Wednesday morning, March 23/98.

SS Verona in the Indian Ocean, 7:30.

I arose at 6 & had a nice bath, tho’ the sea water is by no means cold, still very refreshing. Then a cup of tea & some fruit. These are spread on the saloon tables for all who care to partake, & most of the passengers avail themselves. Some have it in their cabins. Breakfast is not till 9 & it is not usual to lay in your bunk after daylight. This breaks about 5:30 here. Besides it is cool on deck early morning, & much enjoyed after a hot day & night also. The sea yesterday was quite oil-like. We sighted a few vessels during the day. Beyond this there was nothing of interest occurred. Plenty of flying fish to be seen & a few porpoises. Competitive games & sports were begun yesterday & are to continue for 3 more days. These are mostly indulged in by young fellows & a few bright elderly men too, but the latter take the cards, dominoe [sic], chess section. One soon gets exhausted if they exert themselves. I therefore don’t take part but spend my time reading, observing, thinking, & resting. As to exercise, a little goes a long way with me. The promenade space on this steamer is very contracted. She is very narrow & the space on either side the deck houses is much taken up with chairs &c. so there is little room to move about, & when quoits are on there’s less, & the young element must have their amusements. I am now writing in my deck chair & right at the stern on starboard (right) side, but it is very difficult to work comfortably. She does vibrate with every revolution & as she has the mails on board they are driving her full speed, & tho’ the sea is very calm, she has a roll which is not unpleasant, but I fancy were it stormy she will not be a very good sea boat. The mosquitoes are very troublesome [3:4] on board & they do like me. I’ve not been worried any where but they began to fancy me at Benares & since has been a victim to them, & very annoying their bites are. The itching is terrible & care has to be used not to break the spots, but when drying oneself, if the towel be coarse, then damage is done. However I am thankful so far as I expected worse results, only there’s plenty time yet. I’m told it’s very hot in China & Japan too. I’ll wait till I get there! I was telling you about Ceylon & how much I liked the country. The uplands are very charming & the climate there very homelike. I took my hypsometer[1] with me & at every station on the name board, the height above mean sea level was given, & the instrument registered very honestly. I set it at 0 at Colombo before starting & I showed Mr. Allan it at Nuwara Eliya – 6,000 feet – it dropped all the return journey & stood exactly at 0 when I got to Colombo. The climb is very steep & the 2 engines sometimes gives you the impression they are puffed out. It’s a fine ride both ways & I feel pleased I journeyed it. Mr. Allan is a very fine man, superior in every respect & full of enthusiasm in the responsible & confidential work allotted him. He has assistants with him. There are no troops at the place, but the Major who controls the forces in Ceylon is called “head quarters” & orders emanate from him, so Mr. Allan is where he is. He likes the work & has been 14 years in the service now. He served his time in Alnwick as an ironmonger & listed at Newcastle when he was only 19, & he says he has never regretted. Certainly he has a grand position. He is married & a nice woman she seems. They presently have 2 ladies boarding with them. This helps to pay the rent of the bungalow which he is obliged to take on his family’s account. Davie will be pleased I saw him.

[3:5]

Kandy I liked & described to you. Mr. Brown (G. Berry’s friend) is a very busy man: engineer & fits up tea factory machinery, & is much from home. He came to Kandy with his successor on the way to some tea gardens where they were fixing machinery, brought two horses by train, & were to set off, after I left for Nuwara Eliya, on horseback: a journey of over 50 miles. He begged me to break my return journey & spend a few days at their new home, about 3 miles from Kotagala station. They have called their Bungalow “Arthur Seat”. He wrote & told his wife to expect me & prepared me a telegram form to wire from Nuwara Eliya before I left. I did so on the Thursday morning soon after 7, as Mr. Allan & I were going to see the tea factory, the “Scrubs”, & Mrs. Brown’s brother, Mr. Hurry (G. Berry knows him well) came to meet me. He is staying awhile with them. He is homeward bound, & handy he is, as they’ve just flitted from Nawalapitiya, their former home, & lots needs to be done in the new (old) bungalow. Pretty place, very, & they are going to erect works close to it. Tea is the great industry all up country: nothing but tea, & tea is spoken of everywhere, & tea to it. The cultivation is enormous. The scrubs farms 1,700 acres. Coolies do the picking, & the process I will describe to you on my return. Tea is made daily & the shoots are packed every 10th day, so the pickers you see go round the garden (or estate, they prefer to style it: sounds larger & the planter is a big man in his way) every 10 days. I was delighted to see the process. Great clearings are being opened out by burning trees & jungle down, & fires were frequently seen, even close to [3:6] the railway, & on the very summit of mountains. The higher the elevation, the finer the tea. The “Scrubs” is said to be very choice, so high: 6,000 feet. I may some day be able to buy of this brand. I saw the chests were all branded ready for dispatching.

It’s now 8:30. We’ve gained over 1 hour since leaving Colombo & I’ve lost my home time since leaving Col. I had wound the watch just tight & it had stopped. However, I got it agoing & will get the Greenwich time from the navigating office, maybe today after noon.

Colombo is a very plain place really, nothing charming about it, chiefly business, & you get about in rickshaws & gharrys. Mr. Duplock,[2] Lipton’s manager, was very kind & useful too. He stays at the Galle Face Hotel (this is a very magnificient hotel & finely situated). He is a busy man & says he can’t make 6 days do. He must be hard worked & increasing work too as Lipton is really an immense owner out here. He is a force in tea growing.

I wrote to Albi just before leaving Colombo & will write him again very soon. I mentioned about his grandfather but likely you told him in your letter. I do earnestly hope & trust he has recovered.

The Wesleyan minister at Kandy was named Prince. I also called in & saw the Baptist mission & had a talk with the native evangelist. He did not know Mr. Charters. It was long before his time. Mr. Charters came direct to W. H’pool & settled as their minister. Punkahs are kept going in all places of worship & one over the pulpit. It is very necessary. They are commonly used even in private houses where style prevails. We have them going on shipboard every meal. Oh, what a charming canary there is on board here. I can hear it now, singing delightfully. This is why I mention it.

[3:7]

[1] Inserted on facing page: “Hypsometer”.

[2] Inserted on facing page: “Note, I afterwards was informed Mr. Duplock committed suicide soon after I left Colombo.”