A Narrative of a Nine Months' Residence in New Zealand in 1827; together with A Journal Of A Residence in Tristan D'Acunha.

Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green & Longman, 1832. 1832 First Edition. hardcover. x, 371pp, 16pp adverts, frontispiece, 6 plates, paper covered boards, recent new spine label, the boards look original, some staining to boards, one corner weak, foxing to plates but otherwise very clean internally, VG-.. Augustus Earle, 1793-1838, was a London born travel artist. Unlike earlier artists who worked outside Europe and were employed on voyages of exploration or worked abroad for wealthy, often aristocratic patrons, Earle was able to operate quite independently - able to combine his lust for travel with an ability to earn a living through art. On 17 February 1824, he left Rio de Janeiro aboard the Duke of Gloucester bound for the Cape of Good Hope, and onwards to Calcutta. Mid Atlantic storms forced the ship to anchor off the remote island of Tristan da Cunha. During the ship's stay in the island's waters, Earle went ashore with his dog and a crew member, Thomas Gooch, attracted by the idea that 'this was a spot hitherto unvisited by any artist. Three days later the Duke of Gloucester inexplicably set sail, leaving Earle and Gooch on the island, which had only six permanent adult inhabitants. In the ensuing eight months of enforced stay on the Island, between March and November, Earle became a tutor to several children, and continued to record impressions of the island until his supplies ran out. Later in 1827 - 1828 he spent several months in New Zealand where he met the Nga Puhi chief, Hongi Hika and recorded his travels through the northern parts of the North Island, meetings with Maori and missionaries. The unique body of work he produced during his travels comprises one of the most significant documentary records of the effects of European contact and colonisation during the early nineteenth century. Earle was later appointed draughtsman to HMS Beagle on its famous voyage with Charles Darwin and Captain Fitzroy.. Glacier Books are experienced and professional booksellers. We take pride in offering carefully described books and excellent customer service.