The battle for Ceylon During the first decade of the 19th century the struggle for imperial domination still raged across the globe. Britain and France were at war as the tide that swept away the Bourbon monarchy in bloody revolution gained momentum under the genius of Napoleon Bonaparte and was felt from Europe to the East and West Indies. Britain in dominating the Indian sub-continent was in conflict with martial cultures who often had French backing. Here the future Duke of Wellington would make his name before his greater military glories in Iberia. The tear-drop shaped island of Ceylon a rich resource of spice, tea and other exotic trade goods-and a country which would add another eastern jewel to the imperial crown-had, of course, not escaped Britain"s notice. Predictably, the indigenous population, particularly in the form of the rulers of the kingdom of Kandy, took issue with the prospect of British rule and opposed British Army regular troops, supported by the...