Royal Commonwealth Society : Plumbago in Ceylon [i.e. Sri Lanka], c.1886

W L H Skeen and Co

Royal Commonwealth Society

<p style='text-align: justify;'>Collection of loose albumen prints mounted on card, measuring approximately 185 x 130 mm, uncaptioned.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'> The prints are accompanied by an off-print from The Ceylon Observer of 16 January 1866 describing W.A. Fernando's exhibits at the Colonial and Indian Exhibition of that year. These are probably the prints that were on view during the exhibition. W.A. Fernando (d. 1901), a Singhalese pioneer of the plumbago industry, set up as a merchant in this commodity in 1854; as well as trading in Plumbago, his firm owned a couple of mines, the principal ones being at Hikgaha, Goluwanmulla and Himbutamulle.</p>