[Rarebooks] fa: REVOLUTIONARY WAR - WASHINGTON & BURGOYNE + MAPS of TOBAGO & DOMINICA, &c. in 1778 Gentleman's Magazine

[Ardwight Chamberlain]

Listed now, auctions ending Sunday, March 23. More details and images can be found at the URL below or by searching under the seller name arch_in_la.

http://tinyurl.com/pe9veeh

Thanks for looking,
Ardwight Chamberlain
L.A.


The Gentleman's Magazine, and Historical Chronicle. Volume XLVIII [48]. For the Year MDCCLXXVIII [1778]. London: Printed at St. John's Gate, for D. Henry, [1778]. Twelve monthly issues (Jan.-Dec.), plus the supplement, volume title, indices and preface. Thick 8vo in early/period marbled boards, sympathetically rebacked in modern sheepskin with raised bands; [4] + 645 + [15] pp.; with in-text charts and tables, woodcut diagrams and illustrations, plus 13 (of 14) copper-engraved plates, six of which are folding.

This volume contains a great deal related to the United States and the Americas, most significantly, of course, its extensive and vivid contemporary coverage of the AMERICAN WAR OF INDEPENDENCE, with articles too numerous to list. To name just a few (with occasional excerpts of material that happened to catch our eye):
	- Governor Pownall's Communications to Parliament concerning the present State of America.
	- Resolutions of the American Congress.
	- Extracts from the Congress Accounts of what the Americans call the Northern Expedition ("…that the savages of America should in their warfare mangle and scalp the unhappy prisoners who fall into their hands, is neither new or extraordinary; but that the famous Lieut. Gen. Burgoyne, in whom the fine gentleman is united with the soldier and the scholar, should hire the savages of America to scalp Europeans, and the descendants of Europeans, nay more, that he should pay a price for each scalp so barbarously taken, is more than will be believed in Europe…").
	- Gen Burgoyne's Speech to the Indians [and] The Answer of their Chiefs.
	- Lord G. Germain's Instructions relative to Gen. Burgoyne's Expedition.
	- Lt. Col. St Leger's Account of his Mohawk River Expedition.
	- Advices received from Gen. Howe at Philadelphia.
	- Particulars of the Mischianza [farewell ball] exhibited in America at the Departure of Gen. Howe.
	- Lieut. Col. Breyman's Account of the Affair at Walloon Creek.
	- Letter from General Howe to Lord Germaine; Letter from General Gates to the Earl of Thanet ("America, my Lord, at this moment triumphs in victory…"); General Washington's letter to General Burgoyne; General Sullivan's letter to General Pigot; etc., etc.
	- Particulars of the Life and Character of Gen. Washington ("…Nature has certainly given him some military talents, yet it is more than probable he will never be a great soldier… He is but of slow parts, and these are totally unassisted by any kind of education… In the poor, pitiful, unsoldier-like war in which he has hitherto been employed, it is romantic to suppose he must not fail, if ever it should be his lot to  be opposed by real military skill…")
	- The Plan for reducing New England by the Lakes.
	- General Washington's Account of the late Action in the Jerseys ("…having received intelligence that the enemy were prosecuting their route towards Monmouth Court-House, I dispatched 1000 select men under Brigadier-Gen. Wayne, and sent the Marquis de la Fayette to take command of the whole advanced corps… with orders to take the first fair opportunity of attacking the enemy's rear…").
	- Narrative of the Negotiation in America.
	- Semi-monthly accounts of the Debates in the House of Commons ("…Lord Hyde rose and… stated the causes that led to the American war; applauded the…vigorous prosecution of it; justified the commanders in the conduct of it;…was sure that neither France or Spain would take up arms in favour of the Rebels;…and concluded with a high encomium on those sentiments of humanity which inclined his Majesty earnestly to wish for the happy opportunity, when the honour, the dignity, the justice of the nation, would permit to stop the effusion of his subjects' blood…").
	- Etc, etc.

The volume also contains the following PLATES, with accompanying text:
	- A folding MAP OF THE ISLAND OF DOMINICA (folding).
	- A Folding MAP OF THE ISLAND OF TOBAGO (folding).
	- A Plan of the CANAL from Bassingstoke to the River Wey (folding)
	- Plan of the River Lagon and the CANAL from Belfast to Loughneagh, in Ireland (folding) 
	- Plan of the ENCAMPMENT OF A BATTALION (folding).
	- View of the Interior of the Jews' SYNAGOGUE AT AMSTERDAM (folding).
	- View of WOOLSTHORP HOUSE, Lincolnshire, the birthplace of ISAAC NEWTON.
	- View of the CASCADE OF VELIKA GUBAVIZA, in Dalmatia.
	- The two GREAT BANNERS carried at the funeral of William first Earl of Chatham.
	- The LARVA OF THE MOTH Sphinx Atropos (mislabeled a "non-descript reptile").
	- Elevation of the baptistery in the CHURCH OF LUTON.
	- Two plates of ENGLISH MEDALS.

Other features of note include:
	- Experiments and Observations on Electricity, tending to confirm the Doubts of Dr. [Benjamin] Franklin and other eminent Electricians (by a John Lyon of Dover).
	- New Discovery relative to the Trade Winds.
	- Voltaire's Reception at Paris.
	- Curious Particulars of the Behaviour of the (late) Chevalier d'Eon, since her quitting England (the chevalier had officially declared himself a woman just the year before).
	- Objections to Warton's Critique on Rowlie's Poems [and] On the Originality of Rowley's Poems (re. Thomas Chatterton).
	- Debraw's Discovery on the Sexes of Bees.
	- Verses written by Mr. Burke, a Delegate from North-Carolina.—Answered by Miss ***, of Philadelphia.
	- The Utility of general Inoculation discussed
	- Plus: poetry, book reviews, monthly Lists of Marriages, Deaths, Preferments, Bankrupts, &c., and much more.