On the Slave Trade; Presented by the Author
LEONARD, Peter.
Records of a voyage to the western coast of Africa, in His Majesty’s ship Dryad and of the service on that station for the suppression of the slave trade, in the years 1830, 1831, and 1832 ... Edinburgh, Andrew Shortrede for William Tate, 1833.
8vo, pp. iv, 267, [5]; some scattered foxing particularly to first few leaves; overall a very good uncut copy in original dark brown moiré cloth, printed label with price to spine (chipped); some marks to boards and light wear to extremities; ink inscription to front free endpaper ‘Alexander Seejars(?) Esq with the authors comps’, pencil note to front pastedown ‘Purchased from the collection of Prof. Matthew Hay M.D. L.L.D. Wed 25 Oct 1933'.
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Records of a voyage to the western coast of Africa, in His Majesty’s ship Dryad and of the service on that station for the suppression of the slave trade, in the years 1830, 1831, and 1832 ...
First edition of this account by the naval surgeon Peter Leonard (1801-1888), a presentation copy from the author. ‘The principal objects in publishing the following records are, to make known the horrors which attend the slave trade on the western coast of Africa, and the condition and mental capacity of the slaves liberated by our ships of war, and located in Sierra Leone; to expose some of the defects of the laws and treaties, having for their object the suppression of the disgraceful traffic in human beings; and to point out the additional sufferings entailed upon the wretched African as a consequence of these defects’ (Preface). The volume ends with a table of ‘vessels engaged in the slave trade captured by the British squadron’.
Provenance: Matthew Hay (1855-1932), Professor of Forensic Medicine at Aberdeen University and public health pioneer.