Kidnapping in the South Seas being a Narrative of a Three Month’s Cruise of H.M. Ship Rosario, Captain George Palmer R.N. F.R.G.S. Published by Edmonton & Douglas, Edinburgh, 1871. First Edition. 8vo up to 9½” tall., x, 233pp. with 9 of ten plates called for. Brown cloth boards with ruled black borders to front, black and gilt spine titles. Contents are in very good condition with light toning; hinges are weakened in although all pages holding secure. Boards have rubbing to edges, split to head of spine. In very good condition.
George Palmer entered the Royal Navy in 1845 and retired in 1873. His last posting was as commander of H.M. Rosario on the Australian Station and he was promoted to the post of Captain in 1870. In his narrative, Palmer provides a first-hand account of the kidnapping of several islanders in the South Seas by a group of white men, a practice known as black birding. Palmer additionally provides detailed descriptions of the landscapes, the culture, and the customs of the native people, as well as the harsh realities of their lives. An important historical document that sheds light on the colonial era and the impact it had on the indigenous people of the South Seas.
