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Catalogue 261 Early & Exotic Imprints |
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Section IV: The Caribbean |
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Papers
on Book Collecting by William S. Reese
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Part II. The Caribbean & Latin America >> The Caribbean A Very Mysterious Caribbean Imprint 113. [Slave Receipt Broadside]: [PRINTED BILL OF SALE FOR A SLAVE, "UN NEGRO DE CASSA"]. [West Africa? Columbia? Tierra Firme? or possibly Jamaica. before June 20, 1737]. 13 x 18 inches. Elaborate woodcut device of the Assiento Company in upper right corner, signed (twice) and dated in manuscript. Horizontal and vertical creases crossing at center, small hole slightly affecting text. Overall very good. This intriguing printed form, a slave sale document completed in manuscript, was evidently printed somewhere on the Spanish shores of the Caribbean or possibly in Jamaica by an unknown British printer, for the use of the Assiento Company. It contains various elements which make its origin of great interest. First, it is printed on English paper, with the elaborate woodcut arms of the Company in the upper right corner. It is far too crudely executed to have been done in England, however, and must certainly have a colonial origin. Furthermore, the printed text is in Portuguese, suggesting it may have been intended for use in Brazil. However, the manuscript segment describes the sale of a house servant ("Un Negro de Cassa") for 250 pesos, and is dated at Panama on June 20, 1737, receipted by one Joseph Davison on behalf of the Company. In 1713, after the Treaty of Utrecht, the monopoly on the African slave trade to the Spanish colonies in the New World, or Asiento, was ceded to Great Britain, and was run during the next four decades by the South Sea Company and successor enterprises. Thus, British slavers and traders gained access, for the first time, to legal use of the ports of New Spain. With Portugal, of course, there was a long-standing tradition of friendship and trade with England. This printed form was produced to document slave sales made through the Asiento. The puzzle of this piece is where it was printed. Clearly it was done outside England. Was it printed on an unknown press in the trading forts on the Slave Coast in Africa, using Portuguese because it was anticipated it would be used in Brazil? Was it printed In Jamaica, the only place with an English printer in the Caribbean at this point, where the Baldwin family had established the first press in 1718, operated at this point by Mary Baldwin, widow of the first printer? Was it printed on some Spanish press in Venezuela, along the Tierra Firme coast, or in Panama itself? Whatever the answer, this is an important and interesting document of the Atlantic slave trade, recording the sale of a house servant by the British slaving monopoly within New Spain, just before the trade tensions between the two countries erupted in the War of Jenkins’ Ear. $2500. A Spectacular Early Jamaican Imprint 114. [Jamaica]: AN INQUIRY CONCERNING THE TRADE, COMMERCE, AND POLICY OF JAMAICA, RELATIVE TO THE SCARCITY OF MONEY, AND THE CAUSES AND BAD EFFECTS OF SUCH SCARCITY PECULIAR TO THAT ISLAND...TO WHICH IS ADDED A SCHEME FOR ESTABLISHING A PUBLIC BANK. St. Jago de la Vega, Jamaica: Printed by C. Brett and Co., 1757. [4],88pp. Contemporary ink manuscript note on p.2. Tall square octavo printed in fours (likely in half-sheets). Antique-style three-quarter calf and old marbled boards. Titlepage with closed tears, repaired on verso; printer’s advertisement leaf with a closed tear in the center, but with no loss. Titlepage and advertisement leaf a bit foxed, but otherwise fairly clean internally. A very good copy. A remarkably early, rare, and significant Jamaican imprint, known in only three other copies, and providing an informed analysis of economic and banking issues on that important Caribbean island. Any printing from the Caribbean area from this period that survives should be considered a black tulip – incredibly rare and desirable. This is the second earliest Caribbean imprint that we have ever encountered in the market, and the earliest from Jamaica. It contains an important analysis of the island’s economy, and a call for the development of a bank on Jamaica. This detailed economic work is divided into several sections, discussing the nature and properties of currency and the causes of its scarcity in Jamaica; the bad effects of such a scarcity and the sums of money needed to reinvigorate the local economy; an analysis of inland and foreign trade in Jamaica; and a proposal for a bank to be developed on the island. The draining of Jamaica’s currency by North American and European traders was a perpetual problem for the island’s economy. The author writes that a major cause of the scarcity of money "is the illicit trade frequently carried on by the French and Dutch colonies and traders, with whom money has been chiefly exchanged for their commodities, most of them only supplies to our luxury and debauch" (p.11). The proposal for an insular bank is a very early call for such an institution, and it was not until 1836 that the first Jamaican bank was established. The author devotes twenty pages to the discussion of the bank, and he considers the effects of lawsuits on the economy. There is also a discussion of the value of Blacks to the island’s economy, and the imports needed to sustain them. Printing in Jamaica dates to 1718 and the newspaper, The Weekly Jamaica Courant. The first forty years of printing on the island consisted largely of newspaper work, very few examples of which survive. Curtis Brett, who printed the present work, was born in Dublin in 1720 and apprenticed with printers in London before leaving for the West Indies in 1748. He worked at various clerical jobs before taking up as a printer in St. Jago de la Vega in 1756, assisted by Charles White, a former secretary in the island government. Very little of Brett’s printing survives, and this Inquiry Concerning the Trade, Commerce, and Policy of Jamaica is his only surviving book-length work, the rest being almanacs and issues of his newspaper, the St. Jago Intelligencer. Roderick Cave attributes authorship of the present work to Curtis Brett’s partner, Charles White, though this is the only place where we have seen that attribution. Brett himself gives no hint of the tract’s authorship in the "Printer’s Advertisement" (the date of which has been corrected from 1747 to 1757 in this copy in a contemporary hand) when he writes:
This 1757 first edition is not listed on OCLC or in Goldsmiths, Kress, Black, or the Beinecke Lesser Antilles Collection at Hamilton College. Cundall locates a copy in the West India Reference Library at the Institute of Jamaica, and we can locate only two other copies, at the British Library and the Bodleian Library at Oxford. NUC locates a copy at Columbia University, but Columbia’s online catalogue indicates that they have only a microfilm. Remarkably rare and very important. SABIN 35590. CUNDALL, PRESS AND PRINTERS OF JAMAICA PRIOR TO 1820, p.13. CUNDALL, HISTORY OF PRINTING IN JAMAICA FROM 1717 TO 1834, p.37. CAVE, PRINTING AND THE BOOK TRADE IN THE WEST INDIES, pp.212-17. KRESS 5785 (London, 1759 ed). HIGGS 1742 (citing a 1758 St. Jago de la Vega edition, of which we can find no other record, and likely an error). $57,500. 115. [Antigua]: [PRINTED LETTER OF APPOINTMENT, COMPLETED IN MANUSCRIPT, SIGNED BY REAR-ADMIRAL RICHARD TYRRLL, "COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF HIS MAJESTY’S SHIPS AND VESSELS, EMPLOYED, AND TO BE EMPLOYED, AT BARBADOES, AND THE LEEWARD ISLANDS, AND THE SEAS ADJACENT"]. [Noted in manuscript:] Saint Johns Road, Antigua. 1763. [1]p., docketed on verso. Folio. Minor staining. Good, with paper seal attached. The letter appoints Mr. Frederick Graves master of the H.M.S. Vanguard, "and for so doing this shall be your Warrant." Docketed on the verso by the Navy Office in 1764 confirming Graves’ pay as Master. Probably printed in Antigua, where a good deal of ephemera was printed for naval use. $600. A Notable Barbados Imprint 116. Singleton, John: A GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE WEST-INDIAN ISLANDS, AS FAR AS RELATES TO THE BRITISH, DUTCH, AND DANISH GOVERNMENTS, FROM THE BARBADOS TO SAINT CROIX, ATTEMPTED IN BLANK VERSE. Barbados: Printed by George Esmand and William Walker, 1767. [4],159pp. Quarto. Antique calf tolled in gilt and blind, rebacked, with old, elaborately gilt backstrip laid down, leather labels. Edges a bit worn. An occasional fox mark, but generally very clean and nice. Very good. This is certainly the first literary work of any size to be both written and printed in the West Indies. The first "book" gives a general description of life in the West Indies (including a barbecue); the second describes Montserrat, where the author spent much time, with a glimpse at the islands visible from its peak (Saba, St. Eustatia, Nevis, St. Kitt, Antigua, and Guadeloupe); the third describes the voyage to St. Croix and the islands visited, while the fourth describes Barbados. Also included are descriptions of traffic in slaves, culinary habits, pirates, and local customs. A most unusual production for the early West Indian press, printed in Bridgetown, Barbados in 1767. Barbados was the third Caribbean island to have a press, after Cuba and Jamaica, with printing beginning in 1730. The printer of this book, George Esmand, was the third printer there, beginning in 1762. This is quite a large and lavish production for early Caribbean printing and, although quite rare, it turns up more often than other 18th-century Caribbean imprints (which is still not very often). CUNDALL 2064. RAGATZ, p.234. SABIN 81426. SWAN, CARIBBEAN PRINTING, p.18. $7500. 117. [Antigua]: [BILL OF EXCHANGE FOR £100 STERLING IN FAVOR OF MR. JOHN ASHBY, ISSUED IN ANTIGUA AND ADDRESSED TO "THE RIGHT HONBLE. AND HON. AND HONBLE. THE PRINCIPAL OFFICERS OF HIS MAJESTY’S ORDNANCE" IN LONDON]. Antigua. Dec. 31, 1784. Printed document, completed in manuscript, endorsed on verso. Folio. Center fold. Good. Signed by two Antigua merchants, Bernard Butler and Thomas Scholar. "We the Subscribers, being Merchants, residing at the Island of Antigua, do Certify, that the Present governing Exchange, is at Eighty Two and a half per cent." Signed as "approved" by Capt. John Moutray, who had been appointed resident commissioner of the Navy at Antigua in February 1783. Moutray’s wife, who was much younger than her husband, became friends with Nelson and Collingwood, both young captains at Antigua. After the Battle of Trafalgar, Collingwood sent an account of Nelson’s death. $500. A Rare Grenada Printing 118. [Grenada]: [Treaties of Paris]: A PROCLAMATION. GEORGE THE THIRD...TO ALL OUR LOVING SUBJECTS OF OUR ISLAND OF GRENADA AND ITS DEPENDENCIES, AND TO ALL OTHERS WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL OR MAY CONCERN...[caption title]. [St. George’s, Grenada? 1784]. [3]pp. on a folio sheet folded once to quarto size. Quarto. The two leaves detached from each other. Quite worn and chipped around edges. Tanned. Good. In a half morocco and cloth box. An extremely rare Grenada imprint, this is the royal proclamation by King George III announcing that with the Treaty of Paris ending the war of the American Revolution, the islands of Grenada, the Grenadines, St. Vincent, Dominica, St. Kitts, Nevis, and Montserrat have now become the possessions of Great Britain. Aside from its recognition of the independence of the United States, the Treaty of Paris had far-reaching effects on the Americas, as the status of several islands in the Caribbean and the West Indies were affected as well. In this proclamation, likely printed at St. George’s, Grenada, the British monarch announces that Grenada, which was captured from the British by the French in 1779, has been returned to British control. Lieutenant General Edward Mathew is appointed captain-general and governor in chief of Grenada and the Grenadines, and a General Assembly of the freeholders and planters of the islands is called. British laws in force before the French seizure would be restored and judges would resume their positions. The proclamation further calls on any notaries who recorded legal contracts during the French occupation to report all such agreement to the island’s "Register’s Office" within fifteen days of the proclamation (which is dated Jan. 10, 1784). Though bearing no formal imprint, this proclamation states that it was "given at our town of St. George’s" in Grenada, and is signed in print by Gov. Mathew and Deputy Provost Marshal William Gilloch. It was almost certainly printed at St. George’s, Grenada, most likely by a printer named John Spahn. This supposition is based on a comparison of typefaces and ornaments used by Spahn on a similar document from the same period. Printing on Grenada began as early as 1765 and continued through the French occupation of 1779-83. No copies of this proclamation are located on OCLC, nor are any items with a 1780s Grenada imprint. Due to the humid climate in the area, 18th-century imprints from the West Indies are virtually unobtainable. A very rare and desirable item, carrying important news about the shifting balance of power in the West Indies in the wake of the American Revolution. $6000. Very Early Grenada Printing 119. [Grenada]: [Treaties of Paris]: EXTRACT FROM THE DEFINITIVE TREATY OF PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP...CONCLUDED AT PARIS THE 10th DAY OF FEBRUARY, 1763...EXTRACT FROM THE DEFINITIVE TREATY OF PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP...SIGNED AT VERSAILLES THE 3d DAY OF SEPTEMBER, 1783...A PROCLAMATION. GEORGE THE THIRD...TO ALL OUR LOVING SUBJECTS...[caption titles]. Grenada: Printed by John Spahn, [1784?]. [4]pp. on a folio sheet folded once to quarto size. Splitting along most of the fold, but the two leaves not detached. Stained along upper edge, lightly tanned. Good. In a half morocco box. A very rare Grenada imprint, printing extracts from the treaties which concluded the French and Indian War and the American Revolution, especially those portions pertaining to Grenada, and to Britain’s guarantee of freedom of religion in her colonies. This proclamation was printed in Grenada by John Spahn, and although undated was likely produced in 1784, following the news of Britain’s re-acquisition of Grenada after the Treaty of Paris concluding the American Revolution. Four articles are reprinted from the Treaty of 1763 ending the French and Indian War: Article 4, passing all of Canada over to the British, and ensuring freedom of religion to the former French subjects; Article 9, ceding Grenada, the Grenadines, St. Vincent, Dominica, and Tobago to the British and ensuring the same religious freedoms as those guaranteed to the former French subjects in Canada; and two articles pertaining to administrative matters. Four articles are also reprinted from the 1783 Treaty of Paris which ended the American Revolution: Article VII through which Britain ceded St. Lucia and Tobago to the French, and in which the French guaranteed religious freedom to the Protestant inhabitants of the islands; Article VIII, which gave Grenada, the Grenadines, St. Vincent’s, Dominica, St. Christopher’s, Nevis, and Montserrat, and under which the British guaranteed religious freedom; and two other articles addressing legal and administrative questions. The third item reprinted is a proclamation by George III, "given at Our Town of Fort Royal," in 1764 proclaims the sovereignty of British law on Grenada and the other recently acquired islands: "the laws of Great Britain are in force in this Island, as far as the Nature and Circumstances of the Colony will permit; and that all other Jurisdictions, Offices, Commissions and Proceedings for the future, not founded on those Our Laws of England, are hereby declared to be absolutely determined, utterly void, and totally abolished." The Proclamation authorizes the calling of a General Assembly for the islands, and gives the Governor General the power to institute laws and courts on the island until the legislature convenes. Printing on Grenada began as early as 1765 and continued through the French occupation of 1779-83. OCLC carries only one listing for John Spahn as a printer on Grenada – as publisher of the St. George’s Chronicle and Grenada Gazette in 1800. Although the present extracts are undated, it is most likely that they were printed shortly after the British regained control of Grenada in 1784. This document is not listed on OCLC, nor are any Grenada imprints from the 1780s. A rare collection of treaty extracts carrying important information about the political and religious state of affairs in Grenada and the West Indies. Due to the humid climate in the area, 18th-century imprints from the West Indies are virtually unobtainable. $6000. Antigua Imprint, 1786, 120. [Antigua]: THESE ARE TO CERTIFY THE HONOURABLE THE PRINCIPAL OFFICERS AND COMMISSIONERS OF HIS MAJESTY’S NAVY.... [Antigua. 1786]. Printed form, completed in manuscript. Mounted. Torn on one end, not affecting text. Good. This printed form was evidently made up by an Antiguan pilot, Domingo Figarella, to be completed by ship captains who had employed his services going in and out of the harbor at Antigua, so that Figarella could document his skills. The text certifies that he conducted the ship in and out "without the assistance of any other pilot." This particular form has the additional distinction of being completed by Capt. Cuthbert Collingwood (later Vice Admiral Lord Collingwood), Nelson’s great friend and comrade in arms, at a time when both he and Nelson were commanding ships on the West Indian station. Printing in Antigua began in 1748. As with all 18th-century Caribbean imprints, this is quite rare, if not unique. $850. 121. [Jamaica]: ACTS OF ASSEMBLY. PASSED IN THE ISLAND OF JAMAICA; FROM 1770, TO 1783, INCLUSIVE. [bound with:] AN ABRIDGMENT OF THE LAWS OF JAMAICA: COMPREHENDING THE SUBJECT-MATTER OF EACH ACT AND CLAUSE, PROPERLY DIGESTED. TO WHICH IS PREFIXED, BY WAY OF INDEX, A TABLE OF THE GENERAL TITLES AND MARGINAL NOTES. Kingston, Jamaica: Printed for James Jones, Esq. by Lewis and Eberall, 1786. v,31,[1],4-424; [4],40pp. Quarto. Modern polished calf, gilt leather label. Contemporary ownership inscription on titlepage of Acts...: "George Harrison Lincolns Inn 1791." Titlepage worn and soiled, repairs in top and bottom margin with no loss of text. Occasional minor foxing, last two leaves dampstained. Small hole in leaf F* with loss of a few letters. First four leaves and last four leaves of An Abridgment... dampstained, leaf aa repaired (no loss of text), final leaf supplied in facsimile. These exceptions noted, very clean internally. A very good copy. First editions of two rare 18th-century Jamaican legal imprints. The volume was previously owned by legal author Sir George Harrison, the son of Thomas Harrison, who served as attorney-general and advocate-general of Jamaica. The elder Harrison’s name is included in the list of subscribers for the Acts..., and father or son have made minor manuscript additions on a half dozen pages in the text. The volume records both public and private acts, organized chronologically for 1770 through 1783. The Abridgment..., published as a separate work with separate titlepage, clearly supplements the Acts... by listing the acts by subject and providing an index. There are numerous acts regarding slaves which provide much insight into that institution on the island, including legislation regarding runaways, "Free-Negroes," "Negro towns" and maroons, firearms, holidays, and even drumming. Other acts cover a wide range of laws and activities, including those related to land, roads, cattle, gaming, hawkers and pedlars, the militia, settlers, ships, and smuggling. All 18th-century Caribbean imprints are rare, most are extremely so, and these laws are no exception. Furthermore, the majority of Caribbean printing is often ephemeral and fairly slight, rather than a substantial volume such as this one. The first British colony south of Maryland to have a press, printing began in Jamaica in 1718. Except for several items printed in Havana by a press briefly established there, this was the first press in the Caribbean; however, only a handful of fugitive pieces survive from the 1770s. In that period the economic importance of Jamaica was supplemented by an influx of Loyalists who seems to have invigorated the cultural and publishing life of the colony, while the British government liberalized its colonial policy to avoid a repetition of the problems of the American Revolution. In this social and political climate, these retrospective laws of the local colonial government were printed. A very good copy of two rare 18th-century Jamaican imprints, with provenance related to the island and British legal history. SABIN 35617 (Acts... and Abridgment...). CUNDALL SUPPLEMENT 446, 447. GOLDSMITH 13208. ESTC T140415. OCLC 28209638, 30304147, 31220784. DNB IX, p.32. $5000. Early Caribbean Imprint 122. [St. Vincent]: [PRINTED BOND, COMPLETED IN MANUSCRIPT, RECORDING ROBERT WYNNE’S DEBT OF £170 TO WILLIAM GEMMOLL, JAMES BAILLIE, AND DUNCAN DAVIDSON, WITH JOHN WILSON SIGNING AS WITNESS]. [St. Vincent]. July 31, 1787. Bifolium, docketed in manuscript on verso of second leaf. Old fold marks. 5 x 6-cm. piece lacking from lower left corner of rear leaf, not affecting text. Good. This is a fairly early example of printing from St. Vincent. Robert Wynne was a resident there, and the three men whom he was bound to pay were British merchants. The outer sheet consists of a printed blank form for use as a warrant in the case of nonpayment of the debt. $900. A Remarkable Collection 123. [Jamaica]: ACTS OF ASSEMBLY, PASSED IN THE ISLAND OF JAMAICA, FROM THE YEAR 1681 TO THE YEAR 1769 INCLUSIVE. Kingston, Jamaica: Printed by Alexander Aikman, 1787. Two volumes bound in one. [2],31,262,[2],[2],15,82pp. [bound with:] AN ABRIDGEMENT OF THE LAWS OF JAMAICA, IN MANNER OF AN INDEX.... Kingston: Aikman, 1787. [4],29pp. [bound with:] APPENDIX: CONTAINING LAWS RESPECTING SLAVES. Kingston: Aikman, 1787. [4],32,5pp. Large folio. Old calf, rebacked. Internally near fine. [with:] ACTS OF ASSEMBLY, PASSED IN THE ISLAND OF JAMAICA; FROM 1770, TO 1783, INCLUSIVE. Kingston: Printed for James Johnes, Esq. by Lewis and Eberall, 1786. v,31,[3]-424pp. [bound with:] AN ABRIDGEMENT OF THE LAWS OF JAMAICA.... Kingston: Lewis and Eberall, 1786. [4],40pp. Quarto. Old calf, rebacked. Fine. [with:] ACTS OF ASSEMBLY, PASSED IN THE ISLAND OF JAMAICA, FROM THE YEAR 1784 TO THE YEAR 1788 INCLUSIVE. Kingston: Printed by Alexander Aikman, 1789. xvi,300,iv,[4],23pp. Quarto. Old calf, rebacked. Near fine. All together, an extraordinary collection of 18th-century Jamaican printing, combining six separate imprints (one of them consisting of two volumes) in three bound volumes, all printed between 1786 and 1789 by two different printers in Kingston, Jamaica. The texts retrospectively cover the Acts of the Assembly from its beginning in 1681, up to date with the last printing in 1788. Also included are two separate publications containing abridgements of the various acts, and a further separate publication combining all of the slave statutes in one place. As anyone who has sought them knows well, all 18th-century Caribbean imprints are rare, most extremely so, and these laws are no exception. Furthermore, most Caribbean printing is fairly slight, not substantial volumes such as these. Printing began in Jamaica in 1718. It was the first British colony south of Maryland to have a printing press, and except for several items printed in Havana by a press briefly established there, this was the first press in the Caribbean; however, only a handful of fugitive pieces survive from the 1770s. In that period the economic importance of Jamaica was supplemented by an influx of Loyalists, including printer Alexander Aikman, who seems to have invigorated the cultural and publishing life of the colony, while the British government liberalized its colonial policy to avoid a repetition of the problems of the American Revolution. In that climate, these retrospective and current laws of the local colonial government were printed. Of all early Caribbean printing, that of Jamaica is best documented through the early and thorough work of Frank Cundall. His bibliographies illustrate both the rich variety of material printed on Jamaica, and its rarity. Following are the NUC locations and citations of the laws offered herein:
In all, a remarkable assemblage of Caribbean printing. $9500. A Remarkable Collection 124. [Jamaica]: ACTS OF ASSEMBLY, PASSED IN THE ISLAND OF JAMAICA, FROM THE YEAR 1681 TO THE YEAR 1769 INCLUSIVE. [bound with:] APPENDIX: CONTAINING THE LAWS RESPECTING SLAVES. [bound with:] AN ABRIDGEMENT OF THE LAWS OF JAMAICA, IN MANNER OF AN INDEX.... Kingston, Jamaica: Printed by Alexander Aikman, 1787. Four volumes bound in one. [2],31,[1],262,[2]; [2],15,[1],82,5,[1]; [4],32; [4],29pp. Folio. Modern half calf and marbled boards. Unobtrusive old library stamp on titlepage. Internally clean. Very good. An extraordinary collection of 18th-century Jamaican printing, combining three separate imprints (the first in two volumes) in a single book, all printed by Alexander Aikman in 1787 in Kingston, Jamaica. The texts include the Acts of the Assembly from its beginning in 1681 to 1769 (revised to the date of publication), abridgements of the various acts, and a publication combining all of the slave statutes in one place. All 18th-century Caribbean imprints are rare, most are extremely so, and these laws are no exception. Furthermore, most Caribbean printing is fairly slight, not substantial volumes such as these. Printing began in Jamaica in 1718. It was the first British colony south of Maryland to have a printing press, and except for several items printed in Havana by a press briefly established there, this was the first press in the Caribbean; however, only a handful of fugitive pieces survive from the 1770s. In that period, the economic importance of Jamaica was supplemented by an influx of Loyalists, including printer Alexander Aikman, who seems to have invigorated the cultural and publishing life of the colony, while the British government liberalized its colonial policy to avoid a repetition of the problems of the American Revolution. In that climate these retrospective laws of the local colonial government were printed. Of all early Caribbean printing, that of Jamaica is best documented through the early and thorough work of Frank Cundall. His bibliographies illustrate both the rich variety of material printed on Jamaica and its rarity. Of the present items, only the Acts of Assembly... is located by Cundall and on OCLC (one copy, at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies). The others are not located by Cundall, nor are they in the NUC. In all, a remarkable assemblage of Caribbean printing. CUNDALL, p.52. OCLC 45638811. $6000. An 18th-century Caribbean-printed Almanac 125. [St. Christopher]: LOW’S POCKET COMPANION, AND COMPLETE ANNUAL LEEWARD ISLAND REGISTER, FOR MDCCXCIV; BEING THE SECOND AFTER BISSEXTILE, OR LEAP YEAR. WITH MANY ADDITIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS. Basseterre, St. Christopher’s: Edward Luther Low, [1793]. [16],17-60,[1]pp. plus seven leaves interleaved in first half of text. Contemporary wrappers. Ownership inscription on recto of front free endpaper, "Wm. Ridgeway bought this book in St. Kitt’s 2/4 1793," with another ownership inscription dated 1826. Additional ownership inscriptions of William Ridgeway on rear free endpaper and rear pastedown. Contemporary personal name inscriptions (James Smith Burlington; Robert Thomas Burlington; Wm. Ridgeway; Joseph Ridgeway Burlington; John A[?] of Burlington County, State of New Jersey) and notes (measurements for a boat, purchase of a horse by Granville Woolman) on verso of front free endpaper and on interleaved blank sheets. Small sketch on verso of last printed leaf. Ownership inscription on rear fly leaf: "Joseph A. Duzdale, Presented by Father Wm. Ridgeway, Burlington 1820." A few scattered ink inscriptions on text pages. A very good copy. In a half morocco box. An unrecorded significant surviving imprint from the early years of printing on St. Christopher. All 18th-century Caribbean imprints are rare, and those from St. Kitt’s remarkably so. Thomas writes that "printing was brought to this island as early as 1746, and may have been introduced two or three years sooner. There were two printing houses established before 1775." Much of the early printing on the island was devoted to publishing newspapers, laws, ephemera, and other job printing. Only a few substantial works were published before 1800. Other than a newspaper and a government act, OCLC lists only four 18th-century titles printed in Basseterre, three of these printed by Low in 1790. The present edition of Low’s almanac is unrecorded, although OCLC records a single copy of the almanac for 1791, at the Massachusetts Historical Society. Although printed in St. Christopher, the almanac was clearly intended for use throughout the Leeward Islands. In addition to standard calendar information for the year, the volume includes court days for 1794 for St. Christopher, Antigua, Nevis, and Tortola. Government officials and clergy for Antigua, Montserrat, the Virgin Islands, and Nevis as well as St. Kitt’s are also provided. The volume also includes a list of the kings and queens of England, currency tables, a gardener’s monthly calendar, a record of sugar exports from St. Christopher’s in 1793, and a curious and lengthy article on "political arithmetick" concerned with population numbers. Most surprisingly and importantly, there is a page devoted to "Jewish festivals, to be observed in the year 1794." This is extremely rare evidence of the Jewish community in this British sugar colony. Finely printed, with decorative typographic borders around the text of each page, the almanac is evidence of Cave’s assertion that "in general, the publication standards of the West Indian book almanacs of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries were very high, both in internal design and execution (those of St. Kitts being particularly well done)." This copy has numerous manuscript inscriptions on the blank leaves that were originally bound into the almanac, and on other front and rear blank pages. Many of these are ownership inscriptions related to residents of Burlington County, New Jersey. These include the purchase note of William Ridgeway, who bought the volume in St. Kitts in 1793, and Joseph A. Duzdale, who received the volume from Ridgeway in Burlington, New Jersey in 1820. The names of three men named Burlington are also found, as is a fourth man from Burlington County. Other inscriptions include measurements for a boat and a sale agreement for a horse. A substantial and significant unrecorded 18th-century Caribbean imprint, handsomely printed in St. Christopher. Thomas, History of Printing in America, pp.607-8. SWAN, CARIBBEAN PRINTING, p.30. Cave, Printing and the Book Trade in the West Indies, pp.21-22. $15,000. 126. [San Domingo]: EGALITE. LIBERTE. SAINT-DOMINGUE. LONG COURS. BUREAU DE L’OCTROI DE LA VILLE DU CAP. DU REGISTRE DES DECLARATIONS FAITES PAR LES CAPITAINES DES NAVIRES MARCHANDS ET PAR LES PATRONS DES BATIMENS CABOTEURS, A ETE EXTRAIT CE QUI SUIT: LE 22 VENEMIAIR LA’N 4E DE LA REPUBLIQUE FRANCAISE, UNE & INDIVISIBLE, EST COMPARU LE CITOYEN RICHARD LASS COMMANDANT LE BRIG ELECTA...[caption title]. [Cap Français, San Domingo. Oct. 1795]. Single folio sheet. Printed document, completed in manuscript, with further manuscript certification on verso by a San Domingo official. Substantial edge tearing and chipping, text unaffected. Good. A customs declaration document for the brig, Electa, recording cargo of 995 pounds of sugar. The brig was commanded by Richard Law and was bound for New York. A nice example of 18th-century Caribbean printing. $500. 127. [San Domingo]: [PRINTED RECEIPT, COMPLETED IN MANUSCRIPT, FOR SUGAR AND COFFEE SHIPPED ON BOARD THE ELECTA BOUND FOR NEW YORK]. [Cap Français, San Domingo]. Oct. 11, 1795. 18 x 13 cm. Small vignette depicting a ship. Very good. The coffee and sugar were to be delivered to Benjamin M. Mumford in New York. Signed by the ship’s master, Asael Pratt [?]. A charming example of 18th-century ephemeral Caribbean printing, all of which is now rare. $500. 128. [Santo Domingo]: LIBERTÉ...EGALITÉ. SAINT-DOMINGUE...LONG COURS. EXPORTATION DE DENRÉES COLONIALES [caption title]. [Cap Français?, Saint-Domingue. ca. 1801]. Broadside, 13 x 8¼ inches. In French. Blanks completed in contemporary ink manuscript; clerical stamp and signature, dated 1800. Early folds, minor chipping at edges. Light stain in upper margin, affecting one word of text. Good. A French customs declaration form for the merchant vessel, Nestor, headed from Saint-Domingue to Baltimore with a large shipment of coffee. The printed blank form is completed in contemporary manuscript and signed by the Paymaster General of Saint-Domingue the eighth day of Thermidor in the year of the French Republic. A rare and attractive commercial document printed and accomplished in the midst of the Haitian Revolution. $750. A Magnificent Broadside Decree 129. [Santo Domingo]: AU QUARTIER GÉNÉRAL DE SANTO-DOMINGO, LE 30 VENTOSE, AN 10 DE LA RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE. LE GÉNÉRAL, COMMANDANT LA PARTIE ESPAGNOLE DE SAINT-DOMINGUE. Santo Domingo: Chez A.J. Blocquerst et F. Cuq, imprimeurs du Gouvernement, [1802]. Broadside, 18¾ x 15½ inches. Edges frayed, one side torn with no loss, top and bottom edge lightly dampstained, old fold. Text block very clean. A very good copy. Expertly matted, and protected with a mylar sheet. A decree by French general commander Kerversau, issued on March 21, 1802 during the French invasion of Hispaniola that year. Following Toussaint’s victory in Saint Domingue and his attempts to unify the entire island, Napoleon launched an invasion to regain French control over both Saint-Domingue and Santo Domingo. This document, printed both in French and Spanish, consists of seven articles with directives addressed to commanders, and civil and military authorities, on various parts of the island. Printings from Santo Domingo in the early 1800s are particularly scarce, and the history of printing in Santo Domingo is sketchy at best. Surviving examples of these printed works are remarkably rare. This broadside is not on OCLC. The earliest Santo Domingo imprint on OCLC is a book from 1804, with one copy recorded; however, printing began on the island in the 1760s. The printer, Blocquerst, printed at least three other works in Santo Domingo between 1806 and 1809, for which OCLC records only a single copy of each. An extremely rare example of early Santo Domingo printing. $4500. 130. [Jamaica]: VOTES OF THE HONOURABLE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY OF JAMAICA, IN A SESSION BEGUN OCTOBER 20, AND ENDED DECEMBER 12, 1801. [with:] ...BEGUN OCTOBER 29, AND ENDED DECEMBER 11, 1811. [with:] ...BEGUN OCTOBER 27, AND ENDED DECEMBER 11, 1812. [with:] ...BEGUN OCTOBER 26, AND ENDED DECEMBER 4, 1813. Jamaica: Printed by Alexander Aikman [and Alexander Aikman, Jr.], 1802/1812-1814. Four volumes. Folio. Contemporary half calf and boards. Calf rubbed. Minor foxing. Else a very nice lot, untrimmed. A massive compilation of the ordinances, bills, proposals, memorials, and other items brought before the house for these years, each volume averaging circa 250 pages. The first such publications appeared in 1784-85. Evidently this format was terminated in 1866. CUNDALL 637. SABIN 35672 (note). $3000. Early Barbados Imprint 131. [Barbados]: BARBADOS. BY HIS EXCELLENCY THE RIGHT HONORABLE FRANCIS LORD SEAFORTH GOVERNOR COMMANDER IN CHIEF IN AND OVER THE ISLAND OF BARBADOS, CHANCELLOR, ORDINARY, AND VICE-ADMIRAL OF THE SAME, TO ALL WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL OR MAY CONCERN...[caption title in print and manuscript]. [Barbados. nd, but ca. 1805]. Broadside, 7¾ x 12¼ inches. Oblong quarto. Accomplished in contemporary manuscript, signed by Seaforth. Old folds, with moderate wear and slight loss of paper (barely touching a few printed and manuscript letters), edges chipped. A good copy. An exceedingly rare surviving example of an early 19th-century government form printed in Barbados, the present copy accomplished in manuscript by the governor of the island in 1805. Providing permission for ship captains sailing from Barbados, this copy was issued to William Fairchild "to sail from and depart this Island, with his Brig James bound for Dominica he having given Security, and cleared in the Secretary’s Office as the Law directs." The printed word "Captain" is crossed out, and the form was signed on May 11, 1805 by Francis Mackenzie, First Baron Seaforth, governor of Barbados from 1800 to 1806. Any Caribbean imprints from this era are very rare since small printings and an adverse climate have combined to destroy most of them. $650. 132. [Jamaica]: [PRINTED DOCUMENT, COMPLETED IN MANUSCRIPT, BEING A TRADING LICENSE ISSUED TO THE SPANISH BRIG GENERAL CASTAÑOS BY WILLIAM, DUKE OF MANCHESTER, GOVERNOR OF JAMAICA]. St. Jago de la Vega. Feb. 3, 1810. Large folded folio sheet. Several tears along folds, edge nicks. Light dust soiling in upper margin of first page. Overall condition is good. This document is a trading license issued by the governor of Jamaica to the Spanish brig, General Castaños, commanded by Antonio Herrera. The license is specifically for trade "from the port of Kingston to the Spanish Colonies of America and back to Kingston." It is specifically designed to show British warships who might try to take the vessel as a prize. Further restrictions are printed on the integral second leaf. The document is twice signed in manuscript: "Manchester." An interesting trade document printed in Jamaica. $600. The Cypress Tree Laments the Death 133. "Cupressus" [pseud]: MONODY OF THE GARDEN, ON THE DEATH OF DOCTOR ANDERSON. St. Vincent. [ca. 1811]. Broadside, 39 x 16 mm. Lateral separation neatly mended with no loss, washed. Very good. An unrecorded elegy of sixteen four-line stanzas on the life, character, and botanical labors of Alexander Anderson, almost certainly written and printed on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent – and as such, probably the earliest surviving example of Vincentian poetry. Anderson (1748?-1811), a Scottish surgeon, agronomist, and botanist, survived a stint in the British army during the American Revolution and subsequent imprisonment by the French on Martinique, and in 1785 came to St. Vincent as appointed head of the Botanical Gardens there – founded in 1765, and still surviving as the earliest in the Western Hemisphere. He remained in that office for twenty-six years, successfully cultivating new species (including the breadfruit trees brought by Captain Bligh from Tahiti in January 1793), exploring the island, and chronicling its history and that of the Gardens – valuable accounts only published from manuscript in 1983 (edited by R.A. and E.S. Howard, Harvard University Press and the Linnean Society of London): see D.J. Mabberley in ODNB. Our Monody..., presented as the lament of "Cupressus" (i.e. the cypress tree), represents the vegetables of the Garden themselves as devastated by the loss of their superintendent: "Each widow’d Plant, in sensitive Decay, / And seeming Sorrow, to the Earth reclines," while "Weeds, with wither’d Foliage strew the Ground / While choaks the Spice beneath the noxious Thorn." The elegaist is a close and affectionate acquaintance, who can recall Anderson walking among "those clustring Bread fruit," or "where yon Mango canopies so wide, / With Boughs, impervious to mid-day Heat," where "in letter’d Ease, he took his Noon-tide Seat." He closes his not-inelegant lament with a prose note: "This truly good Man, and excellent Chris-tian, was not only the kindest master but the moral and religious Preceptor of his Negroes." A contemporary annotator, perhaps the author himself, has added in manuscript a qualification to one fatalistic line ("No Embryon Hope revives the silent Urn!"), viz., "not to be understood of the soul," and the headnote: "Doctor Anderson superintended the Botannick Gardens St. Vincent for thirty years, & died in 1811—." Other corrective markings ("Shadowey" reduced to "Shadowy," and some space-breaks suggested) may indicate that this copy of the broadside is in fact a proof. The primitive typography of Monody of the Garden..., as well as its entirely local reference and relevance, point strongly to local production. Letterpress printing at St. Vincent began in 1788 with Joseph Berrow, who produced The Laws of the Island of Saint Vincent and Its Dependencies (unique copy at JCB), and annual editions of laws are said to have followed, between 1792 and 1799 (Bradford F. Swan, in Colin Clair’s The Spread of Printing...the Caribbean Area [1970], pp.30,34; Isaiah Thomas, surprisingly, overlooks St. Vincent entirely), though ESTC online notes only a "Militia Act" of 1799 (unique copy at PRO). But later presses are practically undocumented: Sabin 75511 is An Almanac Calculated for the Island of St. Vincent for 1834, and you would be hard pressed to find records of any other local printing before the 1860s. This survival, perhaps the earliest example of "literary" publication on St. Vincent, is entirely unrecorded in any likely bibliography or database known to us (e.g. COPAC, RLIN, OCLC, KVC, Sabin, or Don Mitchell’s vast online West Indian Bibliography). $3750. A Havana Imprint Attacking Napoleon 134. Figuera de Vargas, Francisco: LA UNION INDISOLUBLE. AVISO Á LOS INCAUTOS AMERICANOS CONTRA LA SEDUCCIONES DE NAPOLEON BONAPARTE, Y MAXÍMAS DE LOS NUEVOS FILOSOFOS. Havana: Don Esteban Joseph Boloña, 1811. [6],28pp. Quarto. Quarter modern polished calf over linen-covered boards, spine gilt. Minor instances of light foxing at edges of first and last printed leaves. Lower corner of rear fly leaf torn. A very good copy. An extremely rare early 19th-century Havana imprint defending the monarchy and Spanish sovereignty on the Peninsula and in the New World against Napoleon and the negative influences of other contemporary philosophies. Issued during the Peninsular War, Figuera de Vargas’ pamphlet was intended to promote the continued union of the Spanish realm in both hemispheres and to serve as a warning against the "seductive" elements of the French invasion and other pernicious influences. Due to a combination of climate and often poor paper quality, colonial-era Cuban imprints are rare. Not recorded on OCLC or RLIN, nor in Palau. $3500. Early Havana Imprint 135. Solchaga, Francisco de: APOLOGIA REGULAR. ESCRITA POR F.F.S. Havana: Imprenta de D. Antonio J. Valdes, 1812. [2],26pp. Small quarto. Modern marbled paper over paste-paper boards. Titlepage slightly soiled and foxed, with old tape repair over tear (affecting a few words on verso of titlepage). Author’s name written in a later hand in ink. Remainder of text clean, with a few instances of light foxing and soiling, a few minor paper repairs. A very good copy. An extremely rare early 19th-century Havana imprint defending the Roman Catholic Church and the Spanish state against Napoleon and the ill effects of the French invasion of Spain during the Peninsular War. Solchaga, a Spanish Capuchin priest, wrote several works between 1809 and 1820 concerning religion, politics, and the state. According to Palau, all were printed in Spain except for the Apologia Regular. Due to a combination of climate and often poor paper quality, colonial-era Cuban imprints are rare. No copies are recorded on OCLC or RLIN. PALAU 317217. $3000. Early Novel Printed in Jamaica 136. [Jamaica]: MONTGOMERY; OR, THE WEST-INDIAN ADVENTURER. A NOVEL, IN THREE VOLUMES. By a Gentleman Resident in the West-Indies. Jamaica: Printed at the Office of the Kingston Chronicle, 1812-1813. Three volumes. xiii,[1],368,[1]; vii,[1],461,[1]; viii,523pp. Half titles. Contemporary gilt calf, leather labels. Extremities bit rubbed, a couple joints and signatures starting slightly. Some light scattered foxing, tear in lower corner of one leaf in third volume with loss of several letters. Overall a very good set. In a half morocco and cloth clamshell box. "The first – and apparently also the last – three-volume novel to be printed in Jamaica was Montgomery...The author remains unknown – he was probably a Scotchman. The work is apparently autobiographic, and contains numerous commentaries on military affairs, and may be taken as historically correct. It is of interest as being from the pen of one who wrote sympathetically both of the manners and morals of the inhabitants of Jamaica, with the example of St. Domingo before his eyes, and of the question of the gradual abolition of slavery; and, often in the form of a post-prandial conversation, gives views on the condition of life in Jamaica generally and forms on the whole a true account of life on the sugar estates and pens at that period, and of the maroon war. The hero’s father, a lieutenant, exchanges from an English into an Irish regiment ordered to Jamaica, so as to get to a warm climate for the sake of his young wife, who was threatened with a decline. The time was about 1769. About two hundred privates and seven officers died in the first twelve months of yellow fever and dysentery, aided by intemperate living. Here he stayed five years, when, after furlough at home, he went with a detachment to repel the rebellion in the American colonies, where he remained till the Peace of Versailles, when he returned on half pay and settled in Scotland. In course of time his son goes out to a plantation in Jamaica in 1793 consigned to a typical planting attorney in Kingston. The convoy out went by way of Barbados, Grenada, St. Vincent and Curacao. The work is interesting to etymologists as containing the missing link between overseer and busha-obusheer" – Cundall. This work, here in the only edition, is very rare, with only three other copies located. CUNDALL, pp.57-58. RAGATZ, p.366. BLOCK, p.171. $6000. 137. [Barbados]: LIST OF MADEIRA WINE (WHICH IS GENERALLY IN CASES OF FOUR DOZEN EACH) AND OTHER WINES AND LIQUORS, THE PROPERTY OF THE LATE MR. CATHCART, TO BE SOLD AT THE MEDICAL PAVILION, ON WEDNESDAY THE 2d JANUARY 1822, AT ELEVEN O’CLOCK A.M. [caption title]. [Bridge-town, Barbados. 1822]. Broadside, 11½ x 8 inches. Contemporary manuscript annotations indicating prices realized in dollars. Additional contemporary manuscript annotations on recto and verso. Top corners severely trimmed, no loss of text. Old folds, old tape repair on verso. Moderate soiling. A good copy. An exceedingly rare, possibly unique Barbados broadside listing wines for sale on Jan. 2, 1822, following the death of the owner, Mr. Cathcart. Madeira is listed in four columns indicating case number, quantity, vintage from 1802 to 1818, and year bottled from 1807 to 1821. Following are listings for Malmsey, old port, claret, champagne, old shrub, old rum, and Noyau. The manuscript annotations indicate the prices for each entry in dollars. The entry for "46 years old" rum is starred, and the accompanying note reads: "46 years old at the time of Sir James Lush’s death, & he died in October 1816." Any Caribbean imprints from this era are rare since small printings and an adverse climate have combined to destroy most of them. Interestingly, imprints from the 19th century tend to be even rarer than those from the 18th century, due to the general economic decline of the colonies. Not recorded in Handler, nor on OCLC or RLIN. $1000. 138. Reid, Dennis: AN ADDRESS TO THE RIGHT HON. GEO. CANNING, ON THE PRESENT STATE OF THIS ISLAND, AND OTHER MATTERS. Jamaica: Printed by Alex. Aikman, Jun., 1823. 15pp. Half title. Dbd. A near fine, crisp copy. A rare Jamaican pamphlet in reaction to resolutions of Parliament adopting the principle of emancipation. Reid opposes interference in local matters by the home government, and asserts the state of black slaves was misrepresented by zealous reformers who knew nothing of colonial conditions. A vehement opinion from the colonial perspective with respect to regulating slavery in Jamaica. RAGATZ, p.544. CUNDALL, p.49. $1000. 139. [Jamaica]: THE JAMAICA ALMANACK FOR THE YEAR 1824, BEING BISSEXTILE OR LEAP-YEAR. CALCULATED TO THE MERIDIAN OF PORT-ROYAL. Kingston: Printed by Alex. Aikman, Junior, [1823]. 127,[2]pp. plus seven blank leaves interleaved at the beginning. 12mo. Dbd., signatures loose. Chips in upper and lower edges of titlepage. Some soiling and creasing to the leaves throughout. Old stain in upper outer corner of first sixty pages of first title. In about good condition. A rare Jamaica almanac for 1824. Along with the expected information, the almanac contains a calendar of Jewish holidays, a list of civil officers on the island all the way down to the precinct level; the names of army, navy, and militia officers; a list of Masonic lodges; and a brief sketch of Honduras. The historical sketch of Jamaica is apparently gleaned from James Finlayson’s recently published work on the island. This almanac was printed by Alexander Aikman, Jr., official printer to the Jamaican government, and the son of a printer who ran one of the early presses on Jamaica. According to Cundall, Alexander Aikman, Jr. began publishing Jamaica almanacs in 1812. OCLC locates no copies of this almanac for 1824. Any surviving ephemeral material (such as almanacs) from Jamaica in this period is rare. CUNDALL, p.89 (ref). $650. 140. [Jamaica]: RETURN OF THE PROPRIETORS, PROPERTIES, &c. GIVEN IN TO THE VESTRIES, FOR THE MARCH QUARTER, 1823. [Kingston: Printed by Alex. Aikman, Junior, 1823?]. 24pp. 12mo. Dbd., signatures loose. Some soiling throughout. In good condition. A rare Jamaican imprint, giving the names of the proprietors on the island, the name of their properties, and the number of slaves and livestock that they owned. The list is very detailed, and is divided by parishes. Though without an imprint, we believe that it was printed by Alexander Aikman, Jr., official printer to the Jamaican government, and the son of a printer who ran one of the early presses on Jamaica. According to Cundall, Alexander Aikman, Jr. began publishing Jamaica almanacs in 1812. OCLC locates no copies of this Return... for the March Quarter of 1823. Any surviving ephemeral material from Jamaica in this period is rare. CUNDALL, p.89 (ref). $850. A Remarkable Jamaican Imprint 141. Watt, Alexander: A NEW THEORY OF OPTICS, AS REGARDS REFRACTION OF DENSE MEDIA, AND VISION. [Kingston], Jamaica: Printed at the office of the Kingston Chronicle, 1825. xi,[1],73pp., plus 2pp. of ads, two folding plates, and a loosely laid-in errata slip. Contemporary three-quarter red morocco and marbled boards. Boards edgeworn, joints worn. Two small tears in titlepage, but with no loss of text. Some scattered foxing. Good plus. In a half morocco box. An early Jamaican imprint, and a notable work of optical theory. Watt, who was an apothecary in Jamaica, was dissatisfied with current theories of optics regarding vision and refraction, and set upon conducting his own experiments to test his ideas. He argues that the convexities of the cornea and crystalline humor (which he says work along the same principles as the camera obscura) are essential agents in the production of vision. The text reviews the old theories, and then Watt goes about describing his new theory. Watt also published a substantial work on physical astronomy in Jamaica in 1825. He dedicated this book to the Duke of Manchester, colonial governor of Jamaica, and the duke (who received four copies) is first in the list of subscribers. Jamaican imprints from this period are quite scarce. OCLC locates only three copies, at Trinity College in Hartford, Cambridge University, and Glasgow University. A copy is also located at the British Library. A significant and interesting work, and a rare Jamaican imprint. OCLC 49850753. $8000. 142. [Cuba]: ARANCELES GENERALES PARA EL COBRO DE DERECHOS DE INTRODUCCION Y ESTRACCION EN TODAS LAS ADUANAS DE LOS PUERTOS HABILITADOS DE LA SIEMPRE FILE ISLA DE CUBA, PARA EL ANO DE 1834. Havana: Imprenta del Gobierno y Capitania General, y de la Real Hacienda por S.M., [1834]. [6],64,[8]pp. Folio. Contemporary Cuban binding of marbled calf, gilt spine and gilt tooled borders on covers. Slight edge wear. A very good, crisp copy. This early Havana imprint provides a detailed account of all the goods imported by Cuba at the time of publication, with the relevant tax information. In a handsome period Cuban binding. $2000. 143. [Cuba]: Wright, Benjamin H.: INFORME SOBRE EL CAMINO DE HIERRO DE PUERTO-PRINCIPE A NUEVITAS. Puerto Principe [Cuba]: Imprenta de Gobierno, 1837. 12pp. Dbd. All leaves loose. Scattered foxing, old institutional stamp at head of titlepage. Very good. An interesting early Cuban railroad report by Benjamin H. Wright, son of Benjamin Wright, chief architect of the Erie Canal and noted early railroad consultant. The present report includes details regarding the economic feasibility of a route between Puerto Principe and Nuevitas, a description of the planned route, and a brief cost outline. The younger Wright, also a civil engineer, often carried out projects originally surveyed or investigated by his father. A rare item, notable for both its early Cuban imprint and railroad content. Thomson locates three copies. DAB XX, p.544. THOMSON 1779. $850. 144. Vivó, Buenaventura: FÓRMULAS PARA OBTENER LA LONGITUD, Y TABLAS LUNARES PARA CORREGIR LOS EFECTOS DE PARALAGE Y REFRACCION EN LAS DISTANCIAS DE SOL, Ó ESTRELLA, A LUNA. Havana: Imprenta de R. Oliva, 1839. 49,[1]pp. including printed tables and a single woodcut diagram on final printed page. Later 19th-century wrappers, with original rear blue wrapper bound in. Wrappers moderately browned and soiled, front wrapper with author, title, and place and year of publication inscribed in a later 19th-century hand. Original rear blue wrapper detached from text block and attached to rear pastedown. Titlepage soiled, ownership inscription in pencil. Ink inscription (ownership initials?) on p.[5]. A good copy. An extremely rare mid-19th-century Cuban maritime manual consisting of various formulas for calculating longitude, with accompanying lunar tables employed in the process of determining location at sea. In the prologue the author writes that his intention is to ease the work of navigators by presenting in one "little work" the various methods needed for calculating the true distance between the sun and the moon from which true longitude could be obtained. Vivó, identified simply as "el piloto particular" on the titlepage, later served as Mexican Consul in Havana and in Spain. His Tratado consular was published in Mexico in 1850, and his Memorias, recounting his service in Spain between 1853 and 1855, was published in Madrid in 1856. An extremely rare maritime manual printed in Havana. Cited only in Palau; not on OCLC or RLIN, nor in Crone. PALAU 372218. $2250. Rare Jamaican Printing of Laws 145. [Jamaica]: THE LAWS OF JAMAICA. PASSED IN THE FOURTH YEAR OF THE REIGN OF QUEEN VICTORIA. Jamaica: Printed by Abraham Judah, 1841. [6],239,[3],171pp. Quarto. Later half calf and marbled boards, gilt morocco label. Edges and corners worn. Contemporary ownership signature on titlepage. A few pages with faint print. Very good, unopened. A very rare Jamaican printing of laws for the island, done seven years after the abolition of slavery there. It is generally more difficult to obtain printing from this era of Jamaican history than from the preceding one hundred years. The most extensive and detailed laws address the island militia and the prison system. Other acts deal with the island government, commerce, banking, etc. The second section appears to reprint those laws which need to be reviewed and renewed annually. No copies on OCLC, nor in Cundall. A very rare item from an unstable time in Jamaican history. $1500. 146. [Metcalfe, Charles Theophilus]: THE FAREWELL ADDRESS OF THE INHABITANTS OF JAMAICA, TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE SIR CHARLES THEOPHILUS METCALFE, BARONET, &c. &c. GOVERNOR OF THE ISLAND. Kingston: Jordon & Osborn, 1842. vii,[1],106pp. Contemporary half roan and paper covered boards, paper label on cover. Notations in ink on p.104. Very good. Metcalfe was born in 1785 and received his first post in the Bengal government in 1800. He spent the next thirty-eight years in various administrative posts in India, returned to England briefly in 1838 and then spent three years as governor of Jamaica to ease the problems of emancipation. In 1843 he was appointed governor-general of Canada, where he served for almost three years, trying to defuse "the inflamed state of party spirit" in the country. After the general elections of November 1844, he had partially accomplished his goal and was awarded a peerage for his long service to the Crown. The DNB describes him as "an able and sagacious administrator, of unimpeachable integrity and untiring industry." Ill health forced his retirement, and he returned to England in December 1845 and died the following year. $675. 147. Carrera, Manuel J. de: INFORME PRESENTADO A LA JUNTA DIRECTIVA DEL FERRO-CARRIL DE NUEVITAS A PUERTO-PRINCIPE. Puerto Principe [Cuba]. 1843. 22pp. Dbd. All leaves loose, old institutional stamp at head of titlepage. Internally clean. Very good. An interesting report on the developing progress of the Nuevitas to the Puerto-Principe railway. Carrera includes an examination of turn radiuses, along with budgets for a sample 13.5 miles and the completion of the first section of the railroad. Notable for both its early Cuban imprint and railroad material. Extremely rare. OCLC locates only the New York Public Library microfilm copy. This is the former New York Public real copy, discarded by them when they decided that microfilm was better because the original was going to deteriorate. Despite their gloomy prognosis, it is on very good paper and has a good chance of outlasting the microfilm. OCLC 44638943. $800. A Remarkable Collection of Antigua Laws, 148. [Antigua]: [COLLECTION OF 149 ANTIGUA ACTS AND LAWS]. [Antigua]. 1845-1858. Bound volume: 5pp. manuscript index and remarks; 104 official documents in letterpress and one 12pp. Act in manuscript. Unbound papers: Forty-four official documents in letterpress, mostly broadsheets. Bound volume: Quarto. Three-quarter roan and marbled boards, manuscript paper label reading "Laws of Antigua / Volume 5..." and dated March 2, 1858. Spine and boards worn, binding loose, front board detached. Some wear and light chipping to manuscript leaves, otherwise internally very good. Deaccessioned from the Admiralty Library, with their stamps. Unbound laws: Mostly broadsheets. Some wear and small tears at edges, some items with traces of mount, but generally in good to very good condition. Deaccessioned from the Admiralty Library, with their stamps. A highly important collection of colonial imprints from the island of Antigua. West Indian imprints are almost always very rare, since the climate of the Caribbean and local usage tended to destroy any copies which remained in the area. Copies have usually survived because they were taken to Europe, as is the case with this collection. This is probably one of the largest collections of mid-19th-century Caribbean imprints to survive. The collection offers a fascinating insight into the regulated life of a West Indian island in the mid-19th century. Its documents portray, through a series of legal acts and illustrative tables and lists, a colonial Antigua struggling to redefine itself in the new era of Victorian civic reform and the aftermath of slavery. New forms of labor are sought, new public institutions planned and established, new methods for dealing with health, poverty, property, and crime are developed. In the present group, three acts relate to the importation and status of manual laborers from points abroad, effecting a new system of indentured servitude in place of slavery. Here, the colony sets and revises terms for contracts of service and offers bounty to importers of laborers from the Azores, Canary Islands, Madeira, and Cape Verde. Three other acts work to allay the severity of punishments for criminals, abolishing the pillory and encouraging a reduction in death sentences. Throughout the papers, new occasions for law enforcement are also considered (including urban riots and a proliferation of "rogues," "vagabonds," and witch-doctors), and larger police forces and new police regulations are established. Addressing dozens of patrol issues, from kite flying to prostitution, the police regulations provide one of this collection’s many valuable lists of typical island concerns during the 1840s and ’50s. Facts of daily life are further itemized in the by-laws of the new public library, regulations for the new Holberton Hospital, and schedules of duties for various imported goods. Acts further cover issues of tenancy, streets and highways, government offices and salaries, arms and liquor licenses, currency, schools, jails, courts, the treasury, "peddlers and hucksters," relief for the poor, white settlement and naturalization, sugar manufacture, general public expenses, parishes and vestries, smallpox prevention, general health, book imports and copyright, fisheries, shipping, fire-fighting, and registration of births and deaths. $12,500. 149. [Haiti]: LIBERTE, EGALITE. EMPIRE D’HAITI. CONSTITUTION DE L’EMPIRE. REVISION DE LA CONSTITUTION DE 1846 [caption title]. [Port-au-Prince. 1849]. 29pp. Gathered signatures, stitched. Edges bit chipped, tanned, some scattered foxing. Good. A scarce printing of the revised Haitian constitution, signed in print by Emperor Faustin. The NUC locates only two copies, at Union College and the Department of State. $650. 150. [Cuba]: REGULATIONS OF THE CUSTOMHOUSES IN THE ISLAND OF CUBA, FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE CAPTAINS AND SUPERCARGOS OF SPANISH AND FOREIGN VESSELS ENGAGED IN THIS TRADE [caption title]. [Havana. ca. 1851]. [3]pp. printed on one leaf in triple-column format in parallel Spanish, English, and French. Folio. Bit tanned, old folds. Good. In a half morocco and cloth clamshell box. An interesting record of sixteen regulations, signed in print by Ignacio de Arrieta. On the blank verso of page [3] is a manuscript note which appears to establish this copy as that belonging to the "Barque Prenttis Havana August 5, 1851," followed by the note: "Havana August 28, 1851 Hank Rogers." $650. Waiting for Naipaul 151. [Trinidad]: [NINE PAMPHLETS RELATING TO TRINIDAD AND ITS INDUSTRY]. [Various places, including Port of Spain]. 1853-1887. Pagination described below. Contemporary three-quarter green morocco and marbled boards, green gilt morocco label, neatly rebacked. Minor wear to extremities. Gilt on label faded. Internally clean. Bookplate on front pastedown. Very good. A sammelband of nine pamphlets relating to the economy of Trinidad, described in detail below:
All Trinidad imprints of this period are quite rare. The wide-scale use of machined paper in this period only accelerated the affects of the humid climate, making survivals from later in the 19th century even rarer than those from the beginning. Overall, a diverse view of economic conditions in Trinidad. $1750. 152. [Guadeloupe]: Forcade, Thédore-Augustin: LETTRE PASTORALE DE MONSEIGNEUR L’ÉVÊQUE DE LA BASSE-TERRE, ANNONÇANT L’INAUGURATION DE SON NOUVEAU SÉMINAIRE-COLLÉGE. Basse-Terre: Imprimerie du Gouvernement, 1856. 7pp. on folded folio sheet. Quarto. Light horizontal fold, small closed split along spine. Engraved religious insignia on titlepage, old circular ink stamp on final, blank page. Very good, unopened. A rare report from Thédore-Augustin Forcade, bishop of Basse-Terre, on the inauguration of a new Catholic seminary on the island. Catholic priests from France began arriving on Guadeloupe in 1837, charged with educating the local inhabitants. The history of the school is recounted, its mission described, and its prospects outlined. Basse-Terre is one of the islands that make up Guadeloupe, in the French West Indies. No copies located on OCLC. A rare West Indies imprint. $600. 153. [Cuba]: Sabourin, Claudio C.: INFORME SOBRE EL PROYECTADO FERRO-CARRIL DE LA VILLA DE GUANABACOA AL PUEBLO DE COJIMAR. Havana: Imprenta del Tiempo, 1859. 22pp. plus folding table. Woodcut title vignette. Dbd. Slight dampstaining along top edge and foredge throughout, first ten pages detached, old institutional stamp on first three leaves. Good. An interesting early Cuban pamphlet on railroads, providing construction information regarding a proposed Guanabacoa-Cojimar railroad. The majority of the text is a letter from civil engineer Claudio C. Sabourin on the feasibility of the railway’s construction. Sabourin discusses issues such as turn radiuses, the impact on quarries in the mountains separating the towns, and the expense of sufficiently leveling the terrain. An interesting item, notable for both its early Havana imprint and railroad material. Extremely rare, OCLC locates only a microfilm copy at The New York Public Library. This is the former New York Public real copy, discarded by them when they decided that microfilm was better because the original was going to deteriorate. Despite their gloomy prognosis, this is on very good paper and has a good chance of outlasting the microfilm. OCLC 44570592. PALAU 283867. $500. 154. [Cuba]: REAL DECRETO, INSTRUCCION, PLIEGO DE CONDICIONES GENERALES, Y MODELO DE TARIFA PARA LA CONSTRUCCION Y EXPLOTACION DE FERRO-CARRILES EN LA ISLA DE CUBA. Havana. 1859. 46pp. Dbd. All leaves loose. Old institutional stamps, one perforated, on title-leaf. Internally clean. Very good. A government document discussing the official method of levying taxes for the purposes of constructing the national railroad in Cuba. Notable for both being an early Cuban imprint and for its railroad material. Quite rare, not on OCLC. $600. A Black Riot Pamphlet Printed in Jamaica 155. [Jamaica]: A CHRONICLE OF THE REBELLION IN JAMAICA IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 1865 [caption title]. [Jamaica. 1865]. 24pp. Original printed wrappers. Minor wear to extremities. Very good. In a half morocco box. An account of the famous uprising of Blacks at Morant Bay, told in mock-biblical style. In the wake of emancipation, the Jamaican economy struggled without its traditional labor foundation. With plantations going bankrupt seemingly everywhere, the recently freed Blacks became the focal point of the island’s frustration. Courts often discriminated against them, while land restriction measures based on race were passed. Not willing to suffer such oppression, an armed revolt broke out among the Blacks of Morant Bay. The government moved swiftly to suppress it. Over five hundred eighty men and women were killed; six hundred were flogged; one thousand houses were destroyed; and the leader, a Creole by the name of George William Gordon, was executed at the Governor’s command. Consequently, Great Britain revoked the colony’s semi-independent status and Jamaica was made a Crown colony. "It was caused by poverty and injustice, by a lack of confidence in the central authority, and by deep resentments and suspicions to religions" – Parry & Sherlock. A rare Jamaican imprint. Not on OCLC. The NUC locates only two copies. Parry & Sherlock, A Short History of the West Indies, p.241. $2500. 156. [Jamaica]: JAMAICA. ADDRESSES TO HIS EXCELLENCY EDWARD JOHN EYRE, ESQUIRE.... [Kingston, Jamaica]: DeCordova & Co., 1866. [4],172pp. 12mo. Contemporary purple pebbled cloth, contemporary paper label on front cover. Internally clean. Near fine. A collection of addresses to the governor of Jamaica, Edward John Eyre, largely praising him for his handling of the Morant Bay rebellion. In the wake of emancipation, the Jamaican economy struggled without its traditional labor foundation. With plantations going bankrupt seemingly everywhere, the recently freed Blacks became the focal point of the island’s frustration. Courts often discriminated towards them, while land restriction measures based on race were passed. Not willing to suffer such oppression, an armed revolt broke out among the Blacks of Morant Bay. The government moved swiftly to suppress it. Over five hundred eighty men and women were killed; six hundred were flogged; one thousand houses were destroyed; and the leader, a Creole by the name of George William Gordon, was executed at Eyre’s command. Cause for praise indeed. A scarce Jamaican imprint; imprints from this late period are often rarer than from the days of prosperity. CUNDALL 378. $600. 157. [Guadeloupe]: Ginestet, Jean-Mathieu-Augustin: INSTRUCTION SUR LA FOI OU LETTRE CIRCULAIRE DE M. JEAN-MATHIEU-AUGUSTIN GINESTET...AU CLERGÉ ET AUX FIDÉLES DU DIOCESÈ DE LA GASSE-TERRE (GUADELOUPE), SUIVIE DU DISPOSITIF POUR LE CARÊME DE L’AN DE GRACE 1870. Basse-Terre: Imprimerie du Gouvernement, 1870. [4],34pp. Half title. Dbd. A touch of foxing on half title. Very good. A circular letter from Jean-Mathieu-Augustin Ginestet, Vicaire-General of the Catholic diocese on Basse-Terre in the French West Indies. He instructs clergy and laity on church doctrine for the Lenten season for 1870. An interesting West Indies imprint, printed in a small number for local use. No copies are listed on OCLC. Rare. $650. 158. Sauvalle, Francisco A.: FLORA CUBANA. ENUMERATIO NOVA PLANTARUM CUBENSIUM VEL REVISIO CATALOGI GRISEBACHIANI, EXHIBENS DESCRIPTIONES GENERUM SPECIERUMQUE NOVARUM CAROLI WRIGHT, (CANTABRIDIAE) ET FRANCISCO SAUVALLE, SYNONYMIS NOMINIBUSQUE VULGARIBUS CUBENSIS ADJECTIS. Havana. 1873. [4],324pp. Extra titlepage. 19th-century three-quarter olive green morocco and marbled boards. Old shelf label on spine. A fresh, clean copy. Very good, with the bookplate of the Horticultural Society of New York noting Kenneth K. Mackenzie’s bequest of the book. Sauvalle, a United States-born botanist of French descent, settled in Cuba in 1824 as a merchant and industrialist. He was actually more editor than author, as the new taxa described herein are to be attributed to Charles Wright. Originally published in the Annales de la Academia de Sciencias Medicas de la Habana (1868-72). This separate book publication was issued in parts and is consequently quite rare. TAXONOMIC LITERATURE 10371. $1000. The Cuban War for Independence 159. [Cuba]: Aguilera y Zayas, Gabriel: A LOS HABITANTES DE CALABAZAR, CEJA DE PABLO, QUEMADO DE GIIINES Y RANCHO VELOZ [caption title]. [Cuba]. Sept. 18, 1878. Broadside, 12½ x 8¾ inches. Chip in upper left corner, not affecting text. Small tears in all edges, several repaired by tape on verso. Good. A rare and fascinating Cuban political broadside calling for an end to armed struggle but a beginning to a "struggle for ideas" at the conclusion of Cuba’s "Ten Years’ War," the battle for independence from Spain that lasted between 1868 and 1878. The broadside is addressed to the residents of the region around the north-central coast of Cuba, some 150 miles east of Havana. The text of the broadside is signed in print by Gabriel Aguilera y Zayas, Secretary of the Partido Union Constitucional (PUC), one of the two main political parties that developed out of the Ten Years’ War. The PUC, which was a conservative pro-Spanish party led by prominent Creoles, sought a measure of local political autonomy while favoring continued Spanish control over Cuba. The text exhorts Cubans to partake in the ideological struggle that would succeed the armed rebellion, and urges them not to fall into lethargy but to continue the battle of ideas against radicals seeking independence from Spanish colonial rule. Due to their ephemeral nature, as well as the climate of the Caribbean, any such Cuban broadsides are scarce. No copies of this broadside are located on OCLC. Important evidence of the political factionalism and the strength of pro-Spanish sentiment in Cuba in the late 19th century. Rare, and possibly unique. $1250. 160. [St. Christopher and Nevis]: [BOUND VOLUME OF 101 ACTS AND ORDINANCES FROM ST. CHRISTOPHER AND NEVIS]. [Basseterre, St. Christopher]. 1883-1888. 101 acts, each ranging in length from two to over a dozen pages. Some printed on blue paper. Folio. Contemporary three-quarter roan and cloth. Some minor rubbing at extremities. Internally clean. Ex-Middle Temple Library, with small stamp on front free endpaper of each act. Overall very good. A trove of ordinances and acts printed at Basseterre, St. Kitts, covering the governorships of John Hawley Glover, C.C. Lees, Gormanston, and W.F. Haynes-Smith. All aspects of colonial government are covered by these acts, including budgets, taxes, public works (roads, water works), duties (on gin, rum, cigars, etc.), immigration, naval discipline, and even dog licenses. St. Christopher and Nevis were amalgamated into the "Presidency of Saint Christopher-Nevis" in 1882. A scarce collection of Windward Islands printing. $2000. |
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Papers
on Book Collecting by William S. Reese
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