[D'ESNEVAL (PIERRE JOSEPH LE ROUX)]


Relacion de los viages que el conde Desneval emprendio por tiera, y por mar para la Etiopia, y de lo que le aconteciò con los Ingleses en las islas de Cabo Verde, del Dominio de su Magestad Portuguesa, 20 pages, drop-head title, text ends "yo Felix Joseph Rodriguez Brasco la hice escrivir, y subscrivi, è firmè", some slight creasing in margins, contemporary marbled wrappers, folio (292 x 206mm.), [Lisbon, c.1745?]
|Very rare justificatory account of the colourful life and exploits of the Frenchman Pierre Joseph le Roux D'Esneval, only two copies of which have been traced (both in Italy). Having arrived at the court of King Christian VI of Denmark in 1721, D'Esneval was commissioned along with F.L. Norden to explore a new trade route to Ethiopia in 1737, travelling down the Nile to Sudan. He had proposed annexing part of Upper Egypt in order to control the Red Sea routes, but the plan never came to fruition. The second part of the work gives D'Esneval's version of events which occurred in the Cape Verde islands in 1744, when he was made prisoner by Commander-in-Chief of the East Indies, Curtis Barnett. The English version of events is very different: "There was already in the bay a Spanish privateer, which at first Barnett had no intention of disturbing, out of respect to the neutrality of Portugal; but being shortly after informed that this same privateer had taken and burnt some English vessels at the Isle of May, he sent his boats on board and took possession of her and her prizes without delay. The prizes he restored to their former owners, and finally sold the privateer to the Portuguese for 1,200 dollars" (ODNB).