The Voyage Of Governor Phillip To Botany Bay with an Account of the Establishment of the Colonies of Port Jackson & Norfolk Island; compiled from Authentic Papers which have been added, The Journals of Lieuts. Shortland, Watts, Ball, & Capt. Marshall, wit

1. A very good copy of the 2nd state (1789) of the most important account recording the foundation of the British penal colony at Sydney Cove. 

•                 Unusually clean internally with all the folding charts in good condition. 

John Stockdale, London, 1789. Quarto, engraved frontispiece portrait of ‘Arthur Phillip’, engraved title-page with ‘H.Webber invt.’ removed from the lower left corner of the vignette, 53 engraved plates and folding charts, with the 2 page advertisement at end. Bound in modern red half calf, with red cloth, raised bands with gilt lettering and five embossed gilt images of a ship between the bands, new end papers.

This state is identified by; the title-page with ‘H.Webber invt.’ removed from the lower left corner of the vignette. This was removed at Josiah Wedewood’s request, page 122 with the uncorrected mis-numbering 221, with the ‘Vulpine’ plate (No. 16) on page 150, but with the early state of the ‘Kanguroo’ plate (No. 10.) on page 106, titled ‘The Kangooroo’.

The charts by William Dawes and John Hunter include; the earliest and best plan of the fledgling colony by William Dawes showing the street layout and a key of the buildings, George Street planned with a width of 200 feet, the first chart of the Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour) by John Hunter, the first chart of Lord Howe Island, charts of the voyage of the Alexander & Scarborough, and a map of Norfolk Island. The natural history plates include numerous birds and animals many new to science.

Phillip’s is a key work in any collection of Australia’s early foundation being the first of ‘First Fleet Accounts’ to be published with information primarily supplied by Arthur Phillip during his tenure as Governor of the colony.