Lot Essay
Captured by the Portuguese in 1517 and by the Dutch in 1658, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) was taken by the English in 1795 after the rupture between England and Holland.
The island was placed under the care of the East India Company in 1802, and the whole seabord became a possession of the British Crown by the Treaty of Amiens. The Admiralty had a dockyard in the basin of Trincomalee on the east coast which became the principal naval station in the Indian Seas. W. Skewes served in the Royal Navy. A watercolour of a Turkish port signed 'W. Skewes, R.N.' was included in the Exploration and Travel sale at Christie's London, 10 April 1997, lot 38.
The island was placed under the care of the East India Company in 1802, and the whole seabord became a possession of the British Crown by the Treaty of Amiens. The Admiralty had a dockyard in the basin of Trincomalee on the east coast which became the principal naval station in the Indian Seas. W. Skewes served in the Royal Navy. A watercolour of a Turkish port signed 'W. Skewes, R.N.' was included in the Exploration and Travel sale at Christie's London, 10 April 1997, lot 38.