Scenes and Occurrences in Albany and Caffer-Land, South Africa.

£1,500 · Offered by Shapero Rare Books · No longer available

Scarce account of Albany and the interior of what is now the Eastern Cape by one of the 1820 settlers. Contained are long descriptions of Graham's Town, the Great Kei River, and the Ngqika people including chief Ngqika ka Mlawu (1778-1829). Thomas Philipps (1775-1859), together with his wife Charlotte and 7 children, was part of the party of thirty people on the Kennersley Castle to South Africa as one of the groups of 1820 settlers. They eventually made it into Algoa Bay and was given a parcel of land which he named Lampeter after his home village in Camarthenshire. Philipps not only prospered but had a deeply sympathetic attitude towards his indigenous neighbours. He declares that 'the native tribes... possess kindly feelings, and [are] susceptible of gratitude for favours received, as well as deserving of confidence bestowed.' He is also critical of the Dutch colonist's approach and uses his narrative of a journey into the interior to espouse the virtues of the country and its people. He was one of the settlers who lost everything in the Xhosa War of 1834-6. First edition; 8vo (19 x 12 cm); folding hand-coloured frontispiece, contemporary ownership inscription to front free endpaper; contemporary half sheep, marbled boards, all edges speckled blue, a very good copy; xvi, 214pp. Abbey Travel 329; Mendelssohn II, 165.

• Binding: Hardcover

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