An Historical Account of the Black Empire of Hayti Comprehending a View of the Principal Transactions in the Revolution of Saint Domingo; with its Antient and Modern State

E-355. Good+. Hardcover. Leather. Folio. Published By James Cundee, Ivy-Lane, Paternoster-Row, Albion Press Printed, London, UK. 1805. Xxiii, 467 pgs. Illustrated with 11 engraved plates including the frontispiece and a two leaf facsimile letter in French of Toussaint Louverture with a folding map and a folding plan. Bound in 1/2 calf leather with raised bands present to the spine with matching cloth boards. Boards have shelf-wear present to the extremities (boards are scuffed and worn to the extremities). Foxing present. Previous owner's name present to the title page. Text is clean and free of marks. Some closed tears present to the edges of one or two plates. Binding tight and solid. As the first complete narrative in English of the Haitian Revolution, Marcus Rainsford's An Historical Account of the Black Empire of Hayti was highly influential in establishing nineteenth-century world opinion of this momentous event. This new edition is the first to appear since the original publication in 1805. Rainsford, a career officer in the British army, went to Haiti to recruit black soldiers for the British. By publishing his observations of the prowess of black troops, and recounting his meetings with Toussaint Louverture, Rainsford offered eyewitness testimonial that acknowledged the intelligence and effectiveness of the Haitian rebels. Although not an abolitionist, Rainsford nonetheless was supportive of the independent state of Haiti, which he argued posed no threat to British colonial interests in the West Indies, an extremely unusual stance at the time. Rainsford's account made an immediate impact upon publication; it was widely reviewed, and translated twice in its first year. ; 8vo 8" - 9" tall .