The expedition for the survey of the rivers Euphrates and Tigris (London, 1850)

The expedition for the survey of the rivers Euphrates and Tigris (London, 1850)
CHESNEY, Lieut.- Colonel Francis Rawdon.- The expedition for the survey of the rivers Euphrates and Tigris, carried on by order of the British Government, in the years 1835, 1836 and 1837...- London: Longman, 1850.- 2 vols.: il.; 25 cm.- E. Francis Rawdon Chesney (1789-1872), born in Annalong (Ireland), artillery officer, explorer and traveler, best known for having imagined a project for the Suez Canal that was the basis of the undertaking that Ferdinand Lesseps carried out in 1868. The work, initially planned for four volumes, describes the exploration trip through the Euphrates and Tiber valleys, to the Persian Gulf, in search of a solution to shorten the route to India. Chesney then suggested the construction of a railway line that links the Persian Gulf to the closest navigable point on the Euphrates River. The collation of each of the volumes is as follows: I - XXVII, [3], 799 p .: 30 lithographs, XI maps; II - XVI, 778 p .: 20 lithographs. The edition also includes numerous woodcut figures in the text. Both volumes feature a printed card and a library stamp with topographical dimensions, (Hawkesyard Library, Rugeley, UK, which was to be demolished in 2008), on the first flyleaf, with pencil inscriptions, from a bookseller (?), on the back. For the rest, a very clean copy, keeping all prints intact, lined with editorial bindings, in blue canvas, very fresh. Provenance: Roberto Gulbenkian Library.