DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.3461#0222
CEYLON. 207
of the island, 219 miles from Colombo; and Kandy, or
Sinhala, or Maha Nawara, the great city, which is
situated near the centre of the island in an amphi-
theatre formed by the surrounding hills, the highest
of which is 3,192 feet above the level of the sea.
Point de Galle has a fort, about a mile in circumfer-
ence, which encloses the town. The houses in general
are good and convenient, and the station, though hot,
is healthy and agreeable. There is a Dutch church
within, a chapel, and a Mahomedan mosque. The
pettah is extensive, and is separated from the fort by
the esplanade. Point de Galle is the port of arrival
for the steamers from the Red Sea, which thence pro-
ceed to Madras and Calcutta. Here also the screw
steamers stop to coal on their way to the Australian
colonies down the straits of Malacca.
Trincomalee is enclosed in a fort, covering an extent
of three miles. It has a citadel called Fort Ostenburg,
erected on a cliff that projects into the sea. There are
a few good houses in the occupation of English,
Dutch, and Portuguese, and several chapels, mosques,
and temples. Jafthapatam is a fortified town. The
works are in the form of a pentagon, and contain bar-
racks, a Dutch church, and a few good buildings.
The town of Kandy, in the time of the kings, con-
sisted of one street, about two miles in length, having
a few narrow lanes branching out on both sides. None
°f the houses or huts were tiled or whitewashed, ex-
cept those of the king and his ministers,- and a few
head men; the rest being covered with cadjan matting,
shingles, or thatch. Since its capture by the English,
however, the town has been much improved; many
new and commodious houses have been erected; new
streets have been formed, the old ones widened, and
all the houses in the town tiled. There is a pavilion,
the residence of the Governor for about half a year,
one of the handsomest buildings in the country. Th6
of the island, 219 miles from Colombo; and Kandy, or
Sinhala, or Maha Nawara, the great city, which is
situated near the centre of the island in an amphi-
theatre formed by the surrounding hills, the highest
of which is 3,192 feet above the level of the sea.
Point de Galle has a fort, about a mile in circumfer-
ence, which encloses the town. The houses in general
are good and convenient, and the station, though hot,
is healthy and agreeable. There is a Dutch church
within, a chapel, and a Mahomedan mosque. The
pettah is extensive, and is separated from the fort by
the esplanade. Point de Galle is the port of arrival
for the steamers from the Red Sea, which thence pro-
ceed to Madras and Calcutta. Here also the screw
steamers stop to coal on their way to the Australian
colonies down the straits of Malacca.
Trincomalee is enclosed in a fort, covering an extent
of three miles. It has a citadel called Fort Ostenburg,
erected on a cliff that projects into the sea. There are
a few good houses in the occupation of English,
Dutch, and Portuguese, and several chapels, mosques,
and temples. Jafthapatam is a fortified town. The
works are in the form of a pentagon, and contain bar-
racks, a Dutch church, and a few good buildings.
The town of Kandy, in the time of the kings, con-
sisted of one street, about two miles in length, having
a few narrow lanes branching out on both sides. None
°f the houses or huts were tiled or whitewashed, ex-
cept those of the king and his ministers,- and a few
head men; the rest being covered with cadjan matting,
shingles, or thatch. Since its capture by the English,
however, the town has been much improved; many
new and commodious houses have been erected; new
streets have been formed, the old ones widened, and
all the houses in the town tiled. There is a pavilion,
the residence of the Governor for about half a year,
one of the handsomest buildings in the country. Th6