Author: KEATE, George.
Title: An account of the Pelew Islands, situated in the western part of the Pacific Ocean, composed from the journals and communications of Captain Henry Wilson, and some of his officers, who, in august 1783, were there shipwrecked, in the Antelope, a packet belonging to the honourable East India Company.
Description: Dublin, Luke White, 1788.8vo. Contemporary tree calf, spine richly gilt with red morocco title-label. With large folding engraved chart and 16 engraved portraits and plates. XXVIII,378,(8) pp.Edition in 8vo published in the same year as the 4to edition; with armorial bookplate of colonel Cooper. - In 1783 the East India Packet Antelope under command of Henry Wilson, ran onto a reef near one of the Palau Islands, a previously unexplored group, and was wrecked. The crew reached shore and were well treated by the natives. From the wreck they built a small boat which they managed to get to Macao, taking with them Prince Lee Boo, the son of king Abba Thule. Lee Boo soon died of smallpox in England. Captain Wilson allowed Keate (1729-97) to write a faithful account of the events from Wilson's journals and communications. This account did much to reinforce the idea of the noble savage and it is one of the most popular 18th century books on the Pacific and also the main source of early knowledge of the Palau Islands, the most western group of the Caroline archipelago. Includes a vocabulary of the Pelew language. - A fine copy of the rare Dublin edition.Hill 907; Huntress 107C; Cox II, 302-303; Howgego p.1105.

Keywords: Islands Pacific Palau Islands shipwrecks