Sold by William Reese Company, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Association Member:
AbeBooks Seller since 13 July 2006
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
A very interesting narrative of a voyage made by Joel Root (b. 1770), a native of Southington, Connecticut, as supercargo and director of a voyage on the ship Huron, which left New Haven in April 1802 in search of hair seals for the American market and fur seals to be sold in China. Clearing Cape Horn in January 1803, they arrived at the Mocha, Lobos, and St. Mary's islands off the coast of South America, where they found a large population of seals. Root and a small party were blown off course in a whale boat and temporarily separated from the Huron. After being briefly imprisoned at Concepcion, they rejoined the Huron on Feb. 25. The captain headed for the Lobos Islands off the coast of Peru, while Root chose to stay behind on St. Mary's Island off the coast of Chile. With part of the crew he was able to take ten thousand seal skins. On the return of the Huron, they set sail on Sept. 25 for the island of Massafuero, one of the Juan Ferdinand Islands, also off the coast of Chile. There Root proposed to take fur seals for the China market, while the Huron returned to the U.S. with its cargo of nineteen thousand skins. "Mr. Root was surprized to find on the island more men than seals.In all there were about 150 men." These were lone sealers left behind by various ships. Root himself took about 4,000 skins, and purchased another 5,000 or more from the loners who had been threatened by the Viceroy of Peru with imprisonment if they failed to leave the island. In fire sale fashion, Root bought the skins for twenty-five to fifty cents each, and upon reaching Canton he sold them for ninety-five cents a piece and invested the proceeds in China goods which he then sold in Hamburg. From Hamburg he sailed for St. Petersburg, where he bought a cargo of mixed goods to sell on his return to the United States. He reached New Haven again on Oct. 30, 1806. Four other manuscript versions of Root's narrative have been located, all in some way different. There is also a published account of the voyages in the Papers of the New Haven Historical Society (Vol. 5, 1894) which differs markedly from this. That version is told in the first person while this is in the third; it is generally more detailed but omits two substantial sections included here which tell of an encounter with pirates at Sumatra and an incident with a disgruntled sealer who almost murdered Root. The present narrative was written by Dr. Emile B. Gardette, Root's grandson-in-law, based on accounts related to him by Root in 1836. According to the text, Gardette wrote this in 1841. As suggested by some of the wording, he may also have used an account which was written in 1840 by Root himself for his family. The original manuscript of that account is not located, but the New-York Historical Society lists a "transcript of memoir originally written in 1840 and subsequently copied by [Root's] daughter in 1847." East Carolina University's Joyner Library also holds a copy of the 1840 memoir, photocopied from an unspecified source and previously owned by Jake D. Moore of Kingston, North Carolina. The University of Montana likewise holds a copy with more or less the same text as the present copy, though theirs is fifty-six pages rather than seventy-three, and is described as a "photocopy of a typescript" with added photographs and genealogy. As for Gardette's manuscript (the original source for our typescript and the version at the University of Montana), the Connecticut Historical Society lists what it calls a "biography" written circa 1841, a "handwritten narrative" that could be Gardette's account. For remarks on Root's successful enterprise, see Busch's War Against Seals: A History of the North American Seal Fishery (McGill, 1985). Small folio. Original limp blue morocco, gilt. Inscribed on front flyleaf. Light wear to extremities, slightly heavier to corners and spine ends. Internally clean. Very good.
Seller Inventory # 48467
Terms of Trade
All initial queries concerning items listed on ABEBooks.com by William Reese Company must be made via e-mail.
All material offered herein is offered subject to prior sale and is shipped subject to approval, but notification of return must be made within thirty days and returns made in a prompt and conscientious fashion. New customers are asked to prepay, or supply ABAA/ILAB references. Payment may be made by check, wire transfer or bank draft, and we also accept Visa and MasterCar...
If you are a consumer you can cancel the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.
INFORMATION REGARDING THE RIGHT OF CANCELLATION
Statutory Right to cancel
You have the right to cancel this contract within 14 days for any reason.
The cancellation period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the the last good or the last lot or piece.
To exercise the right to cancel, you must inform us, William Reese Company, 14 East 60th Street, Suite 800, 10022, New York, New York, U.S.A., of your decision to cancel this contract by a clear statement (e.g. a letter sent by post, fax or e-mail). You may use the attached model cancellation form, but it is not obligatory. You can also electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". If you use this option, we will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a cancellation on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.
To meet the cancellation deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right to cancel before the cancellation period has expired.
Effects of cancellation
If you cancel this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).
We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.
We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to cancel with contract.
We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.
We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.
You shall send back the goods or hand them over to us or William Reese Company, New York, New York, U.S.A., without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your cancellation from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.
Exceptions to the right of cancellation
The right of cancellation does not apply to:
Model withdrawal form
(complete and return this form only if you wish to withdraw from the contract)
To: (William Reese Company, 14 East 60th Street, Suite 800, 10022, New York, New York, U.S.A.)
I/We (*) hereby give notice that I/We (*) withdraw from my/our (*) contract of sale of the following goods (*)/for the provision of the following goods (*)/for the provision of the following service (*),
Ordered on (*)/received on (*)
Name of consumer(s)
Address of consumer(s)
Signature of consumer(s) (only if this form is notified on paper)
Date
* Delete as appropriate.
Orders usually ship within 3 business days. Shipping costs are based on books weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. If your book order is heavy or oversized, we may contact you to let you know extra shipping is required.
| Order quantity | 7 to 21 business days | 3 to 10 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | £ 10.52 | £ 15.78 |
Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.
