Uruguay

1862 · réf. 6341 — London: Effingham Wilson Royal Exchange 1862. Very good. 72pp. plus four folding maps. Original printed card wrappers spine reinforced with cloth tape. Light wear and soiling to wraps. Minor toning and scattered faint spotting internally. The only edition of this rare and attractive promotional tract the earliest known devoted to Uruguay. It was issued to coincide with the London International Exhibition of 1862 in order to attract English settlers to South America and contains extensive descriptions of natural resources and economic opportunity of the country. The text begins with a brief section that provides an account of the voyage to Montevideo from Southampton. The two main sections provide a statistical and narrative account of the land and lifestyle. The work contains four folding maps of Uruguay and the River Plate as well as numerous illustrations throughout. "The Oriental Republic of Uruguay among all the States of South America is that which most exercises European customs and in which the stranger will have the least cause of regret for his native country." Indeed during the mid- to late 19th century the number of English emigrants to Uruguay was substantial and the country attracted significant British investment of which this manual is strong evidence. Scarce OCLC locates four copies in U.S. institutions at Harvard Penn State Cleveland Public Library and NYPL. Effingham Wilson, Royal Exchange unknown