A Defence of the Scots Abdicating Darien:
including an answer to the defence of the Scots settlement there. Authore Brittano sed Dunensi.
[Edinburgh?]: Printed in the Year, 1700 Stock Code: 135273
One of two editions of that year, without established priority. The pamphlet has been variously attributed to James Hodges, Archibald Foyer, and Walter Harris, with the last the most probable, and it was certainly Harris who was felt to be the author at the time. The pamphlet was "an appeal to Scotchmen not to waste their money in the Scheme... the whole work is written in an extraordinary satirical manner, and raised tremendous indignation in Scotland, so much so that the Treasury was required to offer a reward of 6,000 scots for the arrest of the author, and the book was condemned to be burnt by the public hangman" (A Reference Guide to the Literature of Travel, vol. II, p. 246). "It is a book much quoted by historians, and is also the chief work of Herries sic. It is also readable, and even entertaining, which is more than can be said for most of the Darien tracts. It is full of accusations against everybody connected with the Company, expressed in the strongest of language. There is truth in it, but not too much truth, just enough to tinge the main statements and make them appear like facts" (Spencer, p. 106).
Description
Octavo (181 x 113 mm). Disbound pamphlet.
Condition
Heavily browned throughout, some soiling, title page with rubbing with slight loss to title, occasional chipping and tearing at page extremities with substantial loss to text on leaf N1, tears on final leaf repaired. A poor copy.
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