Very rare narrative of the loss of the English East Indiaman Fattysalam off the coast of Coromandel on 28 August 1761. It was written by the French counsellor, man of letters and employee at the Royal library of King Louis XV, Anne-Gabriel Meusnier de Querlon (1702-1780), Comte de Kearny, and the book refers to him simply as De Kearny.
The Fattysalam had been built at Bombay, and had never been employed in the Indian seas. She was intended to carry great part of the stores taken by the English, and near 500 troops, which it had been thought fit to send to Bengal, because after the regiment of Pondicherry, they were not wanted on that coast...'' (Duncan).
Kearny was one out of 12 who had escaped from the ship, which had been lost, together with most of the crew. By way of the dominion of the Rajah of Arsapour, Cuttack, Barrasole and Calcutta, the company arrived at Goupil (Gupil) where they spotted several of the East India Company's ships.
The book gives no date, place of publication or name of the publisher, but Barbier indicates that is was published by De Kearny in 1764 (the latest date mentioned in the account is 1762). The (laid) paper is watermarked with a cardinall's arms with "Fin Dannonay|M[fleur-de-lis]Iohanot 1742", that is Mathieu Johannot in Annonay. The 1742 date was used in French paper for decades and Mathieu Johannot was active in Annonay to 1785. The types and ornaments appear in Pierre Simon Fournier's 1764 type specimen.
Only slightly trimmed, preserving some deckles. In very good condition, with only a small marginal stain at the foot of pp. 35-36. The front wrapper with 2 tears along a fold. Barbier III, col.400 (''publiés par A.-G. Meusnier de Querlon, 1764, in -8, 48 pp.''); KVK (3 copies); Polak 13070; cf: Andrus and Start (publishers), Remarkable shipwrecks ... (Hartford, 1813), pp. 94-108; Duncan, The Mariner's Chronicle III, pp. 180-198; not in Huntress; on the author: Dictionnaire des journalistes (1600-1789) online ed.