A Journal of Observations, made During the British Embassy to the Court of Persia, in the years 1799, 1800, and 1801.

£9,500 · Offered by Maggs Bros Ltd

A rare and important travel account, written by a member of Sir John Malcolm’s famous embassy to Persia in 1799-1801. **It offers a valuable picture of Iran during the early period of Qajar rule, which would last for more than a century.**This copy belonged to a subscriber, James Dumoulin, who was an active figure in the literary scene of early nineteenth-century Calcutta and produced the second complete English translation of Sa’di’s Gulistan . William Hollingbery (c.1767-1809) wrote one other work, a history of the Deccan and its rulers, before composing A Journal of Observations… upon his return from Persia. Publication was first delayed as the government proofed the manuscript, and then by Hollingbery’s untimely death in 1809. It eventually appeared posthumously, with added footnotes (mostly containing biographical information) by an anonymous editor. As Hollingbery could not publish any sensitive political information there is no mention of the motivations behind the mission, or the content of the treaties made with Fath-Ali Shah Qajar (1769-1834) — a commercial treaty guaranteeing the mutual protection of British and Persian merchants, and a political treaty obliging the two powers to jointly repel an Afghan invasion of India and/or a French invasion of Persia. Instead, his journal focuses on the topography, antiquities, contemporary culture and populations the embassy encountered on its journey. It begins with the voyage from Bombay to Bushire, which included visits to

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