Subject: Shipwrecks

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An Authentic Narrative of the Loss of the American Brig Commerce An Authentic Narrative of the Loss of the American Brig Commerce

This book recounts the true story of the American brig Commerce, wrecked on the western coast of Africa in August 1815. It details the subsequent enslavement of the surviving officers and crew by wandering Arabs, their experiences in captivity, and their eventual rescue. The narrative includes a copperplate engraving of a circumcision ceremony, considered one of the earliest depictions of this practice in an American book. Published by the author in Hartford, this edition may be a first edition, as it is not found in OCLC. The book also features an appendix with observations on Atlantic winds and currents, a proposed method for visiting Timbuktu, and an Arabic-English vocabulary.

Narrative of the American Brig Commerce, Wrecked on the Western Coast of Africa; Bound with A Narrative of the Shipwreck of the Ship Oswego Narrative of the American Brig Commerce, Wrecked on the Western Coast of Africa; Bound with A Narrative of the Shipwreck of the Ship Oswego

This volume contains two narratives of maritime disasters. The first, "An Authentic Narrative of the American Brig Commerce, Wrecked on the Western Coast of Africa, in the Month of August, 1815," by James Riley, details a shipwreck, subsequent enslavement, and eventual rescue. Published in New York by the author in 1818, this third edition includes ten copperplate engravings and a folding map (partially missing). The book offers a firsthand account of the author's experiences, including observations on the social hierarchy among captives, noting the position of Jews within the system. The second narrative, "A Narrative of the Shipwreck of the Ship Oswego, on the Coast of South Barbary," by Judah Paddock, recounts the shipwreck of the Oswego off Cape Verde in 1800, the subsequent imprisonment by Arabs, and the crew's eventual release. This first edition, published in New York by Collins & Co. in 1818, details Paddock's ordeal, including a mutiny and captivity. Both narratives provide valuable historical insights into maritime disasters, slavery, and captivity in the early 19th century.

Pennsylvania Packet, and Daily Advertiser, August 22, 1785 Pennsylvania Packet, and Daily Advertiser, August 22, 1785

Issue of the Pennsylvania Packet, and Daily Advertiser newspaper published in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 22, 1785. Includes a story titled "Anecdote of a Jew," detailing a German Jew's delayed repayment of a debt to his savior from a shipwreck.