A fine silver cigarette box, Ceylon, c. 1880 A splendid, Sterling silver rectangular cigarette box chased in high relief with Kandyan vegetal and floral scrollwork made at the time of British rule on the island. On one side, a peacock is depicted with a fanning tail. The other side shows a map of Ceylon with the towns of Colombo, Kandy and Trincomalee. On 8 January 1782 the British captured Trincomalee's forts from the Dutch, the first place on the island they captured. The French recaptured it on 29 August of the same year after the Battle of Trincomalee. In 1783 the French ceded it to the British and subsequently, Britain ceded Trincomalee back to the Dutch Republic under the Peace of Paris (1783 Treaty of Versailles). In 1795 the British recaptured the city and held it until Sri Lanka's independence in 1948, with a claimed aim of "preventing Napoleon invading the colony" if left under the Dutch. 14x9cm 189 grams