Sir James Emerson Tennent (1804-69) combined the roles of traveller, politician and civil servant, publishing accounts of Greece during the war of independence, and several books on Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), where he was civil secretary to the colonial government from 1845 to 1850. His other major achievement was as promoter of the Copyright of Designs Act of 1842, which secured the same protection for applied arts designs as existed for inventions and written works. This 1850 book describes the various missionary activities of the Portuguese, Dutch, British and Americans among the peoples of Ceylon since its first discovery by Europeans. The first Portuguese explorers observed that the inhabitants of the north of the island were Hindus, and those in the south were Buddhists, and the different approaches over time to these two belief groups form the core of this prejudiced but interesting book.
- ISBN10 1409799530
- ISBN13 9781409799535
- Publish Date 1 July 2008 (first published 1 December 2000)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Read Books
- Format Paperback (US Trade)
- Pages 384
- Language English