Beschreibung:

Title: A Voyage Round the World by Way of the Great South Sea, Perform'd in the Years 1719, 20, 21, 22, in the Speedwell of London, of 24 Guns and 100 Men, (under His Majesty's Commission to cruize on the Spaniards in the late War with the Spanish Crown) till she was cast away on the Island of Juan Fernandes, in May 1720; and afterwards continu'd in the Recovery, the Jesus Maria and Sacra Familia, &c. Author: Shelvocke, George Place London Publisher: J. Senex, et al. Date: 1726 Description: [8], xxxii, [4], 468 pp. With 3 (of 4) copper-engraved plates, 2 of them folding. (8vo) 20x12 cm (7½x4¾"), period calf with tooled design on front and back boards, raised spine bands. First Edition. Shelvocke's account of his privateering voyage through the Pacific. "Captains Shelvocke and Clipperton led a privately financed expedition for attacking Spanish shipping. Shelvocke gave his superior officer the slip in a storm and proceeded to Brazil and thence to the west coast of South America, where in two months he sacked Payta, Peru, and captured several small prizes. His vessel was wrecked at Juan Fernandez Island, but a ship was built out of the wreckage and he sailed up the coast to Baja California. After crossing the Pacific via Guam and Macao, Shelvocke returned to England and was acquitted of piracy charges. He soon left for the Continent a wealthy man. Shelvocke wrote this account, in part, as a vindication of his conduct. In it he mentions the gold of California and the guano of Peru, one hundred and thirty years before their modern discovery. An incident in the narrative, describing the passage around Cape Horn, is said to have inspired Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner" - Hill. Cowan believed that "Shelvocke has the fullest account of California, the natives and other features, of any of the old voyagers," and notes that while gold was discovered by the party in abundance, the specimens they brought away were lost. Two of the plates are depictions of California natives. Cowan pp.581-2; Hill 1557; Howes S383. Lot Amendments Condition: Some wear to binding with rubbing to extremities, corner tips worn, a few small areas of loss to leather on rear board; hinges cracked, large portion of rear pastedown lacking, map and one plate not present, scattered light foxing, occasional worming to margins with no loss to text, dampstaining to top corners of some middle pages; good or better. Item number: 282802