DIARY KEPT IN THE VALE OF DOOMBERA-NÈAR KANDY.

1841, 17th May to the 24th.-The rainy weather which came ou suddenly the end of last week continued for the first two days of this, since which we have bad cloudy days with slight showers and strong breezes from the S. W. Thermometer Average.—72° 6 s. μ'—77 © 2 p. m.—75° 8 p. M.

From 24th May to the 31st.-Cloudy weather continued, with strong breezes. almost approaching 'to gales of wind from the S. W. these continued some times during the night as well as day-slight showers fall frequently and once or twice during the week, ending in heavy, rains.

Thermometer Average.—71° 6 A. M.-76 and 75° 2 P. M.-74 and 73 8 P. M.

These strong winds and cloudy weather make the climate of the Kandian country at this period of the year, very cool and delightful, enabling Europeans to remain out at all periods of the day.-Little dew falls at night now, and if there is any wind, nope, and it is scarcely required as the ground is constantly kept moist from the continual showers.

From 31st May to 7th June.-Cold winds and rainy weather every day this week; Sun constantly clouded-wind from S. W. and as strong as last week.

Thermometer Average.-From 68 to 70° 6 A. M.—73° to 75° 2 P. M, 78 generally in the evening.

From 7th June to the 14th.—ÀÅfter the first day of this week the rainy weather cleared up generally and the Sun has been seen and felt drie or two days, but slight showers occasionally and during two nights beavy rain, bas fallen in this period; strong breezes from the S. W. continue and sometimes squally no thunder or lightning accompany these rains.

Thermometer Average.—71° 6 ▲. M.—76° to 77° 2 p. M.—74 8 P. M.

From 14th June to 21st.-During this period nearly all the mornings and Evenings cloudy and calm, but the middle of the day fine with moderate breeze from S. W. about every other day a shower of rain in the afternoon which, while it lasts, is generally accompanied with a strong wind, so that rain in no great quantity falls at a time.

Thermometer Average.—72° 6 ▲. M.—76 2 p. M.—74 8 P. M.—Little or no dew falls at night.

Operatious.-The same as last month, getting in Nurseries, and planting out, clearing drains where the water stands and on the older Estates the weeds must be kept under to give the trees all the benefit of the rains—bkewise Pruning, or rather "handling" the trees in bearing, is very necessary, taking off from them all super abundant wood and suckers which spring forth rapidly now, while the circulation of the sap is vi:orous, and which if allowed to remain would retard the fruit and weaken the powers of the tree hereafter.

From the great and continued quantities of rain which have fallen in the interior during the latter half of May and greater part of June, it might be supposed that all the cultivated productions of the Island (except Rice and even this though nourished chiefly by water, requires the heat of the Sun to perfect it) would be starved and checked by the constant moisture, and ep

they undanbtedly would, were the nature of the country flat, or sufficiently level, to allow of water standing in the sub-soil-but on the contrary, as it is nearly everywhere beautifully undulating with declicious streamlets running toward all the greater streams-the rain, as it falls is readily carried off, the roots of the trees and plants extracting their nourishment from it as it passes. This sloping nature of the ground is particularly necessary for the Sugar Cane, and even the Coffee tree (which is generally supped to require so much moisture) soon dies from starvation in swampy ground as is often found op a Plantation when it has been planted near a ditch or any low place where water stands.

There is no doubt that the above mentioned formation of the country with the ready means of carrying off water by the great rivers, likewise contributes to the healthiness of the Kandian country in general-and the appearance of its regetation, though sufficiently Inxuriant, indicates it-in some parts where the natives have long cleared and cultivated the ground, it has views equal to the green open meadow fields of England, and in its more thickly wooded parts it has not the rank, dense unwholesome veretation, of mant trop cal Countries. This does not appertain to the lower lands surrounding the Kandian horder, which in many situations possess all the character of tropical vegetation, the absence of which in the "central province" furnishes no proof that any thing is wanting in the qualities of its soil for the European cultivator-as the many thriving plantations of Coffee and Sugar in the vicinity of Kandy fully prove.

The health of coolies on the Estates remains good and the supply of labor is plentiful. B. D,

ERRATA No. X.

IN PAGE 446, LINE 40.-For "LIVE and vegetable moulds" read "LIME and

vegetable moulds."

COLOMBO &

PRINTED AT THE HERALD PREÈS

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AMONGST the novelties of a literary nature lately started at home is one of a peculiar kind and which shews how fertile is the brain of man in expedients for realizing money. The novelty we allude to is the Post Magazine." It has emanated from the recent alteration in the postage of letters throughout Britain, which our readers may remember is equalized to one penny for all parts of the Kingdom. Postage is now paid by means of stamps stuck on the letter, and which may be bought for the purpose, or by means of stamped envelopes. The originators of the "Post Magazine" offer their periodical as a substitute for the latter. It is a simple sheet of letter paper with one page or more of letter-press of a useful description, the remainder being left blank for correspondence, and the outside is stamped to go free by post. Advertisers in the Magazine are entitled to receive a certain number of copies at the mere cost of the stamp, one penny, the public being charged three half pence. The latter therefore only pay one half-penny for the letter paper and the page of printing, the penny being for the stamp; whilst those who advertise get their letter for nothing, only

paying for the postage stamp, and thus write their friends without cost and at the same time distribute their own advertisements. It is a curious fact, and one that shows where the profits on these speculations are, that this Magazine will be given to the trade for retail sale at a larger discount than is allowed on the stamped covers, by government, and consequently more than allowed on the stamp affixed to the Magazine. But the secret of this is to get the sellers, chiefly stationers, to push them off in preference to the ordinary stamped envelope of government, and thus raise the circulation which is all that is wanted, for the advertisements are what pay in these matters: the mere profit on the sale of the Magazine as a periodical, would be comparatively nothing, certainly nothing for the trouble and outlay of capital on the undertaking.

In the Athenaeum of March 27th we find some extracts from letter addressed by Prince Paul of Wurtemberg, to the Augsburg Gazette concerning, the charges made against Mehemet Ali, in the Globe, of having destroyed and pulled down some of the noblest architectural relics of Egyptian antiquity. The Prince, who has re cently returned from his travels, refutes these assertions by statements of what he has himself seen and known, and they certainly entirely contradict the wiiter in the Globe. He says, "Great negli. gence was shown it is true, at the commencement of Mehemet's Administration, so that strangers and travellers were permitted to pillage and destroy with impunity the various specimens of antiquity. But the oversight was the fault of the Pacha's neglected education and ignorance of their historical worth. Later on the Viceroy's learning the value of the same as works of art, he im mediately took measures to prevent their total rain. It is incorrect to assert that the smali temples of the island of Elephantina were used as materials for the construction of the government buildings at Assuan. I lived there and perceived no symptoms of antique building-stones, any more than in the state buildings of the modern Siene. Moreover there is abundance of building material in the immediate neighbourhood of the town, so that nobody would dream of going for it to the ruins of the adjacent island."-We agree with the writer in this improbability. The Prince also states that