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1928 · rif. 174745 — Likely Shanghai: 1928-34. Mariners are warned to exercise due caution when approaching and when in the waterways A collection of otherwise untraced notices to mariners compiled by a civilian captain who plied the lower Yangtse during the late 1920s and early 1930s. Yangtse shipping was regulated by the Maritime Customs Service which issued around 100 navigational advisories per year. During the late 1920s shipping traffic on the Yangtse rebounded after several years of decline during the Warlord Era. Low water however continued to pose problems for navigators and increased the need for effective river management. The 39 notices are technical directions concerning specific parts of the channel. They specify when vessels may and may not enter stretches of water warning of the persistent presence of Chinese craft not subject to the same notices offer guidance for navigating buoyed channels provide optimum bearings and relay a change to the position of the Bend and Gravener Island beacons due to the erosion of the channel. The majority date from 1929. The identify of the "Captain Smith" referenced on the front cover has proved elusive but he may be the individual pictured in photograph Sw13-045 G. Warren Swire collection SOAS. Landscape octavo. Contemporary brown half cloth binder with metal clasp spine lettered in gilt buff paper sides front board with manuscript label "Captain Smith" boards lined with pink paper typescript list of charts on inner front cover 39 sheets each typed one side only in black or blue most duplicate typescript a few top copy. Boards lightly soiled clasp rusted sheets generally well preserved a few creased or with holes near clasp legibility unaffected typescript list with a few losses to text: a very good example. hardcover