LIARDET, Francis.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

Professional Recollections of Points of Seamanship, Discipline, &c. First edition, association copy, with the ownership inscription of Captain Archibald Sinclair (1801-1859), under whom the author served on HMS Jaseur between 1831 and 1832. Loosely inserted are five sheets with Sinclair's manuscript notes.Liardet entered the Navy in 1809 as a second-class volunteer on board the Mercury. He served in the War of 1812, in the West Indies in the 1820s in command of the schooner Lion, and later at Acre with Napier, being made commander for his services commanding Powerful when the admiral was on shore. In the Caribbean, Liardet (1798-1863) led operations against pirates, destroying several enclaves and capturing ten vessels. While acting as the agent of the New Zealand Company at Terenaki, he was blinded by the accidental discharge of a small field piece. "During his enforced retirement and afterwards Liardet wrote or dictated three books on points of professional guidance for naval officers. In January 1856 he was appointed one of the captains of the Royal Naval Hospital, Greenwich" (ODNB).The author's service on Jaseur under previous captains is referenced in the text. During Sinclair's command, Jaseur continued to be stationed at the Cape of Good Hope. On his death, Sinclair was remembered by obituaries as a distinguished seaman and the tallest officer in the Royal Navy.This copy is bound with the additional bifolium at the end, which has a single-page extract from a report by

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