(Nepal), Colonel William Kirkpatrick: 'An Account of the Kin...

Hammer

£340

(Nepal), Colonel William Kirkpatrick: 'An Account of the Kingdom of Nepaul, Being the Substance of Observations Made During a Mission to that Country, in the Year 1793', London, W. Bulmer for William Miller, 1811, 1st edition, stipple engraved title vignette, large multi-folding engraved map of Nepal + 14 engraved plates (of which one hand coloured aquatint) complete as called for, 4pp. publisher's catalogue at end, 4to, contemporary diced calf gilt (worn, boards detached but present, lacks part of backstrip at head and tail of spine), all edges gilt, inner dentelles gilt. William Kirkpatrick's account of his 1792 diplomatic mission to Nepal, "leading the first Britons into that kingdom". Kirkpatrick (1754-1812) was an officer with Lord Cornwallis in India and was dispatched to Nepal to settle a dispute between Nepal and Tibet. At the time Nepal was spoken of as another El Dorado and was the subject for 'Lost Horizon'. In this work Kirkpatrick outlines his route to Katmandu, provides an historical sketch of the country, and details the boundary and divisions of Nepal. The appendices contain official papers and letters relating to his mission and the origin of the war between Nepal and Tibet, and include the correspondence of Cornwallis with Tibet during the war. The work provides much on the topography, geography, climate, agriculture, botany, zoology, culture, peoples, economy, history and with an extensive vocabulary listing. Scarce