The chief part of the religious ceremonies of the Buddhists consists in presents of flowers and money.  Every morning and evening a most horrible instrument, fit to break the drum of one’s ear, and called a tam-tam, together with some shrill trumpets and fifes, is played before the door of the temple.  To this soon succeeds a crowd of people from all sides, bringing baskets full of the most beautiful flowers, with which the priests adorn the altars, and that in a manner so elegant and tasty, that it cannot be surpassed.

Besides this temple, there are several others in Candy, but only one worth noticing.  This is situated at the foot of a rocky hill, out of which has been hewn a statue of Buddha, thirty-six feet high, and over this is built the temple, which is small and elegant.  The god is painted with the most glaring colours.  The walls of the temple are covered with handsome red cement, and portioned out into small panels, in all of which the god Buddha appears al fresco.  There are also a few portraits of Vischnu, another god.  The colours on the southern wall of the temple are remarkable for their fine state of preservation.

Here, likewise, there is a funeral monument, like that of the Temple of Dagoha, not however, in the building itself, but under the lofty firmament of heaven, and shaded by noble trees.

Attached to the temples are frequently schools, in which the priests fulfil the duties of teachers.  Near this particular temple, we saw about a dozen boys—­girls are not allowed to attend school—­busy writing.  The copies for them were written very beautifully, by means of a stylus, on small palm-leaves, and the boys used the same material.

It is well worth any person’s while to walk to the great valley through which the Mahavilaganga flows.  It is intersected with a countless number of wave-like hills, many of which form regular terraces, and are planted with rice or coffee.  Nature is here young and vigorous, and amply rewards the planter’s toil.  The darker portions of the picture are composed of palms or other trees, and the back-ground consists partly of towering mountains, in a holiday suit of green velvet, partly of stupendous and romantic rocks in all their gloomy nakedness.

I saw many of the principal mountains in Ceylon—­giants, 8,000 feet high; but, unfortunately, not the most celebrated one, Adam’s Peak, which has an altitude of 6,500 feet, and which, towards the summit is so steep, that it was necessary, in order to enable any one to climb up, to cut small steps in the rock, and let in an iron chain.

But the bold adventurer is amply repaid for his trouble.  On the flat summit of the rock is the imprint of a small foot, five feet long.  The Mahomedans suppose it to be that of our vigorous progenitor, Adam, and the Buddhists that of their large-toothed divinity, Buddha.  Thousands of both sects flock to the place every year, to perform their devotions.