3250By Fitzclarence, Lieutenant Colonel
(aka: George Augustus Frederick, Earl of Munster)

London: John Murray.1819. First edition, 4to – 28.1cm., [xxiv], 502, [ii] pp. Coloured aquatint frontispiece and 11 plates — 8 of which are hand-coloured, 1 large fold-out engraved map with hand colouring, 6 plans and maps – 2 with hand-colouring, half-title present. Subtle evidence of professionally removed oval prior ownership stamp in various places, otherwise a remarkably clean copy of a scarce and important narrative. Beautifully bound by Richard Smart in textured dark-green half-calf with dark-green moiré style cloth, bright gilt ruling on covers,, spine with five raised bands and bright gilt title, ruling and elephant motif in five compartments. Very Scarce.

First edition account of an overland journey from India to England, written by the eldest son of King William IV. Firzclarence was the eldest son of King William IV and Mrs. Jordan. He served in Spain and France during the Napoleonic War before being sent to India where he was appointed aide-de-camp to the Marquis of Hastings, governor-general and commander-in-chief, where he participated the campaigns of 1816-17 against the Mahrattas. When peace was arranged with the Maharajah Scindiah, the event was considered of sufficient importance to send the dispatches in duplicate, and Fitzclarence was entrusted with the duplicates sent by overland route. He started from the western frontier of Bundelkund, the furthest point reached by the grand army, 7 December 1817, and travelling through districts infested by the Pindarrees, witnessed the defeat of the latter by General Doveton at Jubbulpore, reached Bombay, and quitted it in the cruiser Mercury for Kosseir 7 February 1818, crossed the desert, explored the pyramids with Sir Henry Salt and Giovanni Battista Belzoni, descended the Nile, and reached London, via Alexandria and Malta, 16 June 1818. The present work is the published account of his travels, and it exhibits his observations and several plates of Indian military costumes of the day from sketches by the author. — paraphrased from Oxford Dictionary of National Bibliography.

In addition to his military career, Fitzclarence served as a privy councilor, a fellow of the Royal Society, and of the Royal Geographical, Antiquarian, Astronomical, and Geological societies of London. He was also a founder member of the Royal Asiatic Society in 1824, was elected a member of the council in March 1825, was for many years vice-president, and was chosen president the year before his death. Tooley 222; Abbey Travel 519.

$3200.00 -