Lieut.-General Sir Hew Dalrymple was removed, in April, 1811, to the fifty-seventh regiment, and was succeeded in the colonelcy of the NINETEENTH by Major-General Hilgrove Turner, from the Cape regiment.
1812
1813
1814
The reigning sovereign of Candy evinced so cruel and tyrannical a disposition, that he became odious to his subjects, who experienced a total insecurity of life and property under his rule, individuals being frequently deprived of both at the caprice of the king. The governor of one of his provinces was summoned to appear at the capital; but this chief, expecting that the sacrifice of his life, and the seizure of his property, were intended, did not obey the mandate. The king assembled an army, overpowered the forces of the disobedient chief, and forced him to fly for protection to the British settlements. About the period when these events agitated the interior of the island of Ceylon, the NINETEENTH regiment embarked for Trincomalee, where it arrived in the beginning of March, 1814.
1815
Elated with his success against the disobedient chief, the King of Candy prepared to invade the British territory; and the governor, Major-General Brownrigg, resolved to preserve the English provinces from aggression by invading the kingdom of Candy. The British troops advanced into the kingdom of Candy, in seven divisions, in the beginning of February, 1815, and the NINETEENTH regiment marched from Trincomalee to take part in this service. The soldiers underwent great fatigue in crossing mountains, passing morasses and rivers, and traversing regions inhabited only by the wild beasts of the forest; they succeeded in overcoming all opposition, and arrived at the capital in the middle of February. The king fled; but he was seized by his own subjects, ill-treated, and brought a prisoner to the British camp. An assembly of Candian chiefs declared the Malbar dynasty deposed, and the provinces of Candy united to the dominions of the British crown. Thus was an extensive tract of country, bountifully endowed with natural gifts, and producing the necessaries and luxuries of life, including spices, metals, and precious stones, added to the British dominions; a numerous race of human beings, of a peculiarly interesting character, was delivered from the power of despotism, and brought under the advantages of the just government and equitable laws of Great Britain. Every species of torture was immediately abolished; but the ancient religion of the inhabitants, and the former mode of administering justice, were preserved. The conduct of the British troops was highly meritorious, and reflected credit on the several corps employed on this enterprise: the soldiers abstained from plunder and violence, and behaved with such order and regularity as to conciliate the inhabitants, whose condition, improved by a policy founded on liberal ideas, and exhibiting enlarged views, prepared the way for their emancipation from the errors of superstition, and their introduction to the advantages of Christianity, and of European arts, sciences, and commerce.
The British troops occupied posts in the newly-acquired territory, and the corps not required for this duty returned to their former quarters.
1816
The NINETEENTH regiment remained at Trincomalee, and other stations in that quarter of the island, until February, 1818, when it returned to Columbo.
1818
Soon afterwards a new claimant to the throne of Candy arrived in that country, from the continent of India, and being supported by several native chiefs, who were hostile to the British interests, a rebellion took place. This event called the NINETEENTH again into the field; they marched for Candy in April, 1818, and again traversed mountainous districts and wild and beautiful regions; some desultory fighting occurred; but a greater loss of life was occasioned by the climate, than by the swords of the insurgents. The rebellion was suppressed; the regiment returned to Columbo in September; and in October it marched to Point de Galle.