James: Naval History of Great Britain 1837. Six volumes complete

£200.00

James. William: The Naval History of Great Britain, from the Declaration of War by France in 1793, to the Accession of George IV. A new edition with additions and notes, and an Account of the Burmese War and the Battle of Navarino, by Captain Chamier, R.N. in Six Volumes. Richard Bentley [London] 1837. 6 volumes 8vo.

Vol 1: Portrait frontispiece, xii, 484pp; Vol 1: vii, folding table [abstract of ships], engraved portrait of Admiral Duncan [foxed], 2 other folding tables of abstracts of ships, 396pp; Vol 3: viii, 6 similar folding tables, 376pp; Vol 4: vi [i list of Diagrams ship and fleet movements in text, 1 of Sir Robert Calder’s action, 11 of Battle of Trafalgar, 3 of Sir Richard Strachan’s action], engraved portrait of Nelson, 2 folding tables, portrait of Sir Charles Brisbane [foxed], 375pp, [i Notes to Annual Abstracts]; Vol 6: vii, [i list o f8 diagrams in text], 4 folding Abstracts, engraved portraits of Admiral Sir Thomas Buckworth, Admiral Sir Sydney Smith, Admiral Lord Collingwood, & Admiral Sir Nesbit Willoughby [all with some foxing]. 404pp including notes on Abstracts: Vol 6: viii, 6 further diagrams, 9 folding tables. engraved portraits of Admiral Sir Michael Seymour, Admiral Sir George Cockburn, Admiral Viscount Exmouth [all with some foxing], 567pp, [i errata]. Contemporary half calf gilt with black title labels gilt, spine leather worn on all volumes and vol 6 has the spine completely detahced although some parts, including the labels are present. The contents are quite clean araprt from the foxing to the portraits, which are printed on thicker paper than the rest of the text, all Abstract tables are neatly folded, the first gathering of Volume six is loose from the stitching. The set could be made good with decent re-casing. Although there are no previous ownership markings we know the original owner from our provenance and will shortly post an illustration of the admiral in question. Volume six has a 50 page chapter on the 1st Burma War, 1824, which emphasis the combined operations of naval forces and the army as the terrain made the use of the Irrawaddy Flotilla essential.          jan1/2

Provenance:   Admiral Sir Joseph Sherer, K.H. Bought some years ago from a descendant of his in an archive of family material. Sherer entered the Navy in 1811, becoming a lieutenant in 1826 and captain in 1841. He had notable successes on anti slavery patrols and went on a number of Arctic expeditions. He retired as a Vice Admiral in 1862 and was an Admiral at the time of his death in 1875. His younger brother, Sir George, KCSI commanded a Bengal regiment with distinction during the Mutiny and rose to be a major General.

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