GRANT, Lieutenant James (1772-1833). The narrative of a voyage of discovery, performed in His Majesty's Vessel The Lady Nelson, of sixty tons burthen, with sliding keels, in the years 1800, 1801, and 1802, to New South Wales.... Including remarks on the Cape Verde Islands, Cape of Good Hope, the hitherto unknown parts of New Holland, discovered by him in his passage... through the Streight separating that island from the land discovered by Van Dieman... London: C. Roworth for T. Egerton, 1803.
4° (280 x 222mm). Blank leaf d4 present, 2pp. list of 'encouragers of this work' at end. Folding engraved chart with lengths of caostline coloured in red by hand, folding engraved frontispiece, 6 engraved plates (one hand coloured). (Small neat repair to frontispiece, some light marginal soiling, some offsetting to folding frontispiece.) Original boards, uncut (rebacked, inner hinges repaired). Provenance: Sir John Thomas Duckworth (1748-1817. author's presentation inscription 'To Sir John Thomas Duckworth, K.B. with the Author's Compliments').
A FINE UNCUT PRESENTATION COPY OF THE FIRST EDITION of a work 'of the highest significance to any collection of Australian books and no collection of books dealing with coastal discovery or with Victoria, can be without it' (Wantrup). Using a revolutionary vessel especially designed (by John Schank) for survey work in shallow waters, Grant carried out a series of important expeditions along the Australian coastline, including the first passage through the Bass Strait from west to east. He left England on 17 March 1800, eventually returning in April 1802. The present copy was presented by the author to Rear-Admiral Sir John Thomas Duckworth - Grant would probably have seen Duckworth as a potentially important patron since the Rear-Admiral had reputedly received prize money of about £75,000 for his part in the capture of a Spanish convoy in April 1800. Ferguson I,375; Wantrup 75.