Convolute with 4 British (travel) accounts 1850-1853 incl. Great Exhibition 1851

Convolute with 3 manuscript accounts in the same, very legible hand, of (1) an organised trip to Frankfurt regarding an international peace congress in which even a representative of the Ojibwe indigenous people participated (1850, 28 p., with one watercolour), (2) a visit to the first World's Fair at the Crystal Palace in London (1851, with two watercoloured plates, 18 p.), (3) a visit to Hastings and Brighton (18 p.) and (4) a visit to Edinburgh (1 p.), together in modern old-style leather, 19 x 12 cm.

With bookseller's label to inside front board: "Berkelouw Bookdealers Sydney". Lovely and interesting convolute with lively descriptions and fine illustrations, the Frankfurt part monogrammed "R.L." at the end. (1) "Visit to Frankfurt on the Maine &c. August 19 1850". 28 p., with watercoloured church interior as frontispiece. This manuscript concerns the "the Peace Congress" at Frankfurt. According to the author, nearly 500 of 550 "peace delegates" travel on the train from London (where the author had travelled from his home in Southampton) specifically arranged for this purpose. After the journey by ship from Dover to Calais the party continue by train, with the author mentioning among other things the stops at Ghent, Liège, Cologne (night at a hotel), Bonn, Mainz and the landscape inbetween, with "the seven mountains", vast vinyards and castles. Arriving at Frankfurt, they find the preparations for the congress in full swing. The author mentions the cathedral, the house of Luther and St. Paul's Church (where the conference was held), among other things. The three-day conference was attended by delegates from England, France, Germany, the United States, a native chief, "Two gentlemen of colour who were regarded in the city with great curiosity" and 'undoubtedly' many other nationalities. The author explicitly mentions various speakers and their remarks, incl. Cobden, Emile de Girardeau, Cormenin, Leibig, Bodenstedt, Grimm, Madonno and: "(...) Also mr. Copway, a Christian [crossed out:] Indian chief of the Ojibeway [Chippewa] tribe of North American Indians presented the Congress with the calumet, or pipe of peace, placing it in the hands of the chairman." The return journey is discussed in detail (incl. a visit to St. Goar, plant growth and butterfly species). On 29 August the party departs from Cologne, to arrive safely home at Southampton on 30 August. (2) "The Industrial Exhibition of 1851". 18 p., with 5 illustrations of (very large) gems in pencil and watercolour on 2 plates. In this manuscript the author expresses his astonishment at the scale and contents of the exhibition, the exhibition building ("that stupendous building"), and at the more than 6 million visits (according to him, many attended 6 or 8 times), with a particularly noteworthy peacefulness. He explicitly mentions the statue of a Greek slave, "the watches of Switzerland were for exquisitely fine and delicate, beautiful workmanship", French and English "silver plate", Austrian furniture carving and "pendulum clocks" and the Russian pavilion. Much attention is devoted in text and illustration to the (glass imitations of) gems and their astronomical value, e.g. the Koh-i-Noor (2 million pounds) and the blue Hope diamond. (3) "Visit to Hastings and Brighton August 11th 1853". 18 p.; (4) "Visit to Edinburgh October 1853". 1 p. (total 4 (travel) accounts in 1 volume)