Rare Book Monthly
Book Catalogue Reviews - May - 2010 Issue
Maritime Books from Ten Pound Island Book Company
Illustration of La Perouse's expedition at Easter Island.
Lord Horatio Nelson remains one of Britain's greatest naval officers, though he has been gone over two centuries. He led his country's naval forces against Napoleon, culminating in their massive victory in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Unfortunately, he was hit by enemy fire during the battle and died a short time later. Item 54 is a letter Nelson wrote Viscount Melville, First Lord of the Admiralty, on behalf of Captain William Layman earlier that year. Layman had served with Nelson, and the latter had been his sponsor. Layman's ship had been driven ashore and captured by the Spanish. Layman had told Nelson this had happened as a result of neglect by the officer on watch, but Nelson encouraged Layman to keep his silence on this as it would result in the death penalty for the officer. As a result, Layman was court martialed and censored, serious damage to his career. Nelson herein pleads for Layman's career, noting that taking risks is necessary to performing the task, writing, "If I had been censured every time I have run my ship, or fleets under my command, into great danger, I should long ago have been out of the Service..." Included with this is a second letter, from Layman himself to Melville, written after Nelson's death. The letters were to no avail. Perhaps having a powerful ally such as Nelson would have changed the result had he lived, but with Nelson gone a few months later, the censure was not overturned, and Layman never was granted command of a ship again. He became an adviser to the Admiralty and wrote books, and in 1826, he committed suicide. $17,500.
Item 44 is the first English language edition of the account of the expedition of the great French explorer Jean-Francois de La Perouse: A Voyage Round the World, in the Years 1785...1788. This edition was published in London in 1799. His was an extensive voyage, bringing him to South and North America, as far north as Alaska, Hawaii and numerous other Pacific islands, Russia, Japan, China and Australia. However, after he left Australia, his ships disappeared, and the wreckage that revealed his fate was not discovered until 40 years later. Fortunately, La Perouse had sent copies of his notes home with others from the various stops he made along the way, thereby saving his account of the voyage. $4,000.
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