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Catalogue 255 The |
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Section VIII: Seabury to Tucker |
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Papers
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Beginning of the Pamphlet War 182. [Seabury, Samuel]: THE CONGRESS CANVASSED, OR, AN EXAMINATION INTO THE CONDUCT OF THE DELEGATES, AT THEIR GRAND CONVENTION. New York. 1774. 27,[1]pp. Modern half morocco, gilt-lettered spine. Lightly tanned. Very good. Seabury was the leading Tory spokesman in the American colonies as the Revolution progressed. In this pamphlet he attacks the actions of the first Continental Congress in detail. On the last page he takes note of Alexander Hamilton’s first pamphlet, A Full Vindication of the Measures of Congress..., just published as an attack on Seabury’s earlier pamphlet publications. Seabury states that he is "neither frightened nor disconcerted by it" and promises to reply shortly. The pamphlet battle between Seabury and the youthful Hamilton marked the launching of the latter’s brilliant career and one of the most interesting political exchanges of the Revolutionary era. HOWES S252, "aa." SABIN 78562. AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE 135a. EVANS 13601. NAIP w005299. $3250. 183. [Seabury, Samuel]: FREE THOUGHTS, ON THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS, HELD AT PHILADELPHIA SEPT. 5, 1774...By a Farmer. [New York: James Rivington], 1774. 24pp. Modern three-quarter morocco and marbled boards, spine gilt. Tanned. Very good. Samuel Seabury was first bishop of the Episcopal Church in America. At the outset of the American Revolution "Seabury and his colleagues began their major literary struggle to keep the colonies loyal to the Crown. His most important pamphlets were signed A.W. Farmer" (DAB). Alexander Hamilton, at age seventeen, replied to Seabury’s Free Thoughts... with A Full Vindication of the Measures of the Congress.... This sparked a pamphlet war between the two, which produced three more publications by Seabury and another one by Hamilton. Through the present work and other pamphlets, Seabury sought to nullify the measures enacted by the Continental Congress. "Seabury was the pre-eminent exponent of Tory thought in America" – Howes. Sabin lists only the present issue as the first edition, but Adams notes three separate American issues and calls this the third. AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE 136c. AMERICAN CONTROVERSY 74-70a (note). EVANS 13602. HOWES S253. SABIN 78574. KRESS 7052. DAB XVI, pp.528-30. FORD 1 (note). $3000.184. [Seabury, Samuel]: A VIEW OF THE CONTROVERSY BETWEEN GREAT-BRITAIN AND HER COLONIES: INCLUDING A MODE OF DETERMINING THEIR PRESENT DISPUTES, FINALLY AND EFFECTUALLY; AND OF PREVENTING ALL FUTURE CONTENTIONS. New York: James Rivington, 1774. 37,[2]pp. Later three-quarter calf and boards, gilt-lettered spine. Old paper library label on front cover. Old institutional bookplate on front pastedown, private bookplate on front free endpaper. Light tanning. Very good. The third installment in the pamphlet war between Samuel Seabury and Alexander Hamilton. In 1774, Hamilton (while still a teenager) published A Full Vindication of the Measures of Congress..., prompting this vitriolic, Loyalist response by Seabury. The following year Hamilton responded in The Farmer Refuted: or, a More Impartial and Comprehensive View of the Dispute Between Great-Britain and the Colonies.... While some have argued the precocious Hamilton got the better hand in the argument, the only real loser was the printer, James Rivington, whose press was seized by Capt. Isaac Sears after publishing Hamilton’s rejoinder. An important counterpoint in one of the war’s most famous pamphlet debates. This copy includes the two pages of ads at the end not found in all copies. EVANS 13603. AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE 137a. HOWES S254, "aa." NAIP w008133. SABIN 78581. FORD 2. HEWLETT 18. $2750.Tarred, Feathered, 185. [Seabury, Samuel]: AN ALARM TO THE LEGISLATURE OF THE PROVINCE OF NEW-YORK, OCCASIONED BY THE PRESENT POLITICAL DISTURBANCES, IN NORTH AMERICA: ADDRESSED TO THE HONOURABLE REPRESENTATIVES IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY CONVENED. New York: Printed for James Rivington, 1775. 13,[2]pp. Modern half morocco. Contemporary ownership signature on verso of last leaf. Very good. An important installment in Samuel Seabury’s series of pamphlets attacking the policies of the Continental Congress and other Revolutionary bodies. Seabury, the leading Tory spokesman in the American colonies, here addresses the Legislature of New York: "Only shew your willingness towards an accommodation, by acknowledging the supreme legislative authority of Great-Britain, and I dare confidently pronounce the attainment of whatever you with propriety, can ask, and the legislature of Great-Britain with honour concede." Needless to say, Seabury was unpopular. His works were frequently tarred, feathered, and nailed to a whipping post. Scarce. EVANS 14453. SABIN 78559. AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE 194. NAIP w037163. HEWLETT 194. $3000.Very Rare First Edition 186. Seaver, James E.: A NARRATIVE OF THE LIFE OF MRS. MARY JEMISON, WHO WAS TAKEN BY THE INDIANS, IN THE YEAR 1755, AND HAS CONTINUED TO RESIDE AMONGST THEM TO THE PRESENT TIME.... Canandaigua: Printed for J.D. Bemis and Co., 1824. 189pp. 16mo. Later morocco. Outer hinges slightly rubbed. Tanned and quite heavily foxed. A good copy. In a half morocco box. The very rare first edition of "one of the most authentic and interesting of captivity narratives," according to Howes and Streeter. Jemison was captured by the Senecas in 1758 at the age of twelve, the rest of her family having been massacred. She was initially taken from near Fort Pitt to eastern Ohio, but after the French and Indian War the tribe moved north to western New York State. This volume includes long accounts of the Revolutionary War in upstate New York, as well as incidents of frontier fights throughout the War of 1812, and Mrs. Jemison’s life in the area around Buffalo from the Revolutionary period to 1823. Frederick Strecker, bibliographer of the Jemison narrative, notes that "considerable of the history of the settlers of western New York, has its source in the Jemison narrative." Jemison’s account was recorded by Dr. James Seaver when Jemison was seventy-seven, and Seaver transcribed and arranged for the publication of her memoirs. Jemison lived with the Senecas until her death at ninety, having married several times and having continued to live with the tribe even after the Revolution, when she was free to return to white society. HOWES S263. STREETER SALE 905. AYER 248. PILLING, PROOF-SHEETS 3541 (ref). HUBACH, pp.15-16. JONES 863. $3750.A Revolutionary War Narrative 187. Segar, Nathaniel: A BRIEF NARRATIVE OF THE CAPTIVITY AND SUFFERINGS OF LT. NATHAN’L SEGAR, WHO WAS TAKEN PRISONER BY THE INDIANS AND CARRIED TO CANADA DURING THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. Paris, Me.: The Oxford Bookstore, 1825. 36pp. Contemporary plain stiff wrappers. Ink stain on lower edge of front wrapper. Scattered foxing, titlepage restored and laid down on paper. A very good copy. In a half morocco and cloth box. Nathaniel Segar was a farmer and native of Newton, Massachusetts. All he wanted was to build a life in the wilderness of Maine. His plans were upset when the British marched on Lexington and Concord, prompting him to leave his fledgling farm and volunteer to join the militia assigned to guard Boston. All told, Segar volunteered for the militia three separate times, taking part in the Canadian campaign of 1775-76; the capture of two hundred Hessian soldiers in Vermont (with a mention of Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys); and the near fatal assault on Newport, Rhode Island, which was called off when it was learned the British were lying in ambush. After retiring from the Continental Army for good in 1779, Segar returned to Maine (then Sudbury, Canada), where he began to clear land and prepare a farm, becoming one of the first settlers of Bethel. At first the local Indians were friendly, but they grew increasingly hostile, eventually raiding the village and taking numerous prisoners, Segar included, on Aug. 3, 1781. After a forced march through the Canadian wilderness, the captives were turned over to the British in Montreal, where their captivity continued until November 1782. With peace imminent, they were returned to Boston by ship. Segar’s narrative of both the Revolutionary period and his captivity is rich in detail, with numerous accounts of Indian brutality and courage on the part of the captives. An extremely rare captivity narrative, with much excellent Revolutionary War material. Not in Ayer or Streeter. The only copy to appear on the market in recent times was the Herschel Jones-Frank Siebert copy in 1999. SABIN 78895. SIEBERT SALE 453. AMERICAN IMPRINTS 22235. HOWES S272, "c." $12,500.188. Sharp, Anthony [pseud]: THE LANCASTER ALMANACK, FOR THE YEAR OF OUR LORD, 1779.... Lancaster [Pa.]: Printed and Sold by Francis Bailey, [1778]. [30]pp. (lacking pp.[31-36]), including in-text woodcut illustrations. 12mo. Illustrated printed self-wrappers, stitched (one thread of two lacking). First leaf detached, with portion of upper inner corner (1½ x 1 inch) torn away. Marginal dampstaining on front leaf, significant dampstain on remaining leaves. Good. Revolutionary War issue of Francis Bailey’s Lancaster Almanack, with significant patriotic content. Francis Bailey, an official printer to both the U.S. Congress and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, operated a printing press in Lancaster, Pennsylvania from 1773 to 1780, during which time he produced numerous important federal documents, including the first official printing of the Articles of Confederation. In the same year that he published the present volume, Bailey printed a German-language almanac in which George Washington was first dubbed "the father of his country" ("Des Landes Vater"). The front cover of the 1779 Almanack features a large, elaborate woodcut scene combining themes of astronomy, America, and liberty. In addition to the calendar, the volume includes various recipes and maxims, patriotic verse, and an account of Ethan Allen’s reply to Gen. Howe’s proposal that he desert the American cause and join the British army. The illustration, "The Anatomy of Man’s Body, as governed by the Twelve Constellations," appears on page [5]. A scarce volume, with only four copies located between NAIP and OCLC. DRAKE 10073. EVANS 16054. HILDEBURN 3808. NAIP w032746. $1500.189. Sharp, Granvile: A DECLARATION OF THE PEOPLE’S NATURAL RIGHT TO A SHARE IN THE LEGISLATURE; WHICH IS THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE OF THE BRITISH CONSTITUTION OF STATE. New York. 1774. 16pp. Dbd. Bit tanned, small worm hole in lower forecorner, not affecting text. Very good. A later American edition, issued the same year as the first London and Philadelphia printings. A strong argument for popular representation. "A powerful influence in determining colonial resistance" – Howes. Adams locates only three copies. AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE 139h. EVANS 13611. HOWES S331. SABIN 79813. $1250.190. Shebbeare, John: AN ANSWER TO THE QUERIES CONTAINED IN A LETTER TO DR. SHEBBEARE...TOGETHER WITH ANIMADVERSIONS ON TWO SPEECHES IN DEFENCE OF THE PRINTERS OF A PAPER, SUBSCRIBED A SOUTH BRITON.... London. [1774]. 179pp. Contemporary mottled calf, gilt morocco label. Worn at corners and spine ends. Ex-lib. with ink stamp on titlepage and small paper label at foot of spine, early ownership signature on titlepage. Otherwise, very clean internally and a very good copy. A relatively scarce work by the prolific British political writer and physician, John Shebbeare. The chief interest for Americanists lies in Shebbeare’s discussion of the Quebec Act and his lengthy consideration of the question of the taxation of the American colonies. Normally a critic of the British monarchy, Shebbeare here defends the policies of George III toward the colonies. With regard to the Americans ("republican malcontents"), he scoffs at the notion that they are being taxed without representation, and asserts that they should fulfill their duties as British subjects. He also undertakes a long diatribe against King William III, though criticism of dead kings had earned Shebbeare jail time in the past. The publication date is commonly ascribed as 1775, but Adams notes that copies in the British Library and the Walpole Library in Farmington, Connecticut have notes indicating purchase in November 1774. AMERICAN CONTROVERSY 74-73a. SABIN 80040. $1000.First Published Edition 191. Simcoe, John Graves, Lieut. Col.: SIMCOE’S MILITARY JOURNAL. A HISTORY OF THE OPERATIONS OF A PARTISAN CORPS, CALLED THE QUEEN’S RANGERS...DURING THE WAR OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.... New York. 1844. xvii,[3],13-328pp. plus ten folding lithographed maps. Modern plain boards, expertly rebacked in uniform style. Light scattered foxing. Barely notable old library blindstamp on each map and titlepage. Else very good. A presentation copy, inscribed: "Revd. Leo E. Ellis / with the respects of the Publishers." The first published edition of one of the legendary Revolutionary War books. In 1775, Simcoe arrived in America as a young British Army officer. In the fall of 1777 he was promoted to the rank of major and given command of the Queen’s Rangers, an American Tory cavalry regiment. This book describes the actions in which the regiment was involved, first around Philadelphia in 1777 and 1778, until the withdrawal of Howe to New York; then around New York in Long Island, Westchester County, and New Jersey until the end of 1780. On Dec. 11, 1780 the regiment embarked for Virginia as part of Benedict Arnold’s campaign there, serving in all of the dramatic actions in Virginia throughout 1781, and finally ending up trapped at Yorktown with Cornwallis. Simcoe then returned to England where he wrote this book, privately printing it in an elaborate fashion, with ten folding maps illustrating different actions. That edition remains among the rarest examples of Revolutionary Americana (the last two copies sold brought more than $20,000). This scarce first published edition includes a memoir of Simcoe. He went on to a distinguished parliamentary and military career, and is best known as the first governor of Upper Canada. HOWES S461, "aa." SABIN 81135. CLARK I:311. $1250.192. Smith, William: A SERMON ON THE PRESENT SITUATION OF AMERICAN AFFAIRS. PREACHED IN CHRIST-CHURCH, JUNE 23, 1775. AT THE REQUEST OF THE OFFICERS OF THE THIRD BATTALION OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, AND DISTRICT OF SOUTHWARK. Philadelphia: James Humphreys, Jr., 1775. [4],iv,32pp. Modern cloth, spine gilt. Lettering on spine faded. Top margins of titlepage and second printed leaf trimmed, with no loss of text. Dampstaining and foxing throughout. A good copy. An important sermon, delivered shortly after the Battle of Bunker Hill. Its author, William Smith (1727-1803), was an Anglican clergyman, teacher, and first provost of the College, Academy, and Charitable School of Philadelphia. Although Smith opposed the Stamp Act and argued strongly for full rights and representation of the American colonies, he did not favor independence – a position that placed him, at the outset of the Revolution, in "an embarrassing predicament" (DAB). The present sermon, preached before Congress at Christ Church, Philadelphia, June 28, 1775, "...created a great sensation. It went through many editions and was translated into several foreign languages. It opposed British measures and awakened patriotism, but in its preface Smith professed himself as ‘ardently panting for a return of those Halcyon-days of harmony’ and as ‘animated with purest zeal for the mutual interests of Great-Britain and the Colonies’" (DAB). American Independence lists fifteen issues and editions of this text for 1775; of these, 196a and 196b (the present issue) are first, with Adams noting that no attempt has been made to determine priority between the two issues. NAIP w029211. EVANS 14459. BRISTOL B4116. HILDEBURN 3288. HOWES S697, "a." SABIN 84651. AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE 196b. DAB XVII, pp.353-57. $1000.193. Smith, William: AN ORATION IN MEMORY OF GENERAL MONTGOMERY, AND OF THE OFFICERS AND SOLDIERS, WHO FELL WITH HIM, DECEMBER 31, 1775. BEFORE QUEBEC: DRAWN UP (AND DELIVERED FEBRUARY 19th, 1776.) AT THE DESIRE OF THE HONORABLE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS. Belfast: Reprinted, by James Magee, 1776. 48pp. Half antique calf and marbled boards. Titlepage soiled and with old fading stamp, else just about very good. Belfast printing, after the Philadelphia edition of the same year, of this important oration from the spring of 1776, by William Smith, commemorating before Congress the attack on Quebec of the previous winter. Smith printed the oration when Congress refused to do so because of the suggestion of appeasement towards Great Britain. HOWES S695. SABIN 84640. $750.194. Smyth, J.F.D.: A TOUR IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF THE PRESENT SITUATION OF THAT COUNTRY.... London. 1784. Two volumes. [20],400; [8],455pp. plus errata. Half titles. Contemporary calf, expertly rebacked some time ago. Moderate edge rubbing. Overall very good, with the armorial bookplate of the Earl of Moira. Smyth studied at the University of Edinburgh before becoming a doctor in Williamsburg, Virginia. "Although a loyalist’s account of his adventures during the Revolution, this is the best description of America at the time of the Revolution" – Streeter. The author travelled through Virginia (he comments on the treatment of slaves there), then through the Carolinas to the new settlement in Kentucky, down the Ohio River to the Mississippi, and thence to New Orleans. From there he travelled along the coasts of East and West Florida, returning through Georgia and the Carolinas to Virginia before taking up farming in Maryland. He renders keen observations on manners and society in Virginia. A good deal of the second volume relates to Smyth’s Loyalist experiences during the American Revolution, and his imprisonment and escape, with his impressions of New Jersey and New York, and much Indian material. "The Tory scout and spy, who was the author of these volumes, narrowly escaped hanging by the Whigs on more than one occasion, but lived to record many interesting particulars of the first days of the Revolution..." – Field. See Sabin for a lengthy discussion. STREETER SALE 827. HOWES S730, "aa." SABIN 85254. CLARK II:62. SERVIES 612. FIELD 1447. $1250.195. [Society of the Cincinnati]: OBSERVATIONS ON A LATE PAMPHLET, ENTITULED, "CONSIDERATIONS UPON THE SOCIETY OR ORDER OF THE CINCINNATI," CLEARLY EVINCING THE INNOCENCE AND PROPRIETY OF THAT HONOURABLE AND RESPECTABLE INSTITUTION. Philadelphia. 1783. 28pp. plus [4]pp. of ads. Dbd. Somewhat tanned, titlepage a trifle soiled, else good. This copy is interesting in a book publishing sense. The ads are made up of titlepages of other publications by Robert Bell, the printer. This pamphlet defending the Society of the Cincinnati was probably written by Stephen Moylan, one of the founders of the Society. He calls a free press "the Pillar that supports the whole fabric of freedom"; but, he observes, "The fairest blossom is the reptile’s food," and a licentious press has gorged itself on a slander of the noble Society. That slander, Howes informs, was a pamphlet published anonymously by Aedanus Burke earlier in 1783, attacking the Society. The Plan for Establishing the Society or Order of the Cincinnati, created in the year of this publication, is reproduced here, and the author defends the Society with skill and wit. SABIN 56486. HOWES O9. EVANS 18073. HILDEBURN 4330. $900.196. Soulés, François: HISTOIRE DES TROUBLES DE L’AMÉRIQUE ANGLAISE, ECRITE SUR LES MÉMOIRES LES PLUS AUTHENTIQUES.... Paris. 1787. Four volumes bound in two. [8],379, [3]-6; [4],365; 420; [4],272,43pp. (with many misnumberings). Three folding maps. Half title in first three volumes. Contemporary tree calf, gilt-tooled spines, brown gilt morocco labels. Minor wear to extremities. Occasional browning and foxing, some maps with slight edge wear. Small paper repair in titlepage of first, third, and fourth volumes, not affecting text; similar repairs to verso of half title in second and third volumes. Bookplate on front pastedown and later ownership signature on front fly leaf of each. Overall a very good set, in an attractive contemporary binding. Second, enlarged, and best edition. "In its completed form the best French history of this war; Rochambeau aided in its preparation" – Howes. An excellent work covering the history of the colonies from 1768 through 1783 and the signing of the treaty at Paris. SABIN 87290. HOWES S770. GEPHART 1031. $1750.197. Steuben, Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin, Baron von: REGULATIONS FOR THE ORDER AND DISCIPLINE OF THE TROOPS OF THE UNITED STATES. PART I [all published]. Hartford: Printed by Hudson & Goodwin, [1782?]. 89,[6]pp. plus eight engraved folding plates. 12mo. Contemporary half sheep over marbled paper boards. Covers worn, top outer joint tender. Early 20th-century ownership inscription dated 1906. Ownership inscriptions dated 1804 on front and rear free endpapers (name on front free endpaper excised). Minor age-toning, occasional minor stains in text and on plates. A very good copy. The fifth edition of this important military manual written expressly for the use of American troops during the Revolutionary War, published three years after the first edition and one of two printed in Hartford circa 1782 by Hudson and Goodwin. The German-born Steuben, well trained in the highly disciplined military system developed under Frederick the Great, served as inspector general of the Continental Army. In this capacity he wrote his Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States on orders from the Continental Congress. First published in 1779, the work became the standard text for the Continental Army and the United States Army into the early 19th century. Fifty editions, abridgements, extracts, and adaptations were printed before 1800. Steuben’s contribution to American independence can not be underestimated. "He was unrivaled among the citizens of the new nation as an expert on military affairs. His introduction of European military concepts to the Continental army marks the beginning of a truly professional military tradition in the United States" – ANB. A very good copy in a contemporary binding of an early printing of the first military manual devised for the Continental Army, a foundation work for American military history and the Revolutionary War. EVANS 17774. SABIN 91398. NAIP w022972. TRUMBULL 1415. HOWES S951, "aa." ANB 20, pp.689-91 (Steuben). $3000.198. Steuben, Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin, Baron von: REGULATIONS FOR THE ORDER AND DISCIPLINE OF THE TROOPS OF THE UNITED STATES...TO WHICH ARE PREFIXED THE LAWS AND REGULATIONS FOR GOVERNING AND DISCIPLINING THE MILITIA OF THE UNITED STATES. AND THE LAWS FOR FORMING AND REGULATING THE MILITIA OF THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE. Portsmouth: Printed by J. Melcher, printer to the state of New Hampshire, 1794. xxxvi,153,[3]pp. plus eight engraved plates (seven folding). 12mo. Contemporary calf, leather label gilt. Spine and covers worn, bottom half of bottom outer joint cracked. Contemporary woodcut illustrated bookplate of "Wm. Blake, jr." on front pastedown. Contemporary ownership inscription on front free endpaper: "Wm. Blake Jr.’s Book 1804." Additional contemporary inscription in top margin of p.vi. Age-toning, dampstaining, and soiling of text and plates. Lower margin of fourth plate torn, not affecting image. A good copy. A later 18th-century edition of this important military manual, written expressly for the use of American troops during the Revolutionary War. The German-born Steuben, well trained in the highly disciplined military system developed under Frederick the Great, served as inspector general of the Continental Army. In this capacity, he wrote his Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States on orders from the Continental Congress. First published in 1779, the work became the standard text for the Continental Army and the United States Army into the early 19th century. Fifty editions, abridgements, extracts, and adaptations were printed before 1800. Steuben’s contribution to American independence can not be underestimated. "He was unrivaled among the citizens of the new nation as an expert on military affairs. His introduction of European military concepts to the Continental army marks the beginning of a truly professional military tradition in the United States" – ANB. This edition includes a prefatory section containing the United States Militia Act, passed in Congress in May 1792; the New Hampshire Militia Act, passed Dec. 27, 1792; and "An act for forming and regulating the militia within this State [of New Hampshire], and for repealing all the laws heretofore made for that purpose," passed Dec. 28, 1792. The first military manual devised for the Continental Army, still employed as the standard guide for militias in the early Federal period. EVANS 27972. NAIP w021714. SABIN 91437. ANB 20, pp.689-91. $1250.Key Revolutionary Work 199. Tarleton, Banastre, Lieut.-Col.: A HISTORY OF THE CAMPAIGNS OF 1780 AND 1781, IN THE SOUTHERN PROVINCES OF NORTH AMERICA. London. 1787. vii,[1],518pp. plus five folding maps and plans (partially handcolored), errata, and one leaf of ads. With five additional plates. Large quarto. Contemporary calf, rebacked in matching modern calf, gilt morocco label. Very light scattered foxing. Occasional offsetting from the maps. Overall, a very good copy. The present copy has been extra-illustrated by the inclusion of five plates, including portraits of generals Cornwallis, Lee, Knox, de Grasse, and Marion. A standard work concerning the southern campaigns of the American Revolution. Tarleton, the commander of a Tory cavalry unit, the British Legion, served in America from May 1776 through the siege of Yorktown. He was infamous for his brutal tactics and hard-riding attacks. His narrative is one of the principal British accounts of the Revolution, notable for his use of original documents, a number of which are included as notes following the relevant chapters. The handsome maps and plans include "The Marches of Lord Cornwallis in the Southern Provinces...," showing the Carolinas, Maryland, Virginia and Delaware (with routes traced by hand in color); and plans of the siege of Charlestown, the battles of Camden and Guildford, and the siege of Yorktown. HOWES T37, "b." CHURCH 1224. CLARK I:317. SABIN 94397. $8250.200. [Tod, Thomas]: CONSOLATORY THOUGHTS ON AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE; SHEWING THE GREAT ADVANTAGES THAT WILL ARISE FROM IT TO THE MANUFACTURES, THE AGRICULTURE, AND COMMERCIAL INTEREST OF BRITAIN AND IRELAND...By a Merchant. Edinburgh: Printed by James Donaldson, 1782. [4],68pp. Antique calf, raised bands. A near fine copy. A rare Revolutionary tract, written in part as a response to Thomas Somerville’s Candid Thoughts (1781). Tod points to the great economic advantages that might develop for England as a consequence of American independence. HOWES T281. AMERICAN CONTROVERSY 82-89. SABIN 96076. $1000.The French Proclamation 201. [Treaties of Paris – French Proclamation]: ORDONNANCE DU ROI, CONCERNANT LES TERMES DE LA CESSATION DES HOSTILITES EN MER. DU FEVRIER 4 1783...[caption title]. [Paris: de l’Imprimerie Royale, 1783]. 3pp. Quarto. Later marbled boards, leather label. Near fine. The proclamation by Louis XVI calling for a cessation of hostilities with Great Britain in the American War of Independence, according to the agreements of Jan. 20, 1783. This ordinance particularly addresses the end of naval hostilities between the two nations. Not in Wroth and Annan, Acts of French Royal Administration. OCLC lists only a printing in Lille, locating three copies. Rare. $1500. First Recognition of the United States 202. [Treaties of Paris – Great Britain and France]: ARTICLES PRÉLIMINAIRES DE PAIX ENTRE LE ROI ET LE ROI DE GRANDE-BRETAGNE. SIGNÉS À VERSAILLES LE 20 JANVIER 1783. Paris: L’Imprimerie Royale, 1783. [2],18pp. Dbd. Contemporary annotation on titlepage. First and last page lightly soiled, internally very clean and fresh. A near fine copy. In a slipcase. An extremely rare edition of the preliminary articles of peace between France and Great Britain at the end of the Revolutionary War, of particular importance for containing the first recognition of the United States as an independent government by Great Britain. On Jan. 20, 1783 terms for a general armistice between England, France, and Spain were determined, two months after terms with the United States had been reached. Ratifications for a general armistice were ratified two weeks later, on Feb. 3. This edition is likely the first separate publication of the terms of the British-French agreement, following the text’s appearance in a supplement to the Royal Gazette dated Feb. 4. The terms of agreement between England and France included the restoration of each country’s Caribbean possessions, the maintenance of England’s claims to Newfoundland, and mutual fishing rights off of the Canadian coast. Extremely rare, this edition is unrecorded in OCLC or RLIN, both of which list a later 1783 Paris edition of eleven pages, printed "d’apres l’original de l’Imprimerie Royale." One copy is located in Yale University’s Franklin Collection. Davenport transcribes the French text "taken from an original manuscript, signed by the negotiators, in the London Public Record Office," but doesn’t cite printed editions. DAVENPORT 169. $7500.Official French Printing 203. [Treaties of Paris – Great Britain and France]: TRAITE DE PAIX ENTRE LE ROI ET LE ROI DE LA GRANDE-BRETAGNE, CONCLU A VERSAILLES LE 3 SEPTEMBER 1783. Paris: de l’Imprimerie Royale, 1783. 35pp. Quarto. Later marbled boards, leather label. Fine, untrimmed. The official French printing of the final treaty of peace between France and England in the American War of Independence, concluded Sept. 3, 1783, the same day as the final peace between the other powers in the conflict. Because of the French naval setbacks in 1782, the treaty resulted in little territorial loss for England, and the powers returned each other’s Caribbean possessions. Furthermore, England’s claims to Newfoundland were maintained, and mutual fishing rights off the Canadian coast were agreed upon. The NUC and OCLC together locate nine copies of this scarce printing. DAVENPORT 171. SABIN 96557. OCLC 25450771, 21984761. $12,500.Variant Form of the 204. [Treaties of Paris – Great Britain and Spain]: TRAITE DEFINITIF ENTRE SA MAJESTE BRITANNIQUE ET SA MAJESTE CATHOLIQUE. SIGNE A VERSAILLES, LE 3 SEPTEMBRE, 1783...[caption title]. [Paris]. 1783. 8pp. Tall folio, designed to be folded, with docket title sideways on last leaf. Later marbled boards, leather label. Near fine. A French printing of the treaty between Spain and England adopted as part of the general peace of Sept. 3, 1783. Through this treaty Spain reacquired the Floridas and the Mediterranean island of Minorca, while Britain retained Gibraltar and acquired the Bahamas. This printing is unrecorded so far as we can discover. It seems to have been printed for the use of the French commissioners at the time of signing, and is in folio form with docket printed on the side, so that it could be folded and put in a file. It probably represents a printing during the later stages of the negotiation process. OCLC locates only microfiche copies made from an original in the Public Archives of Canada. Rare. DAVENPORT 174. OCLC 19494242. A different printing of this treaty is recorded as: SERVIES 598. SABIN 96558. PALAU 339315. $3000.205. [Treaties of Paris – United States and Great Britain]: THE LONDON CHRONICLE. FROM SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, TO TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1783. London. 1783. 8pp., printed in triple columns. Small folio newspaper. Light old folds. Near fine. A contemporary London newspaper printing of the terms of the Treaty of Paris between the United States and Great Britain, which had been signed just three weeks earlier, on September 3rd. It was through this treaty that Britain formally acknowledged the independence of the United States. The treaty goes on to delimit the boundary between British North America and the United States, from Canada in the north, across the Great Lakes, down the Mississippi River, and southeast to Florida. The people of the United States maintain important fishing rights in Newfoundland and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, and provisions are made to compensate Loyalists for property lost during the conflict. It is also agreed that citizens of both nations would enjoy navigation rights on the Mississippi. Also printed in the newspaper is the Continental Congress’ proclamation naming John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, Henry Laurens, and Thomas Jefferson as peace negotiators. Only the first three played a significant role. Other news in this edition of the London Chronicle includes a report of a major volcanic eruption on Iceland, other international news, local London news, and notices of books recently published. $750. 206. Tucker, Josiah: A LETTER TO EDMUND BURKE, ESQ....IN ANSWER TO HIS PRINTED SPEECH. Glocester: R. Raikes, 1775. 58,[2]pp. Modern half maroon calf and marbled boards, gilt red morocco label. Internally clean. Very good. Second edition, with corrections, after the first of the same year. Tucker was a British economist and long-standing opponent of colonialism who wrote several tracts arguing that the British should forego their effort to retain the American colonies. In the present tract, Tucker responds to criticism from Edmund Burke and labels the colonists as "restive and untractable from the Beginning." He adds that the Americans are generally unreliable, and points out the irony of colonial claims of jeopardized liberty, when the colonists themselves own "vast multitudes of slaves." AMERICAN CONTROVERSY 75-145b. SABIN 97353. HOWES T387. $1000.207. [Tucker, Josiah]: A SERIES OF ANSWERS TO CERTAIN POPULAR OBJECTIONS, AGAINST SEPARATING FROM THE REBELLIOUS COLONIES, AND DISCARDING THEM ENTIRELY: BEING THE CONCLUDING TRACT OF THE DEAN OF GLOCESTER, ON THE SUBJECT OF AMERICAN AFFAIRS. Glocester. 1776. 108,[11]pp. Modern half morocco and marbled boards. A few small tears in titlepage with no loss of text, neat repair in gutter, some pencil marginalia. Else very nice. The only edition of an important Revolutionary tract in which Tucker advocates granting the colonies independence. He argues that independence would save bloodshed, improve the British economy, and force the colonists to live with the expenses of governing themselves, as well as continue trading with Britain on terms favorable to Great Britain. Includes comments on the slave trade and an interesting revelation regarding Benjamin Franklin – the fact that Franklin had initially shown no hostility to the Stamp Act, and even tried to get "his man" appointed stamp agent. Continues Tucker’s Tracts.... HOWES T391. AMERICAN CONTROVERSY 76-156. SABIN 97360. $850.208. Tucker, Josiah: CUI BONO? OR, AN INQUIRY, WHAT BENEFITS CAN ARISE EITHER TO THE ENGLISH OR THE AMERICANS, THE FRENCH, SPANIARDS, OR DUTCH, FROM THE GREATEST VICTORIES, OR SUCCESSES, IN THE PRESENT WAR?.... Glocester. 1781. 141,[1]pp. Modern three-quarter morocco and cloth, spine gilt. Institutional bookplate on front pastedown, with withdrawal notice. A very good, clean copy. Tucker was a British economist and long-standing opponent of colonialism who wrote several tracts arguing that the British should forego their effort to retain the American colonies. Cui Bono... was "the most popular of his American tracts...arguing that the war was a mistake for all the nations concerned" (DAB). The volume takes the form of letters written to Monsieur Necker, former controller general of the finances of France. A two-page postscript includes news of Cornwallis’ recent defeat at Yorktown. AMERICAN CONTROVERSY 81-71a. HOWES T382. SABIN 97334. DNB XIX, pp.1209-11. $850. |
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