The Hong Kong Maritime Museum is the venue for the revived former China in Print Fair , held under the auspices of Firsts of London , from December 6-8 . It consists of a curated group of international dealers offering a selection of rare books, manuscripts, photographs and works on paper relating to Asia and beyond.
One of the dealers involved is Douglas Stewart Fine Books , Melbourne. Its offerings include a range of items covering China , Hong Kong , Taiwan.
The above , Opium Wars , by William Chimmo ( 1826-1891), a midshipman aboard HMS Cornwallis , $6000 .
Comprising the illustrated logs of Royal Navy vessels involved , it is a manuscript in ink on recto and verso of [37] loose sheets, 320 x 220 mm.
There are 14 pen-and-ink drawings, two topographical views, and a pen-and-watercolour naval signals chart.
The paper is browned and with old water staining throughout, text faded in sections (in some places severely), occasional chips and repairs; housed in a custom clamshell box.
It is described as a highly significant and previously unpublished primary source document that sheds light on British naval activity in China during the First Opium War and its immediate aftermath. The war formally ended with the signing of the Anglo-Chinese Treaty of Nanjing on board HMS Cornwallis on 29 August 1842.
The bookshop says Chimmo was born in Cork, Ireland in 1826. He entered the Royal Navy in 1841 as a midshipman, joining HMS Cornwallis, a 74-gun third rate ship of the line.
The Cornwallis sailed for China a short time later, where, as part the British fleet under the command of Sir William Parker, she took part in a number of engagements during the First Anglo-Chinese War (First Opium War) of 1839-42, including the Battles of Chapoo, Woosung and Chinkiang.
During his China service, Chimmo was attached to four other naval vessels at different times - Modeste, Rose, Castor and Agincourt - but in February 1844 he rejoined the Cornwallis and ultimately returned to England on her in November 1844.
He would go on to complete a lengthy career in the navy, taking part in surveying missions in the Pacific and Australia, on the west coast of America , and in the Arctic and Indian Oceans, before retiring with the rank of captain in 1873.
A dictionary of the Chinese language , in three parts, by Robert Morrison ( 1782-1834), described as "notoriously rare," is on sale for $40,000.
(Books, Honkers, China.)
