30 résultats
17745521Marseille 1774. No Binding. Very Good. Folio - over 12 - 15" tall. Two folio bifolia 43.1 x 27.7 cm each with letterpress text woodcuts and manuscript text on the first leaf. Retaining deckle edge on all sides folded and annotated as typical of such documents one of the documents a bit weak at the folds otherwise very well preserved. Two rare folio-size maritime insurance policies from 1770s Marseille relating to mercantile voyages to France's American colonies in the Caribbean and valuable witnesses to the more practical bureaucratic aspects of maritime trade in late 18th-century France. Each document is illustrated with the three large woodcut seals of the city and carries in letterpress the standard legal formulas particular to Marseille as well as extensive manuscript notes and signatures completing the policy. The earlier of the two policies signed in May of 1774 relates to the vessel La Gentille likely the frigate later recorded as having taken part in the 1780 Battle of Martinique a stalemate between the French and British navies during the American War of Independence. The second policy signed on 3 November 1777 concerns the Bon Pasteur a ship under the command of captain Pierre Antoine Massier. Historical records show that this policy was nearly redeemed: Returning from Martinique in late December the Bon Pasteur was fired upon by the British frigate Westmoreland off the coast of Cabo de Gata in Spain boarded by six men each armed with a brace of pistols and a saber and Captain Massier roughly handled. The English suspected that the Bon Pasteur was not carrying goods from Martinique but from New England tobacco rice which would have been in violation of the protectionist economic policies common in both the French and British colonies in the Americas. After several sailors aboard the Bon Pasteur were thoroughly questioned the ship was sent on its way and its insurers in Marseille breathed a sigh of relief. OCLC does not locate any institutional copies of Marseille policies of this sort. B.-M. Emerigon and P. S. Boulay-Paty Traité des assurances et de contrats à la grosse vol. 1 pp. 54-5; Bulletin de la Socété archéologique historique et artistique vol. 3 pp. 277-8; Observations sur le Mémoire justificatif de la cour de Londres 1780 pp. 12-3. books
1788WRCAM47396London 1788. Paginations given below. Folio. Four of the titles string-tied as issued. First title lightly foxed and toned. Very good. In a half morocco and marbled boards box spine gilt. An interesting assemblage of British legislation from the period immediately following the Revolutionary War documenting British efforts to allow only very limited trade with the newly independent United States. British trade policy during this period is an excellent example of a foreign power taking advantage of the weak structure of the American Articles of Confederation which made it difficult for the thirteen states to act in concert and out of a any position of strength through unity. <br> <br> By 1783 the United States had formal trade relations with only two nations: France secured through the 1778 Treaty of Amity and Commerce; and the Netherlands via a Commercial Treaty negotiated by John Adams in 1782. Before the Revolution British merchants had relied heavily on exports sent to the British colonies in North America which greatly outweighed goods imported to Britain from the colonies. After the war the British government was reluctant to sign a formal commercial treaty with the United States. The states at the time were operating under the relatively weak structure of the Articles of Confederation and the British felt that they could secure the benefits of trade with the American states without making any treaty concessions. <br> <br> Britain opted instead for a series of acts that established limited trade with the United States and between the United States and Canada and the British colonies in the West Indies. The first of these laws was passed in 1783 and the evolution of that law is reflected in the first three items below. In all these British laws severely circumscribed American trade with England and with English colonies though they did allow some markets for American exports and did facilitate the flow of much needed imports into the United States. In 1784 British exports to the United States were valued at more than £3.5 million while American exports to England were less than one-fifth of that sum. The United States and Great Britain would not sign a formal trade treaty until the Jay Treaty which was approved in 1795 and which gave the United States limited trading rights in the British West Indies. <br> <br> The first second third and fifth titles below were printed in very small numbers for the use of members of Parliament during debate and action on the bills. Known as "slip bills" they are a snapshot of the legislation as it proceeded through the legislative process. The first and fifth titles contain blank spaces in the text where dates and tariff rates would be filled in later and all four of the slip bills have printed docketing on the final page. The first and fifth items also contain a printed note before the text of the bill reading "the figures in the margin denote the Number of the Folios in the written copy" which indicates just how early in the legislative process these bills were printed. <br> <br> The four bills and one act included in this group are: <br> <br> 1 A BILL FOR THE PROVISIONAL ESTABLISHMENT AND REGULATION OF TRADE AND INTERCOURSE BETWEEN THE SUBJECTS OF GREAT BRITAIN AND THOSE OF THE UNITED STATES OF NORTH AMERICA caption title. London. 1783. 31pp. This bill gives the United States the same trading status as other independent sovereign states but restricts American exports to Great Britain only to those goods that are "the growth produce or manufacture of the said United States." It thus forbad the "triangular" trade in which American merchants liked to engage while not imposing the same restriction on British exporters. ESTC locates only five copies. ESTC N32490. BELL G578 ref. <br> <br> 2 A BILL AS AMENDED IN THE COMMITTEE FOR THE PROVISIONAL ESTABLISHMENT AND REGULATION OF TRADE AND INTERCOURSE BETWEEN THE SUBJECTS OF GREAT BRITAIN AND THOSE OF THE UNITED STATES OF NORTH AMERICA caption title. London. 1783. 51pp. This bill expands on and further defines the previous bill clearly spelling out the limitations on American trade with England while imposing no such restrictions on English merchants and in fact making every provision to facilitate British exports to America. ESTC locates six copies. ESTC N32061. <br> <br> 3 A BILL AS AMENDED IN THE COMMITTEE TO WHOM THE SAME WAS RE-COMMITTED FOR THE PROVISIONAL ESTABLISHMENT AND REGULATION OF TRADE AND INTERCOURSE BETWEEN THE SUBJECTS OF GREAT BRITAIN AND THOSE OF THE UNITED STATES OF NORTH AMERICA caption title. London. 1783. 51pp. As with the previous two versions of this bill the language here explains that it would be "highly expedient" to have a trade treaty with the United States but until that point England would make due with legislation regulating Anglo- American commerce. The same restrictive language regarding exports from America is carried over. ESTC locates only five copies. ESTC N32016. <br> <br> 4 AN ACT TO EXTEND THE POWERS OF AN ACT.FOR GIVING HIS MAJESTY CERTAIN POWERS FOR THE BETTER CARRYING ON TRADE AND COMMERCE BETWEEN THE SUBJECTS OF HIS MAJESTY'S DOMINIONS AND THE INHABITANTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TO THE TRADE AND COMMERCE OF THIS KINGDOM WITH THE BRITISH COLONIES AND PLANTATIONS IN AMERICA.caption title. London: Printed by Charles Eyre and William Strahan 1784. 2715-716pp. This law specifically relates to British exports of iron hemp and sail cloth from the Baltic states to the United States. ESTC locates only three copies. ESTC N58431. BELL G585. <br> <br> 5 A BILL FOR REGULATING THE TRADE BETWEEN THE SUBJECTS OF HIS MAJESTY'S COLONIES AND PLANTATIONS IN NORTH AMERICA AND IN THE WEST INDIA ISLANDS AND THE COUNTRIES BELONGING TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; AND BETWEEN HIS MAJESTY'S SAID SUBJECTS AND THE FOREIGN ISLANDS IN THE WEST INDIES caption title. London. 1788. 91pp. This bill essentially prohibits American trade with Britain's colonies in the West Indies and prohibits American exports to Canada as well. The sole exemption is with regard to salt from the Turks Islands a product the English wanted to encourage. The bill allows American ships to receive salt on the islands. It also limits exports from the West Indies to America on such goods as sugar molasses coffee etc. to British ships only. ESTC locates only four copies. ESTC T201245. RAGATZ p.95. BELL G618 ref. <br> <br> An important group of rare working drafts of British legislation. hardcover books
1796WRCAM54712Mostly at sea from New York with stops in Calcutta Saint Helena Ascension Island and Cornwall England 1796. 246pp. Square folio. Original crude burlap covers stab-sewn with thick string. A bit toned and foxed occasional ink or tobacco burns. Very good. A remarkable artifact of early American naval commerce containing the sailing directions and shipboard activities of the "Ship Washington of Philadelphia" which sailed from New York to Calcutta rounding the southern tip of Africa and visiting Saint Helena and Ascension Island before crashing on the rocks at Cornwall England on the way to Hamburg Germany. The log contains a navigational ledger with locations headings wind and weather remarks along with occasional sick lists names of men "unfit for duty" those put on light duty temperatures and other information. The remarks are quite detailed and specific regarding shipboard work and activity. <br> <br> The captain of this final voyage of the ship WASHINGTON was Samuel Hubbart but the identity of the sailor who kept this log is unknown. The ship departed New York on July 4 1795 and reached Calcutta on August 31. Without the need for recording navigational data while in port the log's author switches from the ledger-style format and writes longer more-detailed daily entries describing the crew's activities. The crewmen mentioned include pilots boatswains carpenters coopers caulkers sailmakers and others. Most of the entries pertain to the maintenance of the ship while anchored in the bay. Numerous mentions are made of crew on board fixing various equipment including types and amounts of supplies. A few entries note the employment of Indian "Cooleys" on board the ship making various repairs. An interesting incident of September 17 bears relating: <br> <br> "Hearing a noise upon the main Deck Mr. Naylor went to see what was the matter - upon engaging found Abraham Moor had struck Thomas Williams the Cook as Moor said for wanting to trouble a girl which Moor had on board - Mr. Naylor told him he should not ill use that man for he had every reason to believe it to be false what he alledged against the Cook. Moor said he did not come here to be jawd by a black Man.S." <br> <br> After swearing he would "never go home" on the WASHINGTON Moor literally jumped ship just after this confrontation and hid on another ship before being found and brought back to the WASHINGTON "in irons." <br> <br> In early November a few entries mention the ship receiving a supply of sugar taking on "Three Burr Load of Sugar" on November 7 and two more "Burr Load" two days later. Subsequent entries detail the loading of several "Burr Load of Bales" and "one hundred bags of ginger." <br> <br> Over the course of the ship's time at Calcutta the author mentions encounters with at least four other American ships: the GANGES the HAMILTON the MAJOR PINKNEY of Charleston and the "American Ship Camilla of New York arriv'd here from London." <br> <br> By early February the WASHINGTON left Calcutta for the voyage to Hamburg spelled variously here as "Hamborough" and "Hamburgh" though the ship would never make it to Germany. On March 15 and again on April 6 the recordist notes an inventory of the ship's water supply. By March 23 the ship reaches a point "prependicular on Cape Lagulas Bank" the southernmost point of Africa. About a week later the punishment of a drunken sailor is reported: <br> <br> "Joseph Gonrabbysp who has for some time past been addicted to Drunkeness and no person on board having given him any liquor he was discovered this morning to have taken from the Ships stores about half a Gallon of rum and from his being frequently very drunk there is no doubt of his having been Guilty of the same offence before for which Capt. Hubbart is necessitated to order his Boatswain to flog him. Accordingly mustered all hands aft and give him one and a half dozen lashes." <br> <br> On April 16 the WASHINGTON arrived at the remote island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean sending "the Boat on shore with an Officer to the Governor for permission to Anchor." Here the WASHINGTON restocked supplies including water potatoes & other vegetables rice and bread before embarking for Ascension Island which they reached on April 25. The author remarks on the "number of remarkable rocks like pyramids" and "a low point of black Rocks with a fine white sandy beach back of it" witnessed at Ascension Island. The WASHINGTON spent one night at Ascension where a group of men went ashore in order to "spend the Night in Catching Turtle in the different Bays." The crewmen caught twelve turtles and brought them aboard ship before continuing their journey. <br> <br> While heading north to Europe the WASHINGTON was boarded on May 17 by the "Quebec British Frigate Cap J Cook in Company with the Carnatic 74 Rear Admr Powel with a convoy of 21 sail of Transports & Gun boats with 10000 Troops on board bound for Martinico Martinique." On June 7 they again encounter another ship "a Spaniard from some port in South America bound for Cadiz out 3 months & 10 days - we cannot understand rightly what port she was from." <br> <br> Then on June 18 disaster struck the WASHINGTON as it ran aground at the Lizard Rocks off Cornwall England. The log book records the ship's demise: <br> <br> "The weather still very thick and hazy. At 9PM hearing the Surf break on shore took in all the studding sails Braced the Yards sharp and hauled to the Southward finding ourselves in amongst the Rocks off the Lizard have all aback and endeavored to get her out from among them but the Flood tide making very strong drove the Ship so hard upon the Rocks that with every endeavour we found it impracticable to get her off she having settled on them & the strength of the tide Thumping her very hard upon the Rocks sounded the Pump and found she made water very fast. Fired several Guns as a signal of Distress which brought several boats off from the Shore to our assistance." <br> <br> For the next couple of weeks the crew of the WASHINGTON participated in "discharging the cargo" from the ship so that it is not "plundered by the natives" sending everything to Falmouth "where the Goods are deposited under the protection of a Custom house Yaught." The log book mentions one crewman of the WASHINGTON "threatening revenge on Captain Hubbart." Another crewman is put "under a Guard of Soldiers" after selling off some of the muslin stored in the bales rescued from the wreck. Here the ship's log ends along with the career of the Ship WASHINGTON. <br> <br> A unique record of the last voyage of an early American trading vessel with insight into late 18th-century navigational methods and the commercial interests of Federal-era America. unknown books
17944016Leeds 1794. Large 4to 308 x 240 mm. 12 leaves text comprising 3 printed titles each with a 6-page description of the items in the catalogue in German French and English and 45 engraved plates of which one folding containing 186 designs numbered 1-152 with an additional 34 numbered and lettered designs for "tea-ware" tea- and coffee-ware in the French and English descriptions. Paper watermarked with a fleur-de-lys and shield with capital letters L V G below Lubertus van Gerrevink. Some light scattered foxing and offsetting plate 20 with closed tear to top margin just entering plate area without loss folding plate 26 torn across and repaired. Modern retrospective calf gilt edges red-stained extremities very lightly rubbed. Provenance: contemporary notes in Portuguese on the blank verso of the last plate; Duncan Grant Warrand loosely inserted ex-libris; Martin Woolf Orskey bookseller 1925-2018 signature at end with purchase date 1972. A multi-lingual catalogue of pottery produced by Hartley Greens and Co. for the use of traveling salesmen. Founded circa 1756 at Hunslet south of Leeds the company gained a reputation for its elegant cream-colored earthenware in the classical style known as creamware a type of earthenware made from white Cornish clay combined with a translucent glaze to produce a characteristic pale cream color. Hartley Greens and Co. so dominated the market that their products came to be referred to as Leedsware or Leeds pottery. Although some of the pieces in this catalogue are for display or special use Leeds pottery was generally a more everyday pottery than that of Wedgewood their principal rival and hence its survival rate is low. The earlier pieces before around 1775 were furthermore unmarked making attribution uncertain thus rendering the firm's printed catalogues all the more important. The present catalogue was "one of the earliest pattern books published in England by pottery manufacturers for the use of their travellers with illustrations of all the articles produced by the firm" Solon. It shows the creamware as issued from the studios before jobbers and importers added colored glazes. Shown are terrines sauce boats salts jugs egg cups covered terrines and bowls cake plates cruet stands candlesticks urns tea services and a remarkable tulip vase among other useful objects of the table many with ornaments some in the characteristic openwork or perforated style. All 186 designs are numbered and identified in the accompanying plate lists. The variety is impressive. Copies of the Leeds catalogues were often cut up by jobbers who relied on the illustrations to transmit orders accurately rather than trusting to written descriptions of the forms. Their consequent rarity makes the publishing history of the catalogues difficult to unravel. The earliest catalogue appeared in 1783 with the text in English only and 41 plates. The Danish National Library has a copy with the text in English and French and the English title dated 1786. Another copy of the present 1794 edition is held by the V&A but it has only 41 plates. Meanwhile there are also copies of a 1794 edition at Yale and RISD with the English text only but with 71 plates. The plates were reissued in 1795 and 1814 or 1815 these undated issues are identified by the watermarked dates of the paper they are printed on. Most of the variously dated copies seem to be reissues of the same plates. Most of the variously dated copies seem to be reissues of the same plates. A comparison of this copy to the Winterthur copy from 1814 which is digitized shows that the same plates were used with the addition of an engraved oval label " Leeds Pottery" on each plate up to and including plate 38 a compotier from which emerges a large cross after which the designs diverge. The editions or issues after 1795 do not have the very useful text with gives the name function and size of each piece: "As the price lists and the general title had been printed independently from the plates and not in sufficient quality to accompany the sets of engravings these late copies are generally found without the title and the printed description of the objects. These price lists now very rare were printed in English French German and Spanish. As the prices were subject to constant revision prices are added with pen and ink" Solon. Our copy is unpriced. Altogether OCLC locates fewer than a dozen copies some incomplete of various issues or editions of the Leeds pottery catalogue. Cf. M.-L. Solon Ceramic Literature 1910 p. 196. unknown books
177097Birmingham or Sheffield 1770. Oblong folio. 390 x 220 mm. 15 1/4 x 8 3/4 inches. Vellum spine over decorative blue paper wrappers paper label with title in Italian on upper board and ink title in Italian on spine. Paper stock toned with age a few leaves with staining in the margin otherwise in good condition. Silversmith model book containing 80 full-page engravings of candles sticks and holders candelabra pitchers plates salt and pepper shakers serving utensils silverware and other household pieces. Each image is beautifully and careful engraved with rich detail and ornamentation. Each includes a printed product number as well as one in ink with a different item number and a price. Although there is no title-page or signatures of engravers this large sales catalogue appears to be English as some of the engravings have English words of explanation engraved in the text. The binding is definitely Italian and the paper label is in an Italian hand. The watermark is a "fleur de lis" pattern suggesting an international company manufacturing the silver. There were only a few English companies with the capacity to export at this time including silver works in Sheffield and Birmingham both of which by 1770's had established networks of dealers selling their wares across the continent. This catalogue with specific Italian connections is very unusual and suggests the scope of the business had reached export capacity by the third quarter of the century. The most important Italian silver makers at this time were Giardini of Rome and Venuti of Naples. unknown books
