142 Eæpencé 6 f living ût Cólttmbv.
One principal cause of the scarcity. of' VegêtsflËesÿ (which férm
sb-g*éat:«t* è r ö # è f feed in th ^ e
years after our gaining- possession* of . the island* Was the Diitch
having, laited two successive seasöhSi in procuring their usual ah*
nuâl supply of seeds front thé Cape of Good Mt^e itnd Holland.
Thé seeds of European plants’ of all sorts degenerate very ndich
in this climate in à feWîyeao®, : aMvaoctti yield but an mdiffpmn»
produce. The plants require much care in the rearing, and no
less is necessary in | preserving, the seeds from - the . ravages of
the • ants and other vermin, which fasten upon every thing of
the vegetable hind that comes within theirreach. Td preserve
the quality, it is absolutely necessary to have a fresh importation
of seeds nearly every year from their natural' chMstes. i
Such articles however, as are the native produce of the" island,
are found in greatabundanee and at a moderate ' prices Beef,
fish, and fowl in particular, are both cheap and plentifufr Mutton
is excessively dear, as no sheèp can be redredc iw tie* neïgbi
bourhood of Coiumbo. I have already mentiórfèd that it fe
only at Jafnapatam they have ever been pastured on Ceylbn
with success ; and the transportation of them from thence or
from the continent oft India must of course render the • price
of mutton excessively high a t Coiumbo. I amdoubtMy.huw-i
ever, if.-either the climate o r pasture of the idarid berso noxh
ote to them as is .generally, imagined. I b a v d è a t remarkably
fine and fat mutton, which had- bqeii brought from Bengal and
the Coromandel coast, and pastured ort Ceylon Several Months
before i t was killed. I am led to think that one principal
reason, why sheep have not. been reared here with; success, is
their falling so easy a prey to jackals,< snakes, and other noxi*
ous animals. There are also iii many places certain poisonous
herbs which prove particularly destructive to shéep. Pigs are
3Jj$jp§fio§qf Mpjing Qt\iOp^uq$q. 143
reared, ip great^bundance ; although neither I npr my brother
o ^S ^ s .were ye^y,.partial to..them..--as^soon as we found,that
eleanl{in^jW,as reckoned an entirely ,supqrfLuous article in feedT
ing; thenj. From the sapnp cause ,wq » e re not very fondl. o&^ee*,
.ducks qn^ our tables, ^lÆp?qgh .they weiie-jigther cheap and
in ^plenty, ra re ,,^ n d Î fq ly. pad byrevpt
,a J p t by «slpp^ coming 4fepm parts
of. Ip ^ a.' '
, 9^ additional ^expencefq whjrh. fjhfy militftry^^
q^ÿied in^j^ py^Qp ^Y^e f unavoidably , gpyjernn
^ |d . g r a p |e d ^ ^ ^ fuM hatta,..or a *d o u ^
East Io ^ ia ^ p ip a n y 's pay-, ^TWsMh^CTeç("went no farthgf'tihan.
^^p&\jil«.»£heEe, iS^ÊÉrspne might live
qnfhe J^ se r^lqwau^a J. ^Onp .cpniâdfe^^^
d|||g^ncg, a;p§g|^o^^|gd^ing ; as QnJhg^cbntipent,-- quagters or
anfjfeWtnS?s^Qv i t h e p i , age always given..to -thepffice.r^r
yligreas^p Çf^loq, tjjg y ^ g a oblige^ ;to pay |o r tkeig Svn^housek,
ggperally, at .tty^jate p f /rprp pagodas a month.