Beschreibung:

FRANCHERE, Gabriel (1786-1863) . Relation d'un voyage a la côte du nord-ouest de l'Amérique Septentionale dans les anées 1810, 11, 12,13, et 14. Montreal: C.B. Pasteur, 1820. The first edition of the only eyewitness account of the founding of the first U.S. community on the Pacific coast (according to the preface of the 1857 ed.). This was Fort Astoria, the headquarters of John Jacob Astor's fur-trading company, located at the mouth of the Columbia and established in April 1811. Franchère's is also the first printed account of an overland journey from Oregon east through Canada (Hill). After three years of service Franchère decided to return to the East Coast over land. He followed the Columbia River, crossed the Rockies, reached the Red River settlement and finally Montreal. The book is an important primary source and served as the basis for Washington Irving's Astoria . The Frank S. Streeter copy and others are also in contemporary tree sheep, suggesting this is perhaps a publisher's binding. Forbes 512; Hill 633 ("very rare and important western narrative"); Howes F-310 ("c"); Lande 1179; Sabin 25431; Streeter sale 3691; TPL 984. Octavo (207 x 128mm). Half-title (light spots at ends, leaf 5.3 with margin supplied). Contemporary tree sheep (rebacked with old spine laid down, endpapers renewed, crack to spine). Provenance : S. Gale (ownership signature to title) – McGill College Library (marginal blindstamp to p.17, ink number to preface) – Les Trois Islets.