Henry Charles Sirr

Henry Charles Sirr (1807-1872) was a British lawyer, diplomat and writer. He was a barrister who qualified at Lincoln's Inn, London and eventually went into government service, working as Deputy Queen's Advocate for the Southern Circuit of Ceylon (modern Sri Lanka) in the mid-19th century.

He is perhaps best known for writing "Ceylon and the Cingalese", a book published in two volumes in 1850 covering "their History, Government and Religion; the Antiquities, Institutions, Revenue and Capabilities of the Island; and a full Account of the late Rebellion; with Anecdotes illustrating the Manners and Customs of the People." [Advertisement for "Mr. Shoberl's New Voyages, Travels, &c.", in Albert Henry Andrew Hervey, "Ten Years in India or, the Life of a Young Officer. Volume 1". (Wm. Shoberl, 1850)] The book was widely regarded as an authoritative account of life in Ceylon. It wascited by Jules Verne in his classic "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea"; in chapter 2, the book's narrator Professor Aronnax tells the reader that while searching for a description of Ceylon in Captain Nemo's library aboard the "Nautilus", "I found a book by H.C. Sirr, Esq, entitled "Ceylon and the Cingalese."

Sirr also served as British Vice-Consul in Hong Kong from 1843. He described his experiences in another book, "China and the Chinese", subtitled: "Their religion, character, customs and manufactures; the evils arising from the opium trade; with a glance at our religious, moral, political and commercial intercourse with the country." The book provides important contemporary insights into the nature of the opium trade and the endemic smuggling that took place in the Pearl River region.

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