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LIONEL WENDT, COUNT DE MAUNY, DAVID PAYNTER, AND RAMAN – By HUGH KARUNANAYAKE The self styled “Count”. De Mauny  was born as Maurice Marie Talavande on 21 March  1886.  The circumstances under which he left for Ceylon were controversial, some writers suggesting that he was compelled to leave France  for misbehaviour with young men in his charge. None of there rumours have ever been established, and to this day remain as rumours. According to William Warren author of the book ”Tropical Asian Style”, de Mauny  was first invited to Ceylon in 1912 by SIr Thomas Lipton the tea magnate. He followed that up with several subsequent  visits concluding with his purchase of an island off the coast of Weligama, which was only a rocky outcrop one and a half acres in extent and overrun with weeds. He paid Rs 250 for the island, and soon settled down to design, construct, ...