The new Jamaica Almanack, and register, Calculated to the Meridian of the Island for the Year of our Lord 1794. Being the Second after Bissextile or Leap Year. [Second Edition - Carefully Corrected]

[JAMAICA]

Edité par Printed by David Dickson, for Thomas Stevenson, Stationer, Kingston [1794], Saint Jago de la Vega, 1794

A propos de cet article

146pp, [14]. With two hand-coloured engraved leaves of plates depicting 'Signals for distinguishing the Several Packets on the Falmouth Station' bound in before title. Variously interleaved at front, with numerous blanks at end inserted, some of which removed. Contemporary, perhaps original gilt-tooled wallet-format calf over card boards, the fold-over flap missing, but with an open fore-edge to upper board with marbled paper-lined pocket. Rubbed and marked, with some occasional staining, sometimes rather unsightly, to text, childish pen and pencil trials to endpapers, engraved signals (largely erased), and some blank- interleaving or areas of text. Occasional manuscript correction to text. Bifolium G3-4 detached from the binding. A rare Jamaican-printed almanac - with the original engraved signals leaves apparently issued only in this edition - featuring an early example of West-Indian Hebrew printing. Almanacs were apparently first issued in Jamaica during the 1760s, printed by Weatherby & McCann, Walker & Strupar, Douglass and Aikman, and later Alexander Aikman alone, at Kingston. The rival New Jamaica Almanack and Register first appeared in the same city in 1788, printed by Bennett and Dickson, for the stationer Thomas Stevenson of King Street. From 1791 this same title was printed by David Dickson alone at Spanish Town (Saint Jago de la Vega). This is definitely not the second appearance of a Dickson printed almanac either printed at Kingston or Spanish Town (editions for 1791, 1792 and 1793 are known, for example, with the Saint Jago de la Vega imprint), despite the title designation. In addition to providing a calendar specifically for use in the colony, noting for example the dates of various Jamaican assizes, these eighteenth-century almanacks are perhaps best known for their inclusion of some of the earliest examples of printing with Hebrew type - specifically produced for the use of the largest Jewish community in the Atlantic outside of London - in the Western hemisphere, significantly predating any American-printed Hebrew calendar. This is displayed in this edition as a final calendar leaf headed 'Of Months, Sabbaths, and Holidays, which the Hebrews or Jews observe and keep, for the Years 5554 an 5555 of the Creation'. Whilst much of the remainder of the first half of the volume relates to British government and administration, the first 30pp of the second half includes a description of the geography and history of Jamaica, and excerpts various commercial treaties applicable, including the 'Act for regulating the Commerce with America', and notes the duties due to the Receiver-General for landing traded goods. Rather disturbingly, this includes the government duty of £2 'per head' imposed upon the importers of enslaved Africans. Fully 44 further pages, headed 'Jamaica Lists', relate to the civil administration and military establishments of the colony, including lists of officials and appointees, headed by the then Lt.-Governor Major General Adam Williamson. Included in this section are extensive details on the economic output of the plantations of the island, grouped by parish within different counties, often revealing the extent of enslavement. Thus, St. George is noted as housing '19 Sugar Works, and 5 more settling, 90 other Settlements, 7000 Slaves, and 4500 Cattle', whilst Trewlawny housed '86 Sugar Works, 126 other Settlements, 27000 Slaves, and 15000 Cattle'. Copies of the Dickson-printed almanacks printed during the final decade of the eighteenth- century are known with and without maps. There is none present here, but equally there is no obvious absence of such. However, the only reference we can find to any edition of an almanac with engravings of signals flags, as here, is in the 1794 edition; indeed, the foot of the first of the two engraved leaves notes that it was 'Engraved for the New Jamaica Almanac, 1794'. Given the increasingly visible presence of Royal Naval ships in the West Indies due to act.

N° de réf. du vendeur AQ30515

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: The new Jamaica Almanack, and register, Calculated to the Meridian of the Island for the Year of our Lord 1794. Being the Second after Bissextile or Leap Year. [Second Edition - Carefully Corrected]
• Éditeur: Printed by David Dickson, for Thomas Stevenson, Stationer, Kingston [1794], Saint Jago de la Vega
• Date de parution: 1794
• Reliure: Couverture rigide