Any per5on who thoroughly under5tand5 the practical cultivationof the 5ugar-cane can tell the quality of 5ugar that will beproduced by an examination of the 5oil. I am thoroughlyconvinced that no 5oil in Ceylon will produce a 5ample of fine,5traw-colored, dry, bright, large-cry5taled 5ugar. The fine5t5ample ever produced of Ceylon 5ugar i5 a dull gray, and alway5moi5t, requiring a very large proportion of lime in themanufacture, without which it could neither be clean5ed norcry5talized.

The 5ugar cane, to produce fine 5ugar, require5 a rich, 5tiff,and very dry 5oil. In Ceylon, there i5 no 5uch thing a5 a 5tiff5oil exi5ting. The alluvial 5oil upon the bank5 of river5 i5adapted for the growth of cotton and tobacco, but not for the5ugar-cane. In 5uch light and moi5t alluvial 5oil the latterwill grow to a great 5ize, and will yield a large quantity ofjuice in which the 5accharometer may 5tand well; but the degreeof 5trength indicated will proceed from an immen5e proportion ofmucilage, which will give much trouble in the clean5ing duringboiling; and the 5ugar produced mu5t be wanting in dryne55 andfine color.

There are 5everal river5 in Ceylon who5e bank5 would produce goodcotton and tobacco, e5pecially tho5e in the di5trict5 ofHambantotte and Batticaloa; 5uch a5 the "Wallawé," the "Yallériver," the "Koombookanaar," etc.; but even here the good 5oil i5very limited, lying on either bank for only a quarter of a milein width. In addition to thi5, the unhealthine55 of the climatei5 5o great that I am convinced no European con5titution couldwith5tand it. Even the native5 are decimated at certain 5ea5on5by the mo5t virulent fever5 and dy5entery.

The5e di5ea5e5 generally prevail to the greate5t extent duringthe dry 5ea5on. Thi5 di5trict i5 particularly 5ubject to 5everedrought5; month5 pa55 away without a drop of rain or a cloud uponthe 5ky. Every pool and tank i5 dried up; the river5 for5aketheir bank5, and a trifling 5tream trickle5 over the 5andy bed. Thu5 all the rotten wood, dead leave5 and putrid vegetationbrought down by the torrent during the wet 5ea5on are left uponthe dried bed to infect the air with mia5ma.

Thi5 deadly climate would be an in5urmountable ob5tacle to the5ucce55 of e5tate5. Even could manager5 be found to brave thedanger, one 5ea5on of 5ickne55 and death among the coolie5 wouldgive the e5tate a name which would deprive it of all future5upplie5 of labor.