Containing, a Compleat Account of that Part of the World, now called the West-Indies, from its Discovery by Columbus to the present Time.
To which is prefixed an Introduction, showing the rise, progress, and improvement of Navigation, the use and properties of the Loadstone, and an enquiry concerning the first inhabitants of America.With an Account of Admiral Vernon’s taking of Porto Bello, Fort Chagre, and Carthagena, etc.
Third edition. Frontispiece, portraits of Drake and Cortez, and two other plates. Old panelled calf repaired. 8vo. [ii], xiii, 14-396pp. London, Fuller, 1745.
This was the first volume of an intended multi-volume work which was never completed beyond this first volume.
The editor promises a digest of the important voyages of discovery updated with later information where appropriate. The main body of the text concerns the discoveries of Columbus and Cortez. This section is prefaced by a lengthy discourse (pp.13-95) on the development of the compass and a short digest on the customs laws then pertaining throughout the British dominion. The title promises “Heads of the most eminent Admirals … neatly engraved.” Only two such were included. This is the third appearance of the text, ealier versions with the same pagination came out in 1741 and 1743. All are extremely uncommon.
Sabin, 1250.
