154

ATTRACTIONS FOR VISITORS.

As to Olimate, Ceylon embraces a great variety between
Colombo on the sea level and Nuwara Eliya, the sanitarium,
at 6,200 feet altitude. Here is a little table indicative of the
principal stations all along or near the main railway line :—~

\ ltitude Average S rage No. of Days
MT Tomb AT Sul with Rain
a In. per Annum.
Colombo, sea level .., 81 at 88 won 174
Kandy, 1,650 feet  ... 75 - 82 “ne 192
Hatton, 4,150 feet ... 63  ... 149 “256
Nuwara Eliya, 6,200 feet 58 avs 94 . 204
Bandarawela, 4,000 feet 66 ve. 67 wom 127
[n addition it may be mentioned that Point-de-Galle, also
reached by railway, has much the same climate as Colombo;
that Jaffna in the north, Trincomalee in the north-east, and
Batticaloa in the east are hottest, and comparatively dry; and
that Anuradhapura, the famous “ buried city,” is also dry and
usually hot. The months to be avoided by visitors to Ceylon
are June and July and October and November, though seasons
 often vary. To be sure of fine weather in Colombo,
as well as for travelling in the interior, February to May
inclusive can safely be recommended to the visitor ; and
Nuwara Eliya, especially, is climatically quite delightful
during what is “the season” for the sanitarium in these
four months, while often enjoyable in August. September,
December, and January.
As regards the accessibility of Ceylon to visitors, we need
only mention that half-a-dozen first class lines of ocean-going
steamers compete in the carrying of passengers from London,
Marseilles, Genoa, Naples, Brindisi, or Trieste to Colombo,
the duration of passage being from twenty-five to fourteen
days, the cost for each passage ranging from £40 to £65 ;
while return tickets can be got at proportionately lower
rates. Landed in Colombo, the visitor will find a choice of
first class hotels with moderate charges.
The chief attractions in the commercial and political
metropolis of the Island are found in the delightful drives
over some of the smoothest and best roads in the world and
in the most varied tropical vegetation, and in observing the
great number of different races among the population and
watching the people in their every-day life. This is best
done by a carriage drive to and from Mount Lavinia and by
a trip on the tram cars through the most crowded parts of
the city.
Among excursions of interest to visitors we may mention
the coach or steamer trip to Negombo, the district pas
excellence for the finest cinnamon in the world; the railway