Autograph letter signed by 'The Lion of Kotte' Edward Walter Perera dated 1910

PERERA, Edward Walter 'The Lion of Kotte' (1875-1953). Autograph letter signed on Sinhalese Folklore. Colombo, 1910.
 
Autograph letter signed, 4 pages on a single sheet folded, 180 x 115 mm, The Law Library, Colombo, Ceylon, 4 May 1910. Written on all four sides and signed by Edward W. Perera. Very good.
 
An early letter discussing Perera's projected work on "Sinhalese folk-songs and folk-lore". He explains that his article had originally been written for a popular journal, agrees that it required amplification for scientific readers, and remarks on the scarcity of published material, much of it buried in out of the way Ceylon periodicals. He adds that he had long contemplated writing a larger work on the subject but had been prevented by lack of time.
 
Edward Walter Perera (1875-1953), later celebrated as "the Lion of Kotte", was a Ceylonese barrister, antiquarian, politician and one of the important figures of the early Sri Lankan nationalist movement. Following the communal disturbances of 1915 and the introduction of martial law by the British colonial administration, Perera travelled to Britain carrying a secret dossier setting out allegations of official abuses. His intervention helped bring the treatment of Ceylonese civilians under martial law to the attention of the British government and contributed significantly to political changes in the country and to his reputation as a national hero. He later served in the Legislative Council and State Council and remained closely associated with constitutional reform and Ceylonese self-government.
 
This letter predates those events by five years and shows another side of Perera: his sustained interest in Sinhalese history, folklore and cultural preservation. Letters by Perera appear to be distinctly uncommon on the market.