Slavery - Abolitionism - History - Lot 645

Slavery - Abolitionism - History [MANUSCRIT - BOURBON ISLAND - MID 19th CENTURY] Collection of reminiscences containing 2 short plays, short biographies of colonists living or having lived on the island (from the mid-17th to the mid-19th century), short ornithological descriptions, list of governors and vice kings commanding Port Dauphin from 1643 onwards, brief history of the island's colonization, foundation of the various districts of the island in order of seniority, article devoted to the fishermen brothers, miscellaneous facts section, and a historical retrospective of the island with several color drawings and maps. 1/ The first document is an 18-page play featuring characters from the island (probably characters and events from the island transposed into this fiction), the second illustrated with characters in costume (the scene takes place on Bonaparte Island in 1815. In this play, one character portrays General Count Bouvet, administrator of Bourbon Island during the years 1815, 1816 and 1817). 2/Biographies of colonists, sometimes touching on slavery and abolition, the white, black and Indian populations of the time, demographic variations due to various diseases (cholera) and the abolition of the slave trade. There are also a few ornithological articles with drawings, including a short presentation of the Dodo (the Dronte de Maurice, a species of bird in the Columbiformes order, endemic to Mauritius and extinct since the end of the 17th century. It is better known as the dodo). 3/ Historical section covering various subjects, including the history of pirates and forbans, English pirates who settled on the island, the island's religious buildings, island administration, description of the Port Louis harbor area (with double-page color drawing), study of temperatures, return to the Port Louis pass (color drawing) following a naval combat with capture of the Governor to be exchanged for 100 blacks, and various articles including fanciful drawings of animals (Java monkey, manatee, a type of emu), shipwreck. Large format in-4, a few small traces of worms in the central part on a few leaves with minor text damage, fine, legible black pen-and-ink writing. Approx. 240 pages. ½ olive foxing, leather weaknesses, one spine split, rubbing, inner hinges and binding fragile.