1807 — Two volumes. Quarto. Pp. xii, 608; 531. Plus portrait frontispiece, engraved by L. Schiavonetti after H. Edridge, which is very foxed due to paper quality, affecting title-page as often. Hardcover, uniformly bound in contemporary half blonde calf extra, marbled boards, blind ruled sides, spine with raised bands decoratively tooled in gilt, blind embossed compartments, 2 dark-green gilt lettering-pieces in remaining compartments, "London 1807" gilt-stamped at foot of each spine, bit discoloured, extremities bit rubbed, chafed, ownership signature, first free endpaper of one volume creased. Attractive wide-margined copy in a very good condition, very clean interior. ~ First edition. Important work for its account of Macartney's embassy to China. Lust, 501; Cordier BS, 2391. ~ Provenance: from the private library of Stafford H. Northcote, with his attractive engraved armorial bookplate "Christi crux est mea lux" ("The cross of Christ is my light") to each volume. Sir Stafford Henry Northcote (1818-1887), 1st Earl of Iddesleigh, was Secretary of State for India (1867), Chancellor of the Exchequer (1874-1880), and British Foreign Secretary (1886). His(?) bookmark, silken red, hand embroidered with the word "Faith", is loosely inserted in volume II. ~ TO THIS IS ADDED: Loosely inserted in this copy are 2 engraved prints, apparently collected by Northcote. These are as follows: I. "View of the City of Batavia, with a Distant View of the Mountain Overhanging the Valley of the Upas, or Poison Tree. (From Authenticated Documents.)" Oblong, 200 x 260mm. Engraved by T. Dixon, after W. M. Craig, published by H. Fisher, London, 1826. II. "Sir James Brooke. (Raja of Sarawak.) From a Photograph taken expressly for the Work by Herbert Watkins." Portrait, 245 x 170mm. Stipple engraved by W. Edwards, published by James S. Virtue, London, undated. Both prints are in fine condition.
