Eight Views, of the Mauritius,

£5,000 · Offered by Shapero Rare Books

A scarce set of prints depicting the British invasion of Mauritius by an eye witness. Lacking plates 4 and 7. Major General John Abercrombie (1772-1817) was made Commander-in-Chief of the Bombay Army in 1809, and a year later lead the expedition that captured Mauritius from the French in 1810. Mauritius had become a base for the French corsairs which harassed British commercial vessels travelling to and from India, and capturing it was a small but important strategic victory in the larger context of British naval domination during the Napoleonic wars. First edition; landscape folio, dimensions (42 x 28.5 cm); 6 (of 8) hand-coloured aquatint plates, loose, without title, a little uneven toning, in very good condition. Abbey (Travel), 293; Tooley 481.

• Binding: Hardcover

Found via Rare Books Intel, a search across rare-book dealers, auction houses and marketplaces worldwide.