Mss Eur E80-82

JONVILLE, EUDELIN DE (fl. 1798-1805)

De Jonville was a Corsican who met Lord North, Secretary of State to Sir Gilbert Elliot, the Viceroy of Corsica, during the British occupation of the island from 1795 to 1796. North must have been impressed by de Jonville's ability, and de Jonville, for his part, must have become devoted to Lord North. As a result, when North went to Ceylon as Governor in 1798, de Jonville accompanied him. De Jonville acted as interpreter to Macdowall's embassy to Kandy and ALSO when Kandyan ambassadors visited Lord North in Colombo. He acted as J.P. in Colombo c.1805, and North left him as Commissioner Extraordinary for Government in the Seven Coreles of the Kandyan kingdom to increase revenue - see G. Powell, ‘The Kandyan’ Wars (London, 1973), and T. Wimalananda, ‘The British Intrigue in the Kingdom of Ceylon’, vol. II (Colombo, 1973). He probably remained in Ceylon when Lord North's term of office expired in July 1805. For his life, see Mildred Archer, ‘Natural history drawings in’ ‘the India Office Library’ (London, 1961), 34-8.

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Mss Eur E80-82

Three volumes entitled ‘Quelques Notions sur L'Isle de Ceylan’ (Kaye no.199), written and drawn by de Jonville in Ceylon 1798-1801. The drawings are made on Dutch paper with a 'C. & I. Honig' watermark. The first volume of the set records that the manuscript was 'Recd. at Tellicherry, 3rd Nov. 1801. Presented by the Author.' The title page is inscribed, 'Colombo. Fevrier 1801.'

The drawings reached the Library on 2nd June 1802. The Day Books record the receipt of 'Three Chests containing a Collection of Insects Shells, Minerals and other objects of Natural History, made at Ceylon by M. Jonville, accompanied by a Memoir in French and Sundry Drawings. Recd. from the Baggage Warehouse. It is understood the above was sent as a Present to the Honble Company.' (North (see Ceylon Records 52) refers to the despatch of this MS. on 18th February 1801.) Various writers on de Jonville have been unaware of this collection. A copy of part of Vol.1, 'Narrative of a journey to Kandy made on the occasion of the Embassy of Major-General MacDowall in 1800', was purchased after the war in London and sent to Ceylon. A translation of it was published in the ‘Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society’, vol.38, 1948.

Deposited 1802.