Author: [PITT, William (attributed)].
Title: Plano sabio, profferido no parlemento de Inglaterra pelo ministro de estado Mr. Pitt, sobre a continuaçaõ da guerra com a França, e trasladaçaõ do throno de Portugal para o novo imperio do Brasil.Lisbon, Na typografia Lacerdina, 1808. 4to. 20th-century gold-tooled black sheepskin, loss of leather around the spine, green decorated end papers, bound by Frederico d'Almeida in Lisbon.
Description: 14 pp.Rare first edition of "one of the most mysterious and interesting documents in the history of Brazil" (Fernandes). The work contains a speech allegedly given in the British Parliament on January 31, 1799, by William Pitt the Younger (1759-1806), the first prime minister of the United Kingdom. In the speech, he advocates for the creation of a Portuguese empire in Brazil. He predicts the transfer of the Portuguese court from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro and proposes the transfer of the imperial capital to a new city in the centre of Brazil, to be named "Nova Lisboa". The present edition is very scarce and we have not been able to find it in any sales records of the past hundred years.During the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815), Britain was engaged in a conflict with France. William Pitt the Younger was a key figure in British politics during this period. His speech revolves around Britain's strategic considerations in a war that was characterised by shifting alliances and intense rivalries across Europe. Portugal, as a longstanding ally of Britain, played a crucial role in these dynamics. When Napoleon's forces invaded Portugal in 1807, the Portuguese royal family, including the later King João VI, fled to Brazil under British protection. This event marked the beginning of Brazil's trajectory towards becoming an independent empire.While Pitt's speech has been well studied, its authenticity has been questioned since the middle of the 19th century. The speech is not mentioned in any British libraries or archives, nor can it be found in Parliament records. It has been speculated that it may have been written by a Portuguese or Brazilian author. However, as a considerable part of the text concerns British interests in controlling Brazilian trade, a British authorship seems more likely. Nevertheless, the work was apparently quite successful in Portugal when it was first published, and offers a fascinating insight into the very start of Brazil's journey towards independence.With the label of bookbinder Frederico d'Almeida mounted on the verso of the front free flyleaf, remnants of a large bookplate on the front pastedown. The binding is worn, the leather around the spine is gone, the leather on the boards has started to chip off, mainly around the edges and corners of the boards, the joint of the front board is cracked, browned throughout. A remarkable and mysterious publication concerning the founding of the Brazilian Empire.l Borba de Moraes, p. 677; Fernandes, G., A Brasília de William Pitt, 2020. In: Arquitetura em notas (blog: https://wp.me/p54DSn-zl); Jisc (1 copy); Porbase 822057 (4 copies); WorldCat 1062048983, 78609413, 53850331 (6 copies); cf. JCB, Portuguese and Brazilian books, 809/14 (2nd ed.); not in Innocencio; Rodrigues.

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