X544(1)

Plate I. The Fort of Colombo, from the Galle-Face Esplanade.

The Fort (or, more correctly, the Town and Fort) of Colombo is situated on the west side of the Island, in lat. 7° N., and long. 79° 58' E. of Greenwich. It stands on a rocky point of land, projecting into the sea, from which circumstance it derives many advantages, both in a military and mercantile point of view, and it moreover enjoys the full benefit of the sea-breeze, which renders the air comparatively temperate and salubrious, though so near the equator.

In the time of the Portuguese, the works were of much less extent and strength than they are at present, but the Fort, nevertheless, sustained a siege of seven months in 1C5G, as already stated, and yielded at last to the assaults of famine and disease, rather than to those of the Dutch.

The latter greatly increased the extent of the enceinte, and improved its defences, according to a plan made by their celebrated engineer Coehorn, in which every advantage is taken of the rocky nature of the ground towards the sea, and of the lake on the land side, which supplies the ditch with water by means of sluices, and, skirting the glacis, all but joins the sea on both sides - being only separated from it, at those points, by a narrow road, or causeway, by cutting through which, and opening the sluices, the Fort can be completely insulated. There are but few places on the sea-side where boats can land with safety, on account of the rocks, and a high surf always running more or less, except the common landing-place in the harbour, which is defended by strong batteries; and the swell, in crossing the bar at its mouth, is dangerous for common boats at most times. There is no hill or high ground in the neighbourhood sufficiently elevated actually to command the place; but the rising on the Galle-face Esplanade rendered it necessary that the bastions on that side should be raised beyond the usual height, which required the construction of counterguards to cover the lower part of their escarps, and they, so far, remedy this defect, affording, moreover, a second tier of guns.

The works of the Fort are about two miles in extent, containing four large bastions on the land side, with their counterguards and ravelins, and seven strong batteries towards the sea, adapted to the rocky line of the coast. They are capable of mounting 300 pieces of ordnance of all descriptions, though only about half that number are kept mounted in time of peace. The bastions and batteries retain the names given them by the Dutch, chiefly of the principal towns in Holland - as Amsterdam, Leyden, Delft, &c. The want of bomb-proof buildings and casemates is the chief deficiency in the defences of the Fort, and one which would be seriously felt in the event of a bombardment from ships, or of a regular siege, in the present advanced state and increased power of artillery.

The Fort has three gates; the principal one, where the main-guard mounts, called the Delft gate, leads to the Pettah, or Black Town; the second to the Galle-face Esplanade; and the third, or water-gate, to the wharf and custom-house. The two former entrances are secured by drawbridges. There is also a sally-port communicating with Slave Island by a slight wooden bridge, and one of masonry, both capable of being speedily destroyed, if necessary.

The streets are regularly laid out, and the houses are neatly built, in a manner suited to the climate, with verandahs in front, and many of them having small gardens. They are shaded by two rows of trees, mostly of the Hibiscus populneus species, which are evergreen, and bear a large yellow flower of the size of a tulip, by which name the trees are commonly called. A great many almond-trees have been planted of late years, which are of elegant form and rapid growth; but they are periodically denuded of their foliage, which is a disadvantage, both from the loss of shade and the litter made by the fallen leaves.

The government-house, which commands a fine view of the roadstead, is a long and capacious building of two stories, more commodious than elegant, with a good-sized garden, originally intended to contain a tank, or reservoir, in case of siege; for though almost every house has a well, which supplies water all the year round, it is so brackish as to be unfit to drink, or for culinary purposes, and the inhabitants are supplied with water from springs outside the Fort, by a class of men called puckalle.

Adjoining the garden of the government-house is the flagstaff battery, in which stands the lighthouse, one of the most elegant buildings of its kind in the world; the light is also considered by nautical men to be an excellent one.