Beschreibung:

WILLYAMS, The Rev. Cooper (1762-1816). A Voyage up the Mediterranean in His Majesty's Ship the Swiftsure, one of the squadron under the command of Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson... with a description of the Battle of the Nile . London: T. Bensley for J. White 1802. 2° (475 x 332mm). Engraved dedication to the Earl of St Vincent with hand-coloured armorial vignette, double-page hand-coloured aquatint chart of the Mediterranean with 3 medallion views, 41 hand-coloured aquatint plates including a plan of the Battle of the Nile, engraved by J.C. Stadler after the author, wood-engraved illustrations. (Occasional light marginal spotting, some light offsetting.) Contemporary russia gilt, the covers with roll-tooled border and centrally-placed Roxburghe arms, the spine in 7 compartments, lettered in the second, the rest stamped with ornamental tool, marbled endpapers and edges (slight wear to extremities). Provenance : John Ker, third Duke of Roxburghe (1740-1804) (binding). A FINE, LARGE-PAPER COPY OF WILLYAMS'S 'FINELY PRODUCED BOOK' (ABBEY), BOUND FOR THE DUKE OF ROXBURGHE. Topographer and artist, Willyams served as chaplain on board the Swiftsure , part of Sir Horatio Nelson's squadron in the Mediterranean in 1798-99. The work includes 'the first, the most particular, and the most authentic account' (DNB) of the Battle of the Nile which took place on 1st August 1798, together with observations from visits to Naples, Florence, Venice, Alexandria, Rhodes, Sicily and Gibraltar. Abbey Travel 196; Cf. Blackmer 1813.