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An authentic narrative of the loss of the American brig Commerce : wrecked on the western coast of Africa, in the month of August, 1815 : with an account of the sufferings of her surviving officers and crew, who were enslaved by the wandering Arabs on the great African desart, or Zahahrah : and observations historical, geographical, &c. made during the travels of the author, while a slave to the Arabs, and in the empire of Morocco

Title: An authentic narrative of the loss of the American brig Commerce : wrecked on the western coast of Africa, in the month of August, 1815 : with an account of the sufferings of her surviving officers and crew, who were enslaved by the wandering Arabs on the great African desart, or Zahahrah : and observations historical, geographical, &c. made during the travels of the author, while a slave to the Arabs, and in the empire of Morocco / by James Riley, late master and supercargo ; preceded by a brief sketch of the author's life ; and concluded by a description of the famous city of Tombuctoo, on the river Niger, and of another large city, far south of it, on the same river, called Wassanah ; narrated to the author at Mogadore, by Sidi Hamet, the Arabian merchant ; with an Arabic and English vocabulary ; illustrated and embellished with ten handsome copperplate engravings.
Author: Riley, James, 1777-1840.
Publication: New-York : Printed and published for the author, by T. & W. Mercein, no. 93 Gold-Street, 1817.

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Status	Format	Access	Call Number	Item Location
Request Appointment Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Schomburg Center to submit a request in person.	Text	Use in library	Sc Rare 916.1-R (Riley, J. Authentic narrative of the loss of the American brig Commerce)	Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
Request for On-site Use Request Scan Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Schomburg Center to submit a request in person.	Text	Use in library	Sc 916.1-R (Riley, J. Sufferings in africa)	Schomburg Center - Research & Reference
Request for On-site Use Request Scan Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Schwarzman Building to submit a request in person.	Text	Use in library	BKW (Riley, J. Authentic narrative of the loss of the American brig commerce)	Schwarzman Building - General Research Room 315

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Description

xiv, [2], 554, xvi p., [10] leaves of plates (1 folded) : ill., map, port.; 22 cm

Donor/Sponsor

Home to Harlem Project funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Subjects

Genre/Form

Annotations (Provenance)
Inscriptions (Provenance)

Note

Edited by Anthony Bleecker.
Copyright statement on verso of title page.
"An Arabic and English vocabulary."--xvi p. at end; "This vocabulary was furnished the author by his benefactor, William Willshire, Esq. British Vice Consul and American consular agent at Mogadore, or Swearah. It has since been revised in New-York by the Baron Lescalier, late Consul General of the French empire in the United States of America, who is versed in the Oriental languages."
Plates 2-9 engraved by Thomas Gimbrede, Alexander Anderson, William Hooker, Benjamin Tanner, and Biddle Merchant, after illustrations by J. Carman, John Rubens Smith, and William Laughton, Jr.
The map is titled: "A map of part of Africa, drawn from the latest authorities to illustrate the narrative of Captain James Riley. By John H. Eddy, New-York. 1816." and signed: "W. Hooker Engraver 34 Fulton & 202 Water Streets New York."
Signatures: [pi]⁴ A-4A⁴ 4B1 1-2⁴.

Indexed In (note)

Library Company of Philadelphia. Afro-Americana, 1553-1906 (2nd ed.)
Sabin, J. Dictionary of books relating to America from its discovery to the present time
Shaw, R.R. American bibliography

Provenance (note)

inscribed: in ink on back of frontispiece portrait "Thos. Cowles Richmond [...?] August 1844.", with notes in pencil in a different hand ; Inscribed: in ink on title page "John T. Ayres price $3.50" ; There are also illegible notations in ink throughout ; This copy is part of the original collection purchased from Arthur A. Schomburg in 1926.

Call Number

Sc 916.1-R (Riley, J. Sufferings in africa)

LCCN

05008295

OCLC

2829978
NYPGR2829978-B

Author

Riley, James, 1777-1840.

Title

An authentic narrative of the loss of the American brig Commerce : wrecked on the western coast of Africa, in the month of August, 1815 : with an account of the sufferings of her surviving officers and crew, who were enslaved by the wandering Arabs on the great African desart, or Zahahrah : and observations historical, geographical, &c. made during the travels of the author, while a slave to the Arabs, and in the empire of Morocco / by James Riley, late master and supercargo ; preceded by a brief sketch of the author's life ; and concluded by a description of the famous city of Tombuctoo, on the river Niger, and of another large city, far south of it, on the same river, called Wassanah ; narrated to the author at Mogadore, by Sidi Hamet, the Arabian merchant ; with an Arabic and English vocabulary ; illustrated and embellished with ten handsome copperplate engravings.

Imprint

New-York : Printed and published for the author, by T. & W. Mercein, no. 93 Gold-Street, 1817.

Indexed In:

Library Company of Philadelphia. Afro-Americana, 1553-1906 (2nd ed.), 8891

Sabin, J. Dictionary of books relating to America from its discovery to the present time, 71397

Shaw, R.R. American bibliography, 41989

Provenance

Copy in Sc Rare 916.1-R (accession no. B593572) inscribed: in ink on back of frontispiece portrait "Thos. Cowles Richmond [...?] August 1844.", with notes in pencil in a different hand ; Inscribed: in ink on title page "John T. Ayres price $3.50" ; There are also illegible notations in ink throughout ; This copy is part of the original collection purchased from Arthur A. Schomburg in 1926. NN

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Added Author

Hamet, Sidi.

Willshire, William, 1792-1851.

Lescallier, Daniel, baron, 1743-1822.

Bleecker, Anthony, 1770-1827.

T. & W. Mercein (Firm), printer, publisher.

Carman, J., illustrator.

Smith, John Rubens, 1775-1849, illustrator.

Laughton, William, Jr., illustrator.

Eddy, John H. (John Hartshorne), 1783-1817, cartographer.

Gimbrede, Thomas, 1781-1832, engraver.

Anderson, Alexander, 1775-1870, engraver.

Hooker, William, 1782-1856, engraver.

Tanner, Benjamin, 1775-1848, engraver.

Merchant, Biddle, engraver.

Richmond, Thomas Cowles, former owner, inscriber.

Ayres, John T., active 19th century, former owner, inscriber.

Schomburg, Arthur Alfonso, 1874-1938, former owner.

Research Call Number

Sc 916.1-R (Riley, J. Sufferings in africa)

BKW (Riley, J. Authentic narrative of the loss of the American brig commerce)

Sc Rare 916.1-R (Riley, J. Authentic narrative of the loss of the American brig Commerce)

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