Life in Ceylon 1850s

‘Royal Mail Coaches took passengers in ten or eleven hours to Kandy or Galla from Colombo, and an ordinary Mail Coach from Colombo to Negombo in three hours. The fare to Kandy or Galle was '£2'. 10. 0, and to Negombo12 Shillings. A single horse Mail Coach ran botween Kurunagala to and Ambepussa, charging 15 shillings' for each passenger. English mails-were brought to Galle by steamers which arrived twice in each month. The postage on letters was a penny per half ounce, and on newspapers a half penny. No limit of weight is set for newspapers, and obviously no limit was needed, as none of them was as large as our newspapers are now. lt is interesting to note that even in 1859, the Inland Tappal rates of postage were extended to India. But it took 18 days for a letter to reach Calcutta, 15 days to Bombay, and 7 days for Madras. A letter to England via Southampton cost sixpence per half ounce; via Marseilles 9d. per quarter ounce, and a shilling per half ounce. There. was Telegraph communication between Ceylon and India. The Inland charges were according to distances, two shillings for a " single distance." A single distance was taken as 100 miles or any distance less’,

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