VIAGGIO ATTORNO AL MONDO FATTO NEGLI ANNI MDCCXL. I.II.III.IV.

In-8 gr. (mm. 242x171), p. pelle bazana coeva, dorso a cordoni con titolo oro (abrasioni), tagli rossi, pp. XVI,428, bella vignetta di soggetto navale al frontespizio stampato in rosso e nero, vignetta alle armi alla dedica, un ritratto dell'A. e 1 carta geografica f.t., più volte ripieg., che dimostra il giro del Centurione intorno al mondo, tutto inc. in rame; testatine e capilettera xilografati.Rara traduzione italiana della relazione del viaggio dell'Ammiraglio inglese George Anson (1697-1762) attorno al globo, dal 1741 al 1744, redatta dal suo cappellano Richard Walter. Cfr. Borba de Moraes,I, p. 32 (in nota alla prima edizione inglese del 1748): During the war with Spain several English ship owners obtained permission to arm a fleet to offer combat to the Spanish in the Pacific colonies. They outfitted a fleet of six ships to be commanded by George Anson. During the passage through the Strait of Magellan three of them disappeared, and the fourth ship, the "Wager", was wrecked. Her crew managed to reach land (at Valparaiso and Buenos Aires) only after great hardships. The two ships survived, the "Centurion" and the "Glouchester", reached Juan Fernandes, but the "Glouchester" was in such bad shape that she had to be abandoned. Of the 961 men that made up the crew of the original fleet only 335 remained. In spite of all this, Anson procedeed with the voyage in the "Centurion". He captured a Spanish Galleon loaded with gold near Manila, and returned to England after sailing around the world. Anson touched at Santa Catharina in 1740. He describes the position of the island, and its fortifications.. He also gives information about Brazil in general, and the gold mines recently discovered by the inhabitants of Sao Paulo. This is a classic account of circumnavigation which has been published in countless editions in French and other languages, as well as in English, and still is republished to this day. Lievi fiorit. e tracce d'uso margin. su tutto il testo; frontesp. con alone rosa, ma certamente un buon esemplare.