RARE DANISH ACCOUTANT OF ADMIRAL JOHN BYNG'S TRIAL
(SEYFFART, JOH. FR.)
Den ulykkelige engelske Admiral John Bings udførlige Levnets- Beskrivelse, tilligemed en tilforladelig og curieux Efterretning om Det Stor-Britanniske Admiralitet, Admiralerne, Søevæsenet og de tolv Dommere i Engeland.
Kiøbenhavn, Berlingske, 1757.
4to. Uncut in contemporary (original?) marbled paper covered boards. Small paper-label pasted on to top of spine. Light wear to extremities and "John Bind Admiral" in contemporary hand to verso of front board. internally fine and clean. 76 pp
The exceedingly rare first Danish translation, published the year of Admiral Byng’s execution, of this account of Admiral Byng’s life, trial and eventual execution - one of the most controversial episodes in British military history. Admiral John Byng (1704 - 1757) was a British naval officer court-martialed and executed in 1757 for failing to "do his utmost" in defending Menorca during the Seven Years' War. Though not guilty of cowardice, strict military law left no room for leniency, and he was sentenced to death to set an example. His trial and execution were widely seen as unjust and politically motivated, famously criticized by Voltaire in Candide. Biblioteca Danica II, 523.
Order-nr.: 62008
DKK 7.500,00