GILLISS, James Melville. - The U.S. Naval Astronomical Expedition to the southern hemisphere, during the years 1849-'50-'51-'52. Vol.I-II: Chili, the Andes and the Pampas.

Washington, A.O.P. Nicholson, 1855. 2 volumes. 4to. Original embossed cloth, with gilt illustration on frontcovers, rebacked (the original gilt spines partly laid down). With tinted lithographed frontispiece, large folding panoramic view of Santiago (29 x 175 cm) coloured by hand, coloured costume plate of an Araucanian chief, 3 plans, 3 coloured lithographs depicting Indian antiquities, 4 tinted lithographed views, 6 maps (4 folding), 11 wood-engravings, 15 brightly coloured lithographed plates depicting birds and 17 lithographed plates depicting reptiles, fishes etc. XIII,556; X,300 pp. First edition. - Congress financed an expedition to Chili and Argentina, led by James Melville Gilless and assisted by A. MacRae, S.L. Phelps and E.R. Smith. The expedition took back to Washington a large number of scientific observations on Chili's and Argentina's geography, climate, earthquakes, government, social condition, mineral and agricultural resources, commerce, etc. - Vol. III and VI are dealing with meteorological observations, vol. IV and V were never published. - Foxed and some marginal waterstaining in vol. I, otherwise a good copy. Sabin 27419; Palau 102244; Leclerc 1957.

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