bishop charles 1765 1810 edited michael (1 résultats)

Hardcover. Etat : Very Good. 1st Edition. lvi+342 pages with frontispiece, 6 maps including two folding maps, bibliography and index. Octavo (8 3/4" x 6") bound in original publisher's blue cloth with gilt lettering to spine and pictorial representation of the ship Victoria embossed on front cover with cover and blind stamped ruled edges with original jacket. Edited by Michael Roe. Works issued by the Hakluyt Society, second series, volume 131. First edition. In 1794, Charles Bishop sailed from Bristol as master of the Ruby, a trading ship bound for north-west America. He had instructions to procure otter furs fro the Indians and then to proceed to Canton via japan and sell the cargo. During the years 1794-1802, he rounded South America to reach the Pacific coast, then visited the Pacific islands and the coasts of Asia and Australia. In the Moluccas, he sold the Ruby and purchased the Nautilus; correspondingly, the test is divided into two sections. This narrative is Bishop's journal of his voyages and relates a minor epic of adventure, courage and turbulent fortune. The records of his letters and financial accounts show something of the ships' general organization, and the seamen who served such expeditions. Bishop also describes the various ports and peoples he encountered; his experiences typify European contacts in the Pacific, and the reaction between trader, missionary, administrator and local inhabitant. Roe's introduction give the background to the trading voyages of the eighteenth century and describes Bishop's own history. Records of his life continue until 1809, ending tragically in Sydney, where he passed some years in poverty and insanity, before being returned to England. Condition: Jacket spine sunned, light edge wear else very good to fine in like jacket.