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SYMES, Michael.
An Account of an Embassy to the Kingdom of Ava,
Sent by the Governor-General of India in the Year 1795.
Publisher: London: W. Bulmer and Co. for G. and W. Nichol, and J. Wright, 1800
Stock code: 49706
Price: £2,250 Currency Conversion
First edition of "one of the first detailed accounts of the country written in English. In just over 500 pages, it addressed the history, geography, culture, and economics of Burma." (ODNB) Also notable for the survey of the lower River Irrawaddy, the first reliable chart of it, which was carried out by Symes's colleague Thomas Woods and is illustrated in the second folding map. Superbly illustrated with plates of costumes, customs, architecture and arts, many by the Company-trained Bengali artist Singey Bey, and a suite of 8 botanical plates of the plants selected by the President of the Royal Society "as the most rare and curious among the copious and valuable collection made by Doctor Buchanan." Symes was sent to the court of King Bodawpaya of Burma, "to try to improve political and commercial relations," and to ascertain whether the French had begun to make inroads at the court. "The embassy was counted a success…" and this his account "painted a generally favourable impression of Burma, emphasizing its civility, culture, and stability, while also hinting at the Burmese court's suspicions of the British." When Hiram Cox, the first British ambassador to be sent to Burma under the terms of Symes's agreements, was turned away "Cox blamed Symes for his failure, and for exaggerating Burmese good will and intentions." Symes was sent back following trouble on the Arakan border, his second embassy being notably less successful than the first; "Most interpretations of Anglo-Burmese relations, when dealing with Symes, have tended to echo Hiram Cox, and dismiss Symes's reports as overly optimistic and uncritical. However, if these reports are read carefully, Symes does not appear as credulous as some have made him out to be. He was well aware of the court's insularity and suspicions of outsiders, and he reckoned that misunderstandings would frequently punctuate diplomatic relations… his writings display a genuine fascination with Burmese society, and indicate that he was eager to seek some rapprochement with Burma." Symes died in 1809 of wounds sustained during Moore's retreat from Corunna.
Quarto (294 x 229 mm). Contemporary streaked calf, spine gilt in compartments, red morocco label, marbled endpapers and edges. 2 engraved folding maps by J. Walker after Dalrymple and Thomas Woods and 26 engraved plates by T. Medland, Vincent, and MacKenzie after Singey Bey, and others, 4 of them folding and 3 double-page. A little rubbed at the extremities, joints neatly repaired, light toning and slight hygroscopic damping in the fore-margin of the plates, but overall a very good copy.
