was fought; and for three days our army was in presence of the enemy, with the treacherous Coa in its rear, which one day may be fordable scarcely knee deep, while on the succeeding one it may roll a tremendous torrent. Now, what was done on that occasion? Two companies of the Royal Staff Corps, under the able direction of Major Tod, con trived to collect sufficient materials for a couple of rough bridges, and to throw them across the Coa near the broken bridge of Pinhel, by which the retreat on Celerico was rendered secure under any circumstances.

We have not a word to say against either engineer officers or sappers; they constitute an invaluable portion of our army, having always done their duty well. But in time of war we conceive there is ample room for some companies of so useful a corps as the one for which we are contending; not, let it be remarked, so much for the object of having another corps of military artificers, as to be prepared with able officers for staff duties of the utmost consequence.

We

Before bringing this paper to a close, we would offer one or two remarks about a wagon-train. In the early part of the Peninsular war three sorts of vehicles were used in the service-viz., bread, forage, and spring wagons; but afterwards spring wagons only were employed, the transport of the sick and wounded having been found in practice to afford work enough. The wagon-train thus became, to all intents and purposes, an ambulance corps. The form of the spring wagon employed was not, to our thinking at least, the very best that could be devised; but it never underwent any material change. cannot help thinking that a leaf might with advantage be taken out of the book of our gallant allies, the French, when contemplating the revival of the wagon-train. For instance, we might try our hand at their mule system in conjunction with wagons. Let us remember how easily no less than 1,200 of our sick and wounded men were carried lately along the knee-deep roads between the camp and Balaklava by 600 French mules. It strikes us, moreover, that the mule plan must be excellent for collecting the wounded on a battle field, the animal being so sure-footed, and able to rove over ground that would be impracticable for wheels.

We cannot think of laying by our pen without giving a few words of panegyric to the admirable article in the last number of the Edinburgh Review, entitled "Military Reform," bearing, as it does, though less immediately, upon the chief subject of our paper. It embodies the views of an enlightened, unprejudiced, and far-seeing mind; and we go with the talented writer upon almost every point. Whether the views propounded can ever be fully carried out is what we most ed. It has been whispered as proceeding from -General; and if so, that able author, who has well, has never produced anything more creditthe article in question.

ere is no officer amongst us better qualified to ference to the staff of an army than Sir Howard ask of him to favour us with his ideas

upon

the

re occasionally been favoured as the medium of ughts, and we trust he will not object now to

EXTRACTS FROM THE JOURNALS OF THE LATE MAJOR EDWARD MACREADY.

(Continued from page 55, No. 314.)

SIXTH TRIP IN CEYLON IN 1834.

I HAVE alluded in my 1831 and 1833 trips to a short and unexplored path down to Fort Macdonald; I walked it on the 7th January, and found it so good that I rode it on the 22nd, i.e. so far as the issue from the forest in full view of the fort down below. The following is the memorandum of my walk::

Started at half-past eight on the Maturatta road. At the bottom of the small, deep plain, after the first strip of jungle had been passed, we crossed a small stream, and leaving the Maturatta road on our left, and continuing up a branch of the plain, we crossed the Boon wellē middeep, with a very rocky bed, but both streams may be avoided by a man on foot, who prefers the slough on the rise on his left hand to the water. Entered the jungle at twenty-five minutes past nine, and continued to mount a pretty stiffish ascent till we rounded it, and, coming to three successive ups and downs, with mere rivulets in each hollow, in half an hour reached the stream, Matamwilly Mahalandura, whence very gentle rises and falls to and over four rivulets (all we crossed running from left to right, to the Boombera-ella-boonwellē, which was now very audible), brought us, at twenty minutes past ten, out on the bare edge of the fall of the mountain into Oova. The path is a very good natural jungle path; I rode back on the 22nd without once dismounting. Our return was done to a minute of the time we took in going through the jungle. I was back at Nuwera-ellia and at work soon after two o'clock. The bare crest of the mountain, where the path issues from the forest and we look down on Oova, is called Kottakittola; the ridge between it and Dodonata is Coorata Kandē. The path from this goes sheer down the mountain side, and is plainly traceable below by descending to the brow of the hill, winding along a very gentle descent from the base of the bluff fall over which we stood to the rock hill, which looks about forty minutes' walk. All Oova is before the eye; Dodonata, Goomullakandē, Namina (the Bambregam Haputella and Idalgasama passes), Totapella, and Hackgalla, form the walls of the amphitheatre beneath. By descending over the open ground to the right, a view is obtained of the successive falls of the Boombera-ella (which were heard by us for the last third of the way through the jungle) and of its ravine, and below its course is seen foaming under the lime quarry hill, and the Nuwera-ellia and Fort Macdonald road. The fort looks about six miles distant (our Malay was about one hour and twenty minutes in getting there).

On the 26th January the General, Lillie, and I, went to Aleutnewera, and next day thence to Maturatta; it is a stiff ascent through the forest ravine to the high ground which lies between these places, but it pays most amply. The views at various parts of the ascent are glorious, and the sheltered plain at the top the most seducing one I ever saw. I declare one not only feels how happy one could be to live in such a nook of tranquil beauty, but I often think that after death I should love to

The

come and mingle my spirit with the sunbeams of these scenes. descent to Maturatta from where we cut in on the Fort Macdonald road, is too notorious to speak of. It is a stiffish walk to those who start, as we did, when the sun is well up. We remained at Maturatta till the 11th February. The climate is unequalled, with a temperature between 64° and 70°. The view is fine across and up the deep chasmed valley, but, oh! the perpetuity of a fine view! We had occasional visitors, but still our stay was tiresome, and I was really delighted when on the 11th we pegged away down the hill (for Lillie and I had no horses this trip) to the Bilool-oya and its one tree bridge, crossing which we ascended, and, after a pretty and very stiff walk of eight miles, reached Kangranketty. We breakfasted here, and at twelve o'clock started for the ascent of Dewetelawa. It was a very stiff job, and, on the bare part of the hill, fiery hot. We, however, reached the summit just as a layer of clouds enveloped all the eastern country, and left us nothing but Doombera and the distant Kandy to look at. It was near nightfall when we reached Gomagama, where we slept.

Annexed is the report of the Caffre who, some time before, had been sent to reconnoitre and report on the ascent :

"The plese that we wear order to go to, Deatalawa hill, and we did go to the hill as we wear order, and we did comins the plese that the rode was order to be cot, and we did take the rode right upon the back of the hill and the rode is good a nufe, aff ways, Good from the bottum of the hill, the horss can ride aff way, and from that we think that the horss cant ride no farther than that, and after that we got up the hill and fix the tente, and the wind Blow the tente down, and we tride the Beast to keep the tente up, and we cant keep the tente up becose the wind Blows weary strong, and after the Corporal order the men to take the tente down from the Plese where the tente was fix, and we did so, becose sid of tente was toar by the Wind, and from the plese that we went up we did not com down, and we com down by the other rode that was cut from thother sied the hill for to find a good rode, But that rode was weary bad and the house that we got belo the hill 3 miles far down from the hill, and that not fit to no getlman for to rest. "Pedro 1st."

On the morning of the 12th, Lillie and I were up, and rode down the Diabobula pass. This is part of what is called the lower road to Badulla, which Sir Edward would have opened (and a capital bit what we rode down was), though for a great period of the year men cannot breathe the air of this line and live. It is the shortest line to Badulla, but takes the rivers at their broadest. I do not know a more impressive ty, but it is wild and striking, and appalling in s known and deadly power. The river foams and cky and descending bed, on the left of which the ly up 2,000 feet, and close the view on that side; st hills ascend more sweepingly, while on in front alley between them, still and noisome-looking, shut ome and purifying breeze, and, open with all its swamp, and water, to the fiery sun; not a hut, nor

~, and declare

a nook of

should love to

a wreath of smoke, nor the vestige of anything that betokens the presence of man, is seen along the line, beyond the abandoned clearings and wrecks of two or three hovels at the bottom of the Diabobula, where man has tried to invade the confines of this valley of death, and either died or fled. Even on the hill, the sun at seven in the morning was oppressive. I should like to ride the line just to see it, but the objection is that it exposes one's people, who go with the horses, to almost certain fever, i.e. during the bad months. Lillie's company came up in July and August, and did not suffer much. After breakfast we rode into Kandy, a very pretty ride and good road. On the 18th February I went to Colombo, and was from the 25th March to the 6th May at Calture Fort, with Sir John. It was hot, being the hottest season, but preferable to Colombo.

On the 27th of October I ran out for a couple of days to my favourite Habugastalawē; and for the benefit of those who may hereafter love it as I do, I noted that from Gampola it is three quiet hours' horse-walk to the ferry, and one hour ditto thence up the hill. My bivouac-for eight talipot trees were my shelter-was at a cluster of trees through which ran the small stream which descends by the village, about five minutes' walk from the second slab-tree, and as much from the intersection of the continuation of the path with that from Kotmale to the higher part of the Pasbage valley and Ambagamme. The view from the saddle is a glorious one, but far inferior to that seen from the top of the peak to its left. I was there for the sunrise of the 28th, and it was so cold I could scarcely hold the pencil and compass. The panorama was composed of the whole course of the Kotmale-oya to its end, with the Tispane and Merope, ascents of glorious cultivation and noble mountain, on either side, backed by the wall of mountain forest that rises to support the Nuwera-ellia plain; to the right the high Kotmalē masses, over which the peak (Adam's) is very clearly visible, 15° W. of S. A clumpy mountain beyond Ambegamme looks like that over Kagrapilly. Then comes the Pasbage valley, and its mountain steep of Dolosbage, &c.; beyond it, to the right of Ambulawe, a succession of hills and peaks, and below it all the cultivation of Gampola, and the valley down and beyond Paradinia and Kandy, beyond which the coroneted hill of Paranagam bears due N. The high ground of Doombera is seen above the intervening ridges, and the knuckles are recognisable, though Honasjeri is not. The immediate view of the park-like Habugastalawē is most beautiful, and to see all its beauties the spectator should ride to the peak, he cannot mistake, on the other side of the village. A person must bring with him all he will want, milk even not being procurable. The climate was, in my talipot screen, at Gimpire 62°, outside, 60°; at half-past eight, 68°; at ten, 74°; at one, 78°; at three, 76°; at five, 73°; and at half-past seven, 72°; but even at mid-day the breeze has all the delicate coolness of mountain air. The hill is not apparently so high as Ambulawē. I asked after a short cut to the Attabage, but the natives represented it as very difficult; there is no believing them. On the morning of the 28th I made Gampola in two and a half hours, and drove into Kandy in one and a half. The people said there was abundance of game, from hare to elephant. I saw a great deal of hog rooting, and heard deer bark, but that was all. U. S. MAG., No. 315, FEBRUARY, 1855.

pur

On the 10th November the General and I went down to Kornegallē, to see the new tent establishment employed in the change of quarters. At the end of November and beginning of December we had furious rain, which caused serious floods at Kandy and Colombo. Heavy subscriptions all over the island, and some gloriously egotistical and ridiculous despatches from the Hon. The General sent me on the Monday evening to Paradinia, to see what assistance they really wanted at the bridge-for their notes soared to the sublime of the indefiniteand I stayed there during the night. The river was then at its highest, within twelve feet of the top of the arch, but the exertions made were of the mildest. F- never left the hovel we had sheltered in from the time I arrrived-half-past 6 P.M.-to that when I departed, twelve hours afterwards. The other three went every two hours to see how much the water had risen or fallen; and when, at half-past 3 A.M., a large tree was reported to have entangled itself in the wood-work, it was ordered to be left to itself till daylight. The river was a grand sight-between forty and fifty feet above its ordinary level, and the country so flooded, that when I looked in the dusk of the evening from a knoll I ascended, I could scarcely make out the once familiar topography of the scene below me. I lost my way in going, and had some wading up to the neck, which was by no means pleasant. Miles of the Colombo road, and great part of the Pettah, were under water, and terrific landslips played the devil with the whole line of hill road between Colombo and Nuwera-ellia. I forget the precise number of days, with all possible exertions, it took to reopen the bandy communication with Colombo. Even when the General and I came down in January, the masses still remaining on the road testified what the flood must have been. It was what the Yankees might call "a pretty considerable tarnation water privilege." Things of all sorts went shooting along the mid-stream like arrows-houses, boats, bullocks, elephants, &c., &c. ; but the loss of human life was very small, and where it occurred was due chiefly to the landslips.

I wanted to see Bintenne, and the wilds that stretch beyond it-the land of death to Europeans, but of life and freedom to the Veddah. I calculated on starting the day before our office Christmas holidays begin, and being back on the 29th; but "the best-laid schemes of mice and men gang aft aglee," and I found it expedient to dine with the General on Christmas-day, and be present at the inspection of the 97th on the morning of the 29th, so that the 26th, 27th, and 28th were all I had, and I determined to content myself with a look at Bintenne and its beyond, from the top of Gallepaddyhella, provided we could do even that and back again. Lillie was my associate, and we started at gunfire on the 26th for Teldenia (vid Condesale), where breakfast awaited

us.

Our guide was a bungler, and we lost time and patience in getting on to the high Lewelle path, which we did somewhere about Kalkettegalle amblam. The path to this is over the Doombera knolls, and leasantly, but not shaded-which it is through the forest-nearly from the amblam to Teldenia, which is about eleven miles prettily situated in the valley of the Hubeganga, which ady-store and rest-house where we breakfasted. Any mean to sleep at Teldenia, would do well to let the you at once to the crossing of the river at Ramboo

teclare

a nook of

nould love to