First Dutch edition of a fascinating account of the voyage of the HMS Briton to Brazil and the Pitcairn Islands, including some noteworthy details about the mutiny of the HMS Bounty in 1789. Unbeknownst at the time, the survivors of the mutiny had settled on Pitcairn. Although most of them had passed away in the early 19th century, their descendants where still living there. The crew of the HMS Briton met them in 1814. The present work includes a rare interview with one of them, which offers a wealth of information about the mutiny and its aftermath.
The HMS Briton, a frigate of the British Royal Navy, was first launched in April 1812. The ship sailed to Rio de Janeiro in 1813, under the command of Captain Thomas Staines (1776-1830), where it was ordered to search for the Essex, an American whaling ship which was threatening British whalers in the Pacific. On its search, the Briton visited Valparaíso, Lima, and the Galápagos, Marquesas, and Pitcairn Islands. The author wrote long and colourful descriptions of each location, as well as its history and inhabitants. He also included an introduction to the Marquesan language.
Lieutenant John Shillibeer (1786-1841) participated in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, before he was assigned to the HMS Briton in 1813. His notes from this voyage were the basis for the work A narrative of the Briton's voyage, to Pitcairn's Island (1817), which was published shortly after his return to England. This work was translated into Dutch in 1819, which is the present work. This translation is very scarce. It has only been recorded in six libraries worldwide, and we have only been able to find two other copies in sales records of the past 100 years.
The edges and corners of the boards are somewhat bumped, with some loss of leather on the bottom corner of the front board, the leather on the spine is slightly scraped and discoloured. The work is foxed throughout, mainly in the margins. Otherwise in good condition. Ferguson, Bibliography of Australia, 767; Sabin 80485; WorldCat 913899597 (6 copies); cf. Borba de Moraes 2238 (English ed.); Hill 1563 (English ed.); not in Howgego.