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DALRYMPLE, Alexander.
A Collection of Voyages chiefly in the Southern Atlantick Ocean. Published from Original M.S.S.
Publisher: London: Printed for the author, sold by J. Nourse, P. Elmsly [and 3 others], 1775
Stock code: 50511
Price: £8,500 Currency Conversion
First edition. Important collection of earlier accounts of Pacific voyages. Dalrymple had done much research to promote the "counterpoise" theory of a great southern continent, and here, in order to promote a new expedition in search of the terra australis incognita, he presents accounts of the voyages of Edmund Halley, 1698-1700; Ducloz Guyot de St. Malo, 1753; Loziers Bouvet, 1738-9; and John McBride, in 1766-1767, prefaced by his letters to Lord North on the subject. "By circumnavigating New Zealand, Cook on his first voyage had imposed severe limitations on this hypothesis, and on his second voyage in 1772-75, he completely disproved it; nevertheless Dalrymple's writings had done much to maintain official interest in Pacific exploration" (ADB). Dalrymple had been being adopted by the Royal Society as their candidate to lead the Transit of Venus expedition, but a misunderstanding between Royal Society and the Admiralty over the command of the chosen vessel led to Dalrymple's refusal to serve as second in command to a sea officer and the subsequent choice of Cook. Dalrymple's uncompromising criticism of Hawkesworth's account of the voyage led to the public misperception that owing to his supersession he was an implacable opponent of Cook, an idea which "is only now being rectified". In the employ of the HEIC Dalrymple began to produce a series of charts, navigational memoirs and coastal views "for the East Indies navigation, from the Mozambique Channel to China" based on an examination of the logs and journals in the Company's archive. Between 1779 and 1794 he issued almost 550 plans and charts of ports and 45 coastal views, and between 50 and 60 books and pamphlets of nautical instruction, "His reputation was based on these publications, whose spare style contrasted with the ornateness of commercial chart atlases." In 1795 he was made Hydrographer to the Admiralty, with the task of rationalizing their growing collection of charts and plans, a position created especially for him, whilst retaining his post at the HEIC.
Quarto (260 × 202 mm) later tan half morocco on nineteenth-century marbled boards, green morocco label. 3 folding engraved coastal profiles or charts. Bound without half-title, but with the uncommon Contents leaf. Bookplate of Charles Abbot, first Baron Colchester to front pastedown, together with that of Frank S. Streeter; bookplate of the Constitutional Club to the rear pastedown recording the presentation of the book as part of the gift of Lord Colchester in 1887. A little rubbed at the extremities, light browning, professionally repaired tear to the margin of D4, offsetting from the final map onto the following section title which is a little browned, a few marginal marks in red pencil, a very good copy.
