Travels Through the Canadas, Containing A Description of the Picturesque Scenery on Some of the Rivers and Lakes, with An Account of the Productions, Commerce, and Inhabitants of Those Provinces. To Which is Subjoined a Comparative View of the Manners and Customs of the Several Indian Nations of North and South America. Illustrated with A Map and Numerous Engravings, from Drawings Made at the Several Places by Heriot.
London: T. Gillet. 1807. Edition: First edition. Printed for Richard Phillips., Binding: Contemporary 1/4 calf over marbled paper, rebacked expertly, flat spine with decorative gilt motifs, title in gilt on spine., Notes: George Heriot (1759 – 22 July 1839) was a Scottish-Canadian civil servant, author and artist. He is most notable as a major figure in early Canadian art. During his time in Canada, he spent a great deal of time travelling, as well as painting and writing. He published two books based on his experience of the country; The History of Canada from its first discovery (1804), and Travels through the Canadas (1807). The later of these is extensively illustrated with plates made from his own paintings. He arrived in Canada in 1792, the beginning of a quarter-century association with the colony. In his first years, little is recorded; some surviving sketches indicate he travelled around Quebec and Montreal, and he published one sketch in the winter of 1792. In 1796, he returned to Britain, travelling along the south coast and in Wales before spending some months at the University of Edinburgh. After preparing some paintings for exhibition at the Royal Academy, he left for Canada. Shortly after his return to Quebec, he was appointed to the relatively senior position of assistant storekeeper general, perhaps through the influence of his younger brother, the journalist John Heriot. He held his two positions concurrently, drawing the salary for both, and when this was discovered by the commander-in-chief in 1799 he was removed from the new position. However, he had met William Pitt when in London - again through his brother's connections - and through Pitt's influence was appointed the deputy postmaster general for the whole of British North America in October 1799. He replaced Hugh Finlay, who had fallen into severe financial difficulty and no longer had the support of the government. However, a later attempt to gain Finlay's former seat on the Legislative Council of Lower Canada was unsuccessful, and permanently soured Heriot's relations with Robert Shore Milnes, the Lieutenant Governor. He began his new career with vigour, aiming to expand efficient and speedy mail service beyond the existing Quebec to Montreal route, by using the existing profitable service to help kickstart a new network in the newly settled areas of Upper Canada. However, he quickly encountered both administrative and financial problems; the postmaster general required that all new services be able to support themselves and refused to allow profits to be reinvested in the system rather than being remitted to central government. However, he received a certain degree of support from the local authorities - Peter Hunter, the lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada, was strongly in favour of improved infrastructure - and by 1805 had obtained a noticeable though limited increase in the quality of service in the west. However, he found himself increasingly at odds with the administration, and eventually resigned his position in 1816. He returned to Britain, where he retired., Size: 4to (Quarto). , Illustration: Extra illustrated with 33 plates (generally 27); a folding frontispiece, 2 folding maps, 9 folding plates, 21 single page plates. Plates with fine original hand colouring.
Upper free end paper with period handwritten: “Maria Elisabeth Tuckes 1839”.
, Provenance: Ex-Libris on upper pasted endpaper, and verso of upper free endpaper. (“Ex P.G Libris Skinos H-485.), Pages: P. Folding frontispiece, title, preface (iii-vi), contents (vii-xii), 1-579, Vocabulary of the Algonquin Tongue (579-602), plate directions, advertisement., Category: Book Voyages General; Book Canada; Book Plate Books Colour;. A fine and handsome example of this scarce hand coloured version. Text and plates are clean and crisp. Item #B6031
Edition: First edition. Printed for Richard Phillips., Binding: Contemporary 1/4 calf over marbled paper, rebacked expertly, flat spine with decorative gilt motifs, title in gilt on spine., Notes: George Heriot (1759 – 22 July 1839) was a Scottish-Canadian civil servant, author and artist. He is most notable as a major figure in early Canadian art. During his time in Canada, he spent a great deal of time travelling, as well as painting and writing. He published two books based on his experience of the country; The History of Canada from its first discovery (1804), and Travels through the Canadas (1807). The later of these is extensively illustrated with plates made from his own paintings. He arrived in Canada in 1792, the beginning of a quarter-century association with the colony. In his first years, little is recorded; some surviving sketches indicate he travelled around Quebec and Montreal, and he published one sketch in the winter of 1792. In 1796, he returned to Britain, travelling along the south coast and in Wales before spending some months at the University of Edinburgh. After preparing some paintings for exhibition at the Royal Academy, he left for Canada. Shortly after his return to Quebec, he was appointed to the relatively senior position of assistant storekeeper general, perhaps through the influence of his younger brother, the journalist John Heriot. He held his two positions concurrently, drawing the salary for both, and when this was discovered by the commander-in-chief in 1799 he was removed from the new position. However, he had met William Pitt when in London - again through his brother's connections - and through Pitt's influence was appointed the deputy postmaster general for the whole of British North America in October 1799. He replaced Hugh Finlay, who had fallen into severe financial difficulty and no longer had the support of the government. However, a later attempt to gain Finlay's former seat on the Legislative Council of Lower Canada was unsuccessful, and permanently soured Heriot's relations with Robert Shore Milnes, the Lieutenant Governor. He began his new career with vigour, aiming to expand efficient and speedy mail service beyond the existing Quebec to Montreal route, by using the existing profitable service to help kickstart a new network in the newly settled areas of Upper Canada. However, he quickly encountered both administrative and financial problems; the postmaster general required that all new services be able to support themselves and refused to allow profits to be reinvested in the system rather than being remitted to central government. However, he received a certain degree of support from the local authorities - Peter Hunter, the lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada, was strongly in favour of improved infrastructure - and by 1805 had obtained a noticeable though limited increase in the quality of service in the west. However, he found himself increasingly at odds with the administration, and eventually resigned his position in 1816. He returned to Britain, where he retired., Size: 4to (Quarto). , Illustration: Extra illustrated with 33 plates (generally 27); a folding frontispiece, 2 folding maps, 9 folding plates, 21 single page plates. Plates with fine original hand colouring.
Upper free end paper with period handwritten: “Maria Elisabeth Tuckes 1839”.
, Provenance: Ex-Libris on upper pasted endpaper, and verso of upper free endpaper. (“Ex P.G Libris Skinos H-485.), Pages: P. Folding frontispiece, title, preface (iii-vi), contents (vii-xii), 1-579, Vocabulary of the Algonquin Tongue (579-602), plate directions, advertisement., Category: Book Voyages General; Book Canada; Book Plate Books Colour;.
Price: $8,000.00