In the morning I attended mass.  The church was full of Irish soldiers and Portuguese.  The dress of the Portuguese was extremely rich; they wore ample robes with large folds, and short silk jackets; in their ears hung ear-rings of pearls and diamonds, and round their necks, arms, and even ankles, were gold and silver chains.

In the afternoon I took a walk to one of the numerous cinnamon plantations round Colombo.  The cinnamon tree or bush is planted in rows; it attains at most a height of nine feet, and bears a white, scentless blossom.  From the fruit, which is smaller than an acorn, oil is obtained by crushing and boiling it; the oil then disengages itself and floats on the top of the water.  It is mixed with cocoa-oil and used for burning.

There are two cinnamon harvests in the course of the year.  The first and principal one takes place from April to July, and the second from November to January.  The rind is peeled from the branches by means of knives, and then dried in the sun; this gives it a yellowish or brownish tint.  The best cinnamon is a light yellow, and not thicker than pasteboard.

The essential oil of cinnamon, used in medicine, is extracted from the plant itself, which is placed in a vessel full of water, and left to steep for eight to ten days.  The whole mass is then transferred to a retort and distilled over a slow fire.  In a short time, on the surface of the water thus distilled a quantity of oil collects, and this is then skimmed off with the greatest care.

In the animal kingdom, besides the elephants, I was much struck by the number and tameness of the ravens of Ceylon.  In every small town and village may be seen multitudes of these birds, that come up to the very doors and windows and pick up everything.  They play the part of scavengers here, just as dogs do in Turkey.  The horned cattle are rather small, with humps between the shoulder-blades; these humps consist of flesh and are considered a great dainty.

In Colombo and Pointe de Galle there are likewise a great many large white buffaloes, belonging to the English government, and imported from Bengal.  They are employed in drawing heavy loads.

Under the head of fruit, I may mention the pine-apple as being particularly large and good.

I found the temperature supportable, especially in the high country round about Candy, where, after some heavy rain, it might almost be called cold.  In the evening and morning the thermometer stood as low as 61 degrees 25’ Fah.; and in the middle of the day and in the sun, it did not rise above 79 degrees 25’.  In Colombo and Pointe de Galle, the weather was fine, and the heat reached 95 degrees Fah.

On the 26th of October I again reached Pointe de Galle, and on the following day I embarked in another English steamer for India.

CHAPTER XI.  MADRAS AND CALCUTTA.