utensils; the fibrous covering, ropes, matting, and nets; the sap, arrack; the fruit, when green, both food and drink, and when dry a most valuable oil. Each tree rents for about five shillings a year. Rice, cotton, tobacco, coffee, pepper, and cinnamon are important productions of the island.

The northern part of the island is inhabited by Tamils, the southern by Singhalese people different in their origin and characteristics. The language of the first belongs to the Scythian family, that of the second to the Sanscrit. It was in Ceylon that I first made myself acquainted with paganism. The temples are generally located in high, picturesque situations, and surrounded by pleasant grounds, which belong to them. Near the temple is a pagoda, in which the priests profess to keep relics and valuable offerings. The images of Buddha are colossal, and represent him either as sleeping, preaching, or meditating. The usual offerings of the people are flowers. Near the temple is a court, in which, on certain days, the people assemble to hear a harangue from the priests; and, usually, in the rear of this court is the dwelling of the priests. With these are to be found some boys. and young men in training for the priesthood. The priests are celibates and mendicants, and

are arrayed in yellow robes. Some of them go out from each temple once a day to receive the offerings of the people, spice, rice, etc. They are, however, allowed to enter into busy life, and marry, if they choose; and if they get tired of domestic life they can divorce themselves and return to the priesthood. The priests received me very kindly, and at every temple presented me with an orange or some other little present. There is one among them of much learning and distinction. He has established a printing-press, and is issuing a series of tracts, derived from the works of Colenso and other English infidels, against the Christian religion. He recently visited the King of Siam, who, to favor his project, gave him a handsome subscription. He was polite to us, inquired about our war, and expressed great pleasure at seeing an American clergyman.

Devil worship, which once prevailed all over India, was the original religion of Ceylon, and for thousands of years held the people in thralldom. Nor has it ceased. Indeed, from what I saw, I had reason to believe that it has far more power over the people now than Buddhism. When they are sick they send for the demon priests; and the doctors encourage this when they have a difficult case. These priests are shrewd men, who follow their business to make

money. They are fantastically dressed, go in companies, and entering the house dancing and making noises, and going through ceremonies which one would suppose must either kill or cure the patient. Sometimes they pretend to trick the devil by going through the ceremony of burial, and then invoking the devil to leave the house, because the patient is gone.

Polyandria once prevailed among this people, and although the government has laudably endeavored to break it up, it still obtains in some regions. It is found very economical for several men to join in supporting one wife, one enjoying her society one week, another another week; or, one having her one-seventh, another, two-sevenths, and a third four-sevenths of the time, according to the amount they respectively contribute to the support of the household. Economical as the arrangement may be, it does not strike us as very good. With us, love is an exclusive affection. If we love a woman we do not want any body else to love her, and should not like any partnership in regard to our households. But, if a rich man may have as many wives as he can support, why may not a poor woman have as many husbands as are necessary to support her? Pleasantry on this serious subject aside, we see how necessary the Christian religion is to

regulate the social relations of mankind. In 1630 the Portuguese conquered the island, but the court of Lisbon overlooked both the duties and the privileges which the conquest imposed, and its agents did more to gratify their lust of power and of money than to civilize the natives and develop the resources of the island. In 1658 the Dutch drove out the Portuguese. The newcomers were rather merchants than statesmen. They sought, however, to convert the natives to the Protestant faith, though by means unsuitable. They enforced attendance at school by fine; administered baptism and solemnized marriages in the schools; making the schoolmaster keep a register of these events. They forbade any one to hold office or farm-land under government who had not been baptized in the Protestant Church. To extinguish the Catholic faith, introduced by the Portuguese, they declared Roman Catholics ineligible to office, and, while conferring freedom on all children born of Protestant parents, doomed the children of Catholics to perpetual slavery. The result was that the people became hypocritical, and many lowland chiefs and aspiring priests came forward for baptism while secretly clinging to the symbols and the principles of heathenism. The influence of this policy is still seen in the desire of the people to

be baptized, if they can without renouncing heathenism. In 1796, during a war between England and Holland, the British conquered Ceylon, and they have held it ever since. Their rule has been good; they have opened roads, established schools, improved cultivation, extinguished slavery, introduced law, and, above all, through the various missionary societies, spread abroad the Christian faith.

It was my privilege to visit several missions. and mission schools, and I can bear testimony to the fidelity of the missionaries, and the excellence of their institutions. I examined classes in English Grammar, Geography, Biblical History, and Chronology, and found them well prepared. Among the questions was this: "What prophecies of the Messiah are contained in the Old Testament, and how have they been fulfilled?" On Sabbath I preached in the Old Dutch Reformed church, to a congregation composed chiefly of descendants of the early Dutch settlers. Many of these are Eurasians. But, though dark-colored, they speak European languages, and have European dress and manners. In the evening I preached for the Wesleyans, who are, to a considerable extent, composed of a similar society.