From The Hindu, February 28, 1925: An American’s impressions

A party of American tourists, eighty in number, arrived in Madras this morning from Calcutta, en route to Colombo, where they are to board the “Empress of France” on return to America.

These, along with about two-hundred others, who are taking steamer to Colombo from Bombay, have, during the past fortnight, visited a number of places of interest in this country.

“We have been here just to see the country,” one of the party told a representative of the Hindu whom he met at the Connemara Hotel.