Published by Waugh & Innes, Edinburgh, 1825
Seller: David Kenyon, King's Lynn, United Kingdom
Hardcover. Condition: Fair. Paper covered boards with contemporary hand written title label pasted to front. Stitched binding. Rough cut. Covers worn esp. spine & extremities. Somewhat scruffy. Interior shows age staining/foxing. Appendix includes numbers lost in the disaster, together with letters from captain cook to his agents, plus other letters.
Published by Waugh & Innes,, Edinburgh:, 1825
Seller: Town's End Books, ABAA, Deep River, CT, U.S.A.
First Edition
Hardcover. First Edition. In new, dark brown, full leather covered boards with gilt text stamped on the spine. A 16mo of 7 by 4 1/4 inches with just the slightest rubbing at the upper fore corner of the front board. The contents are in very good condition as the pages are uniformly tanned and the title page shows an early prior owner's name and date and notes the author's name and regiment. Without a dust jacket. 78 pages of text which includes a 14 page appendix reproducing letters of gratitude and approbation following the disaster. The ship Kent (an East Indiaman vessel) was bound for Bengal and China with 641 persons on board the many of whom were 364 soldiers of the 31st Regiment of Foot. The Kent was caught in a violent storm during which a cask of spirits broke and caught fire engulfing the ship. The brigantine Cambria was near enough to see a distress signal from the Kent. Coming to the Kent's aid her crew and passengers helped rescue 550 survivors. 14 seamen were rescued by a second ship coming to the aid of the Kent. In all 81 persons lost their lives.