ON A TEA PLANTATION.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 10483, 23 October 1899, Page 5

ON A TEA PLANTATION.

Writing from the Mooloya. Estate, Hewahetta, Oeylon, Mr H. R. Walks-, late of New Brighton, who- is on a visit to his brother there, gives some interesting particulars of life on a tea plantation. He says: "The factory is 4400 feet np the mountain, and constate of two large buildings of stone, with corrugated iron roofs, of about 80 x6O and 100 x6O each. The lines, as they are called, or quarters, where the coolies live, are built of mud and jungle trees, and thatched. They are situated about one hundred yards further up the hill, and are divided into separate houses. There are over one thousand coolies employed on the estate. They wear very little clothes, and differ from the ordinary run of Cingalese inasmuch as they do not wear any jacket «r bodice, but all one cloth, wound round their waiets or thrown over their shoulders. Thw have the usual earrings and bracelets, and Wro round pieces of paper, one and a half inches in diameter, in a slit cut in the ear; also rings marquise shape on their toes. They are very alight in build, almost to being on the «do of skeletons, and live exclusively on farinaceooe food. While at work they continually chew betel leaf mixed with lime, which has the effect of turning their teeth red and their h'pe black. On seeing a stranger they seem to be very shy. looking out of the comers of their eyes and chattering to each other."