifiers, 90, 382

Sensitive plant, 190

Serendib, 423

Serfdom on temple lands, 64;
abolished, 253

Serpent bites, remedies for, 300, 301

— worship, 292, 293

Serpents, precautions against, 42;
tradition regarding magic virtue of stone serpent, 91, 336;
offerings of milk to propitiate, 91

Service Tenures Ordinance, 65, 253

Shadow, of Adam’s Peak, 540, 544;
of Fuji-Yama, 544

Shark-charmers, 457

Sharks, dangers from, whilst bathing, 407, 456;
and diving, 457

Shell-beds, 463

Shell-fish, musical, 364

Shrine, of St. Anna, 102;
of the Tooth, 206

Sigiri, fortress of, 245, 285;
rock frescoes at, 247

Singhalese children, 31, 85

— homes, 31

Sita, wife of Rama, 134, 449, 531

Siva, 92, 295

— shrine, 410

Skanda, temple to, 336

Skinner, Colonel, and the taking of Kandy, 122

— Major, the roadmaker, 122;
his rations, 126;
his work, 127;
and the ruins of Pollonarua, 283;
on district courts, 491;
his prophecy, 504

Skylarks, 171

Slave Island, 38

Sluice-pipes of clay, 261, 267

Smallpox, first appearance of, in Ceylon, 124;
goddess of, propitiation of, 200;
terrible visitation in 1801, 386

Snake, rat-, 41, 93;
sea-, 94

Snake’s Isle, 91

— temples, 91

Snakes, their fangs, 91;
superstitions regarding, 91, 92;
Buddhism and the worship of, 92, 292;
five- and seven-headed representations of, 92, 292, 295

Snipe, 371

Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 495

— for the propagation of the Gospel, 605

Southernmost known land, 448

Soysa, Charles de, 55, 103

Spice-laden breezes, 13, 25

Spiders, 381, 452, 453

Sportsman’s paradise, 361

Spotted deer, 171, 346, 459

Squirrels, 152, 171, 192, 193, 452

Sri Pada, Holy Foot, 523

Sri-patula, sacred footprint, 296

Sri Wikrema Raja Singha, King, 173

Stag’s-horn moss, 182

Stick-insects, 193

Stilts, 184

Stone books, 309, 391

— bulls, 287

Strychnine-tree, 90

Suffrein, Admiral, 412

Sula-Wansae, or Lesser Dynasty, 283

Sun-birds, 414

Sunday-labour at Hong Kong, repressive regulations, 577 _n._

Sunwise turns (circles) by Pilgrims, 286, 287, 292, 314, 539

Suriya-trees, 33

Suriya-Wansae, or Solar Dynasty, 33

Tailor-bird, 195

Talavillu, 101

Talipot-leaf (palm of palms), 116-118

Talla-goya lizard, 81

Tamankaduwa district, 386

Tamarind-tree, 120

Tamblegam, brackish lake, 405

Tamil coolies as labourers, 518

— ladies, confirmation of, 98

Tangalle, 451, 454

Tanks, restoration of, 256-263;
at Batticaloa, 256, 362;
restoration around Pollonarua, 386

Tea, in 1660 and 1890, 2 _n._;
‘golden tips,’ 5 _n._;
how to cool, for traveller’s drink, 382;
introduction of, 507, 511;
adaptive to soil, 512

Teeth, a complete set, 226

Templer, Mr. and Mrs. Philip, 175

Tennant, Sir James Emerson, 119, 250, 251, 393

Theosophy, 597

_Thespesia populnea_, 17, 33

Thorny plants, 82

Three and nine, mystic numbers, 214, 215, 218, 219, 325

_Thunbergia_, 187

Ticks, 347

Tic polonga and cobra, 293

Timber, beauty and variety of Ceylonese, 56, 57

Time and tides, 40

Tiripane tank, 267

Tissamaharama tank, 462

Tissa-wewa, 253, 256, 258, 303

Titles, official, 179, 180

Toddy and arrack, 417-419, 436-439

Toddy-drawers, 366, 417-419

‘Tooth and State,’ 203, 225

Tooth, the original, 206-228;
its many temples, 221

Toparé (Pollonarua), 383, 386

Topa-Wewa, 383

Topaz, 320

Tortoises, 53-55, 75

Tortoise-shell, 16

Totapella Plains, 135, 137

Tourmaline, 321

Transmigration, 194;
of Buddha as a hare, 211 _n._

Travellers’ tree, 33

Tree of Life (palmyra), 86, 115, 416-421;
marriage with the banyan, 86, 420

Tree worship, 288-292

Trees, peculiar buttress-like roots, 348, 498

Trincomalee, 406;
additional fortification at, 407

Tulip-tree, 33

Turtle-doves, 46

Turtles, 53-55, 75

Turtles eggs, 428

Umbrellas, honorific, 116 _n._, 210, 212, 216, 268, 314;
low caste persecuted for carrying umbrellas, 366, 368

Uva, 135, 330, 333, 511

Vavuniya-vilan-kulam tank, 251

Vaz, Father Joseph, 552

Veddahs, rock, 372, 373;
their method of fire kindling, 374;
village and coast veddahs, _ib._;
high caste, 374, 377;
as archers, 375

Vegetation, nature’s laws regarding, 512

Vendeloos Bay, 375

Venomous creatures, 82

Vicarton Gorge, 238

Vidyodaya College, 66, 67, 69

Vigita-pura, 264, 265

Village hospitals, 6

Violets, 136

Votive offerings at Kattaragama, &c., 464 _n._

Wakwella, 432

Walagam-bahu, King, 239, 270

Wanderoo monkeys, 78, 87, 171

Wanna Rajah orchid, 78

Wannie, the dreary, 584, 585

Wanny, the, 252, 459

Wansae, Sula-, 383;
Maha-, 384;
Suriya- (Solar Dynasty), _ib._;
Soma Suriya- (Luni-Solar race), 391

Ward, Sir Henry, 256, 344, 362

Wata Dágé, 390, 391

Watch huts, 397

Water, purified by seeds, 90, 382;
ceremony of cutting the, 217;
scarcity of, 255, 256;
impurities of, 381

Water-cress, 130

Water-jars, meritorious, 468-470

Water-lilies, 82

Water-spouts, 40

Weaver-bird, 195

Wedding procession, 84

‘Weight in gold,’ 244, 392

Welligama, 443, 444

Wellington, the Duke of, at Trincomalee, 413

Wesleyan Mission commenced, 571

Wheel, as an emblem, 571

White cloth, the honours of the, 184, 209, 215, 314, 365, 380

Wijeyo the Conqueror, 242, 244, 464;
his capital, 285

Wilderness of the Peak, 505

Williams, Sir Monier, on Buddhism, 60

Wind, land, 106

Witchcraft, 301, 302

Woods, ornamental, 56, 57

Work for women, 560

Workers wanted, 605, 606

Worms, gigantic, 194, 402

Wrightson, Mr., 259

Wytulian heresy, 280

Xavier, Saint Francis, 549

Yakkas, 249, 301, 377

Yellow parroquet, 498

Yodi Ela, 258, 304

Yoga stones, 296, 390

Young Men’s Christian Association, 570

Yule, Sir H., 325

Zebu, 26

Zenanas, 560

Zircon, 320

PRINTED BY
SPOTTISWOODE AND CO., NEW-STREET SQUARE
LONDON

WORKS BY C. F. GORDON CUMMING.

------------------------------------

I.
WORK FOR THE BLIND IN CHINA.
6_d._ NET. With Illustrations.

‘The intensely interesting and pathetic history of an earnest and
ingenious Scotsman.’

Published by GILBERT & RIVINGTON, St. John’s House, Clerkenwell,
London, E.C.

II.
IN THE HEBRIDES.

‘Miss Gordon Cumming manages to put together as agreeable and readable a volume as has ever come even from her facile, graceful pen.’—PALL MALL GAZETTE.

‘Readers will find plenty of thought-provoking material, in addition to pleasant sketches of character and vivid pictures of scenery. The volume, we may add, is admirably illustrated and very tastefully bound.’—DERBY MERCURY.

‘Miss Cumming’s book, made up of a large collection of interesting facts personally ascertained by herself in the course of a delightful cruise, is no less fascinating than her accounts of Hawaii or Fiji, or the many pleasant places she has been so fortunate as to visit on her travels.’— MORNING POST.

‘A more interesting volume it would be hard to find.’—CHRISTIAN WORLD.

‘Miss Cumming writes with a keenness of appreciation and a minuteness of detail which sustains the interest of the reader from first to last. She is as good with her pencil as with her pen. The volume will furnish a mass of interesting knowledge which not one in a hundred travellers would of themselves pick up.’—DUNDEE ADVERTISER.

‘Miss Cumming is among the very best of our writers of travel.’— CONTEMPORARY REVIEW.

London: CHATTO & WINDUS, Piccadilly.

III.
IN THE HIMALAYAS.

‘Miss Cumming is never dull. She possesses in a high degree the three great desiderata of the traveller—observation, sympathy, and humour. She is the cheeriest of wayfarers.’—PALL MALL GAZETTE.

‘Miss Gordon Cumming’s books are always worth reading. Many illustrations, those of the great Snowy Range being specially good, give an extra charm to the book.’—MANCHESTER EXAMINER.

London: CHATTO & WINDUS, Piccadilly.

IV.
VIA CORNWALL TO EGYPT.

‘Miss Cumming is an author whose books of travel are always sure of a welcome, and her last one will be read with more than ordinary pleasure.... The whole volume is a happy combination of instruction and interesting reading.’—CHRISTIAN WORLD.

‘Thanks to Miss Cumming’s very considerable powers of word-painting the reader may while away a pleasant hour with her in the alternation of lively chat with glowing reminiscences.’—ATHENÆUM.

‘Pleasant and profitable reading. There is unexcelled originality and piquancy in Miss Cumming’s eloquent yet simple style. Her present book cannot but gratify everyone.’—WHITEHALL REVIEW.

London: CHATTO & WINDUS, Piccadilly.

V.
FIFTH EDITION.
AT HOME IN FIJI
(INCLUDING THE VOLCANIC DISTRICT OF NEW ZEALAND).

Post 8vo. with Illustrations and a Map, 7_s._ 6_d._

‘Beautiful and enchanting.’—DAILY TELEGRAPH.

‘This book has been much praised, but never enough.... The volume tempts one to return to it again and again.’—VANITY FAIR.

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD & SONS, London and Edinburgh.

VI.
NEW EDITION.
A LADY’S CRUISE IN A FRENCH
MAN-OF-WAR.
Post 8vo. with Illustrations and a Map, 12_s._ 6_d._

‘We are transported, by a series of vivid pictures of easy lives and glorious scenery, to the clustering islands of the Southern Pacific.... The brightness that made Miss Gordon Cumming a universally welcome guest is reflected in every one of her chapters; and her style is as fresh and clear as it is simple and unaffected.’—SATURDAY REVIEW.

‘Another delightful book.’—ATHENÆUM.

‘It is impossible to give extracts which will convey an idea of the loveliness of the scenery of these isles. The volume must be read to accomplish this.’—ACADEMY.

‘Her readers owe her nothing but thanks for having given them yet another glimpse of perhaps the most attractive region of the whole world.’—PALL MALL GAZETTE.

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD & SONS, London and Edinburgh.

VII.
FIRE FOUNTAINS.
THE KINGDOM OF HAWAII: ITS VOLCANOES, AND THE HISTORY
OF ITS MISSIONS.
With Map and numerous Illustrations. 2 vols. 8vo. 25_s._

‘Miss Gordon Cumming, who has painted such a life-like picture of Fiji, has performed an equally edifying task for this group of islands.... History, customs, laws, and scenery of the islands all come into view in these delightful volumes.’—DAILY TELEGRAPH.

‘With pen and with pencil Miss Cumming describes what she sees well and graphically; and we have read nothing heretofore about these great open volcanic displays that brought their main features so vividly before the mind’s eye.’—PALL MALL GAZETTE.

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD & SONS, London and Edinburgh.

VIII.
NEW EDITION.
GRANITE CRAGS.

Illustrated with 8 Full-page Illustrations. Post 8vo. 8_s._ 6_d._

‘Miss Cumming possesses a rare facility for investing sketches of travels with interest, and it is enough to say of her latest contribution to descriptive literature that it is worthy of her reputation.’—GLOBE.

‘As fascinating as any of her former works.’—WHITEHALL REVIEW.

‘In these pages we live a vivid, real life in California, piloted delightfully through the mysteries that throng a new country—new, at any rate, to the civilisation of the present century.’—SUNDAY TIMES.

‘There is very much to interest and amuse the reader in “Granite Crags,” and the glories of the wondrous valley which the public spirit of the Californians has set apart for ever as one of the grandest of “People’s Parks” have never found a more appreciative chronicler.’—JOHN BULL.

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD & SONS, London and Edinburgh.

IX.
THIRD EDITION.
WANDERINGS IN CHINA.
With Portrait of the Author, other Illustrations, and a Map. 8vo. 10_s._

‘We know of no book of travel which sketches so graphically the “heathen Chinee” and his surroundings, whether in the sweltering cities of the south, or in dirt-begrimed Pekin.’—ATHENÆUM.

‘It is one of the most informing books on China that has ever been written in English.... A work packed full of interesting facts about “actualities” in China, and most readable and entertaining from beginning to end.’—CONTEMPORARY REVIEW.

‘We can safely say that she saw more of China and the Chinese than any recent traveller who has taken the public into his confidence. And not only so, but she has thoroughly appreciated what she saw, and by the aid of a graphic pen has given us an excellent book on the country and people.’—ACADEMY.

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD & SONS, London and Edinburgh.

=CHATTO & WINDUS’S=

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BY THE BEST AUTHORS.

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=BY MARY ALBERT.

Brooke Finchley’s Daughter.

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Maid, Wife, or Widow? Valerie’s Fate.

=BY GRANT ALLEN.=

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