Travels Through the Canadas.
London: T. Gillet, 1807. First edition. xii, 602pp, 27 aquatint plates (6 folding), folding map. Rebound in handsome full leather. The extended title continues, ÒContaining a Description of the Picturesque Scenery on Some of the River 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 several of the Indian nations of North and South America.Ó Heriot was Postmaster-General of British North America from 1799 to 1816, and his position allowed him to travel extensively in the western parts of Canada and the United States. An intelligent observer with the eye of an artist, he provided detailed information on the fur trade, the cod fishing industry, loyalist settlements, and the customs and languages of the Indians and the Inuit of the west and north. Illustrated books from this period are few, and Hariot, who had studied art at the Royal Military Academy, provides charming views among them Quebec from Port Levi, the Azores, St. Paul's Bay, Quebec from the Citadel, Quebec from Beauport, Lake St. Charles, Bridge on the Jacques Cartier, Montreal from the Mountain, Cascades of the St. Lawrence, Fort of Niagara, Whirlpool of the Saint Lawrence, Falls of Niagara (two), and depictions of French Canadian dancing (two), an Indian encampment, and Indian costume. His work is a literary and visual compendium of Canadian views. He had access to the Jesuitical Library in Quebec, which he used to produce the second part of this book, a fine study of the Indians of North and South America. Streeter sale 3658, Lande 433. Item #24861
Price: $4,500.00