 To achieve the seizure of the colony , the British government instructed Lord Hobart , Governor of Madras to use the forces at his disposal to invade and capture the Batavian held parts of the island . Prosecution of the campaign was given to Colonel James Stuart , supported by naval forces under Rear @-@ Admiral Peter Rainier . Stuart called on Batavian governor Johan Van Angelbeek to surrender the colony peacefully and many trading posts were taken without resistance , but Stuart 's forces were opposed at Trincomalee in August 1795 and briefly at Colombo in February 1796 . Following short sieges British forces were able to secure control of the Dutch colony , and Ceylon would remain a part of the British Empire for the next 153 years . 
