History of Ceylon from the Earliest Period to the Present Time

This concise work on Ceylon aims to give a survey of the history of this Island in a reader-friendly, and informative manner. There are 18 chapters in this book, which proceed chronologically, starting from the earliest till about 1850 AD. The first two give a compass of the Island till the start of the Common Era; noticed in these chapters are the first settlements; Buddha; arrival of Mahinda and Sanghamitra; Tisso; Utteya; Elala; Kaluna; invasion of Malabar, etc. The book, as it proceeds, gives further notices onsuicide of Mihindo; Anuradhapura; embassy to Siam; Jayabahu; Wijayabahu; the arrival of the Portuguese; crimes and punishments; introduction of Christianity; Buwaneko; Dutch arrival; Singha II; arrival of the English; Eheylapola, etc. The work ends with three appendices, one of which discusses Buddhism and the philosophy of Greece. The book is a reprint of the 1845 edition.