The narrative of the Honourable John Byron (commodore in a late expedition round the world) : containing an account of the great distresses suffered by himself and his companions on the coast of Patagonia from the year 1740 till their arrival in England, 1746 : with a description of St. Jago de Chili and the manners and customs of the inhabitants : also a relation of the loss of the Wager, man of war, one of Admiral Anson's squadron by Byron, John (1723 – 1786) - 1768

viii+257 pages with frontispiece. Octavo (8 3/4" x 5 1/4") bound in half leather over marbled boards with red spine label in gilt lettering. (Sabin: 9730) Second edition.

John Byron was a British vice-admiral. He was known as Foul-weather Jack because of his frequent bad luck with the weather. Byron was the second son of the 4th Baron Byron. He joined the navy at a young age, accompanying Baron Anson on his circumnavigation as a midshipman. Byron's ship, HMS Wager, was shipwrecked on the coast of Patagonia, and the survivors had to make their way by boat to Rio de Janeiro. He wrote of his adventures in The Narrative of the Honourable John Byron, which sold well enough to appear in several editions. These experiences form the basis of the novel The Unknown Shore by Patrick O'Brian, which closely follows Byron's own account. In 1760 he was in command of a squadron sent to destroy the fortifications at Louisbourg. Between June 1764 and May 1766 Byron completed his own circumnavigation as captain of HMS Dolphin. In 1765 he took possession of the Falkland Islands on the part of Britain on the ground of prior discovery, and his doing so was nearly the cause of a war between Great Britain and Spain, both countries having armed fleets to contest the sovereignty of the barren islands. On this voyage, Byron discovered islands of the Tuamotus, Tokelau and the Gilbert Islands, and visited Tinian in the Northern Marianas Islands.In 1769 he was appointed governor of Newfoundland. He was made Commander-in-chief of the British fleet in the West Indies in 1778 and 1779 during the American War of Independence. He unsuccessfully attacked a French fleet under the Comte d'Estaing at the Battle of Grenada in July 1779. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Condition:

Small repair to frontispiece, previous owner's name on half title, new period end papers. A very good copy.