Captain Read and his historic journey to and from China...
Item # 697812
December 06, 1788
THE LONDON CHRONICLE, England, Dec. 6, 1788
* Captain Thomas Read
* Continental Navy officer
* Voyage to & from China
* Early global maritime trade
Page 5 has a letter from New York concerning Captain Thomas Read's trip to China. Wikipedia notes: "... he sailed from the Delaware on June 7, 1787, and arrived at Canton on December 22 following, after sailing on a track that had never before been taken by any other vessel, and making the first "out-of-season" passage to China. In this voyage, he discovered two islands, which he named, respectively, "Morris" and "Alliance" islands, and which formed part of the Caroline Islands...".
This report in this newspaper mentions his departure from the U.S. & arrival in Canton as noted above, with more on his journey. It also notes that: "...they discovered a number of islands, the inhabitants of which were black, with curled or woolly hair: among these islands they had no founding...two other islands inhabited by a brown people with straight black hair. These islands appeared to be very fertile...They finished their voyage by arriving again at Phila. on the 17th of Sept, 1788..." with more.
Eight pages, 9 by 12 1/2 inches, never-trimmed margins, nice condition.
AI notes: After the American Revolution, Captain Thomas Read, formerly a Continental Navy officer, commanded the merchant ship Alliance on a pioneering voyage to China in 1787. Departing from Philadelphia, he navigated across the Atlantic, rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and sailed through the Indian Ocean, charting several previously unrecorded islands along the way. Arriving in Canton, Read engaged in the lucrative China trade, acquiring tea, silk, porcelain, and spices for shipment back to the United States. His return voyage retraced the hazardous route around the Cape and across the Atlantic, completing a journey of roughly a year. This expedition not only demonstrated Read’s exceptional navigational skill and leadership but also marked one of the earliest successful American commercial ventures to East Asia, helping establish the young nation in global maritime trade.
* Captain Thomas Read
* Continental Navy officer
* Voyage to & from China
* Early global maritime trade
Page 5 has a letter from New York concerning Captain Thomas Read's trip to China. Wikipedia notes: "... he sailed from the Delaware on June 7, 1787, and arrived at Canton on December 22 following, after sailing on a track that had never before been taken by any other vessel, and making the first "out-of-season" passage to China. In this voyage, he discovered two islands, which he named, respectively, "Morris" and "Alliance" islands, and which formed part of the Caroline Islands...".
This report in this newspaper mentions his departure from the U.S. & arrival in Canton as noted above, with more on his journey. It also notes that: "...they discovered a number of islands, the inhabitants of which were black, with curled or woolly hair: among these islands they had no founding...two other islands inhabited by a brown people with straight black hair. These islands appeared to be very fertile...They finished their voyage by arriving again at Phila. on the 17th of Sept, 1788..." with more.
Eight pages, 9 by 12 1/2 inches, never-trimmed margins, nice condition.
AI notes: After the American Revolution, Captain Thomas Read, formerly a Continental Navy officer, commanded the merchant ship Alliance on a pioneering voyage to China in 1787. Departing from Philadelphia, he navigated across the Atlantic, rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and sailed through the Indian Ocean, charting several previously unrecorded islands along the way. Arriving in Canton, Read engaged in the lucrative China trade, acquiring tea, silk, porcelain, and spices for shipment back to the United States. His return voyage retraced the hazardous route around the Cape and across the Atlantic, completing a journey of roughly a year. This expedition not only demonstrated Read’s exceptional navigational skill and leadership but also marked one of the earliest successful American commercial ventures to East Asia, helping establish the young nation in global maritime trade.
Category: The 1600's and 1700's
