Emigration of the Clergy or a Translation to India to Convert the Innocent Indoos.

£1,500 · Offered by Maggs Bros Ltd

Rare. Not found in OCLC or in the British Museum catalogue. A very striking satire on British missionary work in the Indian subcontinent showing various clergymen “sailing” into their new parishes on the backs of alligators which are viciously attacking the local population. Around 1830 the East India Company loosened their restrictions on Christian missionaries and this saw a widespread increase in the number of evangelists travelling to the East to spread the word and “civilise” the local population. The clergy here are seen carrying the printed missionary tracts and sermons that were widely dispersed along with Foxe’s Book of Martrys , a foundational text of the English church and no doubt a comment on how missionaries saw themselves. The satire is remarkably well done with the pompous Englishmen completley oblivious to the destruction they are causing whilst intent on pressing home “the Benefits of our Religion.” This print is an interesting companion to another, also published by Gans and designed by Grant in 1830 (but produced by Heath), titled The Delights of Emigration! (Yale only) which focuses only on the physical hardship experienced by Englishmen abroad showing them being painfully attacked by scorpions, snakes, monkeys and mosquitos. The present print is particularly important as it actively attacks the missionaries for their short-sighted attempt at education and evangelism. We have been unable to locate this print in any public collections. It is illustrated in

• Binding: Hardcover

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