Principios de direito mercantil e leis de marinha para uso da mocidade portugueza destinada ao commercio, divididos em oito tratados elementares, contendo a respectiva legislação patria, e indicando as fontes originaes dos regulamentos maritimos das principaes praças da Europa.

Lisbon, Na Regia Officina Typografica, 1798.. FIRST EDITION. 3 parts in 2 volumes, in 1. 4°, contemporary tree calf (small hole near foot of spine, slight defects at head and foot of spine, corners worn), flat spine gilt with crimson and green morocco labels, gilt letter, edges tinted yellow. Small woodcut Portuguese royal arms on title page. Woodcut initial. Typographical headpieces. Very minor light waterstaining to lower inner margin, becoming slightly more pronounced toward the end, pinpoint wormhole in outer margin, without loss. Clean and crisp. In good to very good condition. Early signature on flyleaf of Manoel G. Soares. (7 ll.), xvii, 172 pp.; (2 ll.), 173-302 pp.; (2 ll.), 139 pp. Signed *-****4, A-X4, Y2, (2 unsigned conjugate leaves), Z4, Aa-Pp4, Qq3 (with a stub for Qq4), A-R4, S2. *** Rare FIRST EDITION of this classic work - the first on mercantile law in Portuguese - complete with the divisional titles and tables of contents to parts II-III that are sometimes lacking. Although the table of contents (f. *4r) lists eight sections, this edition only included the first, on maritime insurance, in three parts, with the Appendice das formulas de apolices, e leis patrias sobre seguros at the end.Our copy has two unsigned conjugate leaves following Y2 (p. 172) and immediately preceding Z1. These contain a divisional title ("Continuação dos principios de direito mercantil, Parte II) and the Indice to Parte II. In the JCB copy, these two leaves follow p. 302 and a blank leaf.In our copy, Qq1 (p. 302) is followed by conjugate leaves with another divisional title ("Principios de direito mercantil e leis de marinha por José da Silva Lisboa, Deputado, e Secretario da Meza de Inspecção da Agricultura, e Commercio da Cidade da Bahia, Tom. II") and the indice for Parte III. These two leaves are not present in the JCB copy.An expanded edition, in seven folio volumes, was issued from 1801 to 1803. The first volume reprinted the first edition, including the appendix. The other six volumes covered such topics as maritime exchange, damages to ships, letters of trade or of exchange, maritime contracts, administration and regulations of harbors and customs, courts of maritime affairs, and political economy. These tomos, reprinted separately at various dates until 1868, were a legal-maritime best seller and a bibliographical nightmare. In 1874, Candido Mendes de Almeida published an edition of the complete work in two volumes, preceded by a long introduction, a biography, and a bibliography of the author.Born at Bahia in 1756, Silva Lisboa was the most distinguished Brazilian economist of his time, and a devoted follower of Adam Smith and Ricardo, whose influence can be seen in Principios de direito mercantil e leis da marinha. From the day in March 1808 when he advised D. João VI, then Prince Regent, to open Brazilian ports to the commerce of friendly nations, Silva Lisboa was one of Brazil's leading statesmen. An ardent advocate of independence and a supporter of liberal monarchy, he served as deputy to the 1822 Brazilian Constituent Assembly and later as a senator. He became a member of the American Philosophical Society in 1825.*** Borba de Moraes (1983) I, 494: "rare"; Período colonial p. 214. Sacramento Blake V, 194-5; for the author see 193-203. Goldsmiths'-Kress 17285. JCB Portuguese and Brazilian Books, 798/3. Cf. Bosch 262 for the edition of 1801-12. This edition not in Innocêncio or Rodrigues. Not in Imprensa Nacional. Not in Kress; Luso-Brazilian Economic Literature Before 1850 p. 6 cites a microfilm copy. Not in Welsh or Greenlee Catalog. Laranjo, Economistas portugueses p. 78-9: not citing this work. This edition not located in Porbase. Jisc repeats the University of London copy. KVK (51 databases searched) repeates Berlin Staatsbibliothek. NUC: DLC, RPJCB, NjP.