The regiment proceeded by sea to Trincomalee in September, 1806; but marched back to Columbo two months afterwards.
1807
1808
During the years 1807 and 1808, the regiment was stationed at the capital of the island of Ceylon.
1809
Disputes of a tedious and complicated character between the British government and the Rajah of Travancore, a province situated at the south-west extremity of Hindoostan, occasioned the NINETEENTH regiment to be withdrawn from Ceylon in February, 1809, and to proceed to Madras to join the troops designed for the reduction of the hostile Rajah. The country of Travancore was taken possession of without much serious opposition, when a force of sufficient strength was assembled for that purpose, and the Rajah was forced to submit. In December the regiment returned to Ceylon.
1810
General Sir Samuel Hulse having been removed to the sixty-second regiment, the colonelcy of the NINETEENTH was conferred on Lieut.-General Sir Hew Dalrymple from the thirty-seventh, by commission dated the 25th of June, 1810.
The war with France was continued, a British army was fighting for the liberties of Europe in Portugal and Spain, and in 1810 the English government resolved to deprive Napoleon of the Isle of France, now called the Mauritius, the only remaining territory in the possession of France, in the East. To take part in this enterprise, four companies of the NINETEENTH regiment embarked from Ceylon on the 6th of September, 1810. The expedition rendezvoused at the island of Rodriguez, from whence it sailed to the Isle of France, and a landing was effected on the 29th of November. The troops suffered much from the want of water in their advance upon Port Louis, the capital, and finding a plentiful supply at the powder-mills on the road, they halted there during the night of the 30th of November. Some sharp skirmishing occurred, and several men were killed and wounded. On the following day the troops resumed their march; drove the French from their positions with great gallantry; and forced the governor to surrender this valuable colony in three days.
The four companies afterwards returned to Ceylon.
1811