Beschreibung:

LOCH, Captain Francis Erskine (1788-1863). A collection of 35 original pencil drawings to illustrate an expedition against pirates in the Persian Gulf in 1818-1820. [ca.1834, paper watermarked 'Whatman 1833]. 4° (230 x 187mm). 35 leaves of drawings, each signed by Loch, and interleaved with 2 blank leaves throughout. (Some staining and browning.) Contemporary cloth-backed paperboards (spine worn and stitching broken). At the beginning of the 19th century, piracy in the Persian gulf by the Wahabis had become a tremendous problem for the East India Company, whose ships were attacked with impunity. The Company made several attempts to fight and suppress the pirates, all unsuccessful. Finally they appealed to the British Government, who sent an expedition led by HMS Eden, a ship with 125 men, 19 officers and 26 guns, commanded by Captain Loch. The ship left Plymouth in June 1818, returning in March 1821, travelling via Madeira, Rio de Janeiro, Trincomalee in Ceylon, along the Western coast of India to the Persian Gulf, Muscat and the centre of the pirates at Ras al Khaima. There were four encounters with the pirate fleet, before Wahabi piracy was finally suppressed. 21 officers and men died in these battles. After leaving the Gulf, Loch was given command of HMS Victory,and in 1847 became Naval A.D.C. to Queen Victoria and was promoted to rear-admiral in 1850. In about 1834 he compiled a diary of this expedition "from various notes and memoranda during the time of his naval command in the Persian Gulf". This was for his children, but he also attempted, unsuccessfully, to to publish it. By that time public interest in Arabia and piracy had waned. The diary remained in the family and was published by Sir Charles Belgrave, entitled The Pirate Coast (London, Bell, 1968). The drawings made to accompany the diary seem however to have been lost and were unknown to Charles Belgrave. The subjects of the drawings are: (1) Leaving Plymouth Sound. (2) Funchal Madeira. (3) Convent of Our Lady of the Mountain Madeira. (4) Flying Fish. (5, 6,7, and 8) Rio de Janeiro. (9) Flagstaff Point, Trincomalee. (10) Fort Oenaberg, Tricomalee. (11, 12, 13) Admirals House, Tricomalee. (14) View of Elephant Island, Tricomalee. (15) Bungalow near Tricomalee. (16) Point de Galle, Ceylon. (17) Sword Fish. (18) Old Goa. (19) Bombay. (20) The Edens first meeting with the pirate vessels. (21) The Edens second meeting with the pirate vessels. (22) Castle in which the Imam of Muscat's uncle was confined. (23) Fort and Point at Muscat. (24) Muscat Cove and town. (25) Remarkable land on the Persian Coast near the River Ibrahim [in water colour]. 26. The Eden's third meeting with the pirates. (27) Bushier. (28) A Hagees tomb near Bussora. (29) The Edens fourth meeting with the pirates. (30) The village of Hawiz. (31) Ras al Khaima. (32). The blowing up of the pirate vessel off Raslal Khaima. (33) Calcutta. (34) Napoleon's tomb at St.Helena. (35) Pico Picoom of the Azores.