Tl DEDICATION.
cares of: your Royal ©fo.l^;^)pa&vdhre Sentiment»
of eVery officer and ëvèry private in K$s *■
While/ your Royal. ' Highness- isA&ccifpied/ with oMêcts
o f ssq much’ -g&eatèr importance,/ I should-not ipresumefeto
intrude with the -following Wbrk upon yodn notice, werepfenat
conscious that- it was -undertaken and ',èo|n|)i©tèdy4hièfly with
ayvie-W 'to point» out to the atteMion^nd:/en.temTls&f4^,khis.
country a new - acquisition- -of»tthe: /g r^ p e |S importance both
in a-' cotehiercialj and political point of—view. ■
From rdK^g>bservatipns 1 then made, I am enabled, to
affirm that its retention. in Our* hands must. prove of - the
"greatest benefit to our East India trade, and ~©*te epèïmiÉfefe
iir genèraifi/'and • « iu/this vi#W a measure • whiefc must
.reflect the highest hpnour on * theY^sdom of ;his--'Mfljestv,%
Gouneife.y;/
From the period a\t£ my arrival with his Majesiffs 1.9th
regt. on the island of Ceylon ‘shorf^ ' after its capture, I
endeavoured,, during /nay few leisure moments from military
duty, to obtain as much useful, information as. an. officer in
my- situation had i t in his power tb êóifëef.
Having had an opportunity-of seeing different parts of the
sea-coast, and also some of the interior, while serving with
DEDICATION. v£r
thg»/> ©$g§%i which accompanied General Macdowal ihffhis
embassy' to' -thet- t t u r t lot «Qandy, I .was enabled, to notice
tii,e man} ^ad\MbV!?C?^^°f^ ^ ,derivc<l from this valuable pos-
«sesriiam.- <.ash wolL> as»^.^ fi£quire -a knowledge of its actual
,hta’tii, a ‘ 11 i»tlieidavbut, jgupgrjflcially treated of: and
it struck/me -that theohservUtioSai I had made might afford
\*onu mtoi matiom to, .the Publip,.' and perhaps might not; be
-us&lbss 1 in respect tiMJ^Prri^yjrdantSisideratioris.
All’' 1 liekmWat^ however, wj^ich I can lay ^plaim to in thes fol-
ldwing/vohhne, is-an aul^cMtne ^.('Ldioii '<rfjAfaQts p and. I hope
that J|fir ‘Royal High/ jeSs, with usual’ gob'dfiess, will
excuse the,wmiteof;etegant^nd scientifick composition in one.
who hasrsgejat his,Jife in a . n^ijitayy,,p&ry e j~,,
v.^Whateyer- may.- bejvtbe, |a|,er pf v,;th|§. publicationj,;the con-
idi.M._i.iii i'nii bf -your Royal Highness, in {aflp^itfg^it- to*. b$
j^hefy^mi 6 the world fcdideiy yipr adgdst^patronage/,,- hgs impressed
the/mbst livt^and. lasting gratitude’,-oii^fche mind of
Your^RoYAL HiGHNEsss.papyt humble.;^
and ^«tevOted^-ServaUt, ’
- RPBERT PERCIYAL.
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