WILLIAM FASKEN. ILLUSTRATED MANUSCRIPT MEMOIR OF A VOYAGE IN THE MEDITERRANEAN, 1847-1849

commencing with his arrival on board on 3 November 1847 and ending in the Dardanelles in November 1849 during a second tour of the Mediterranean, the first tour visiting Corfu and with a sojourn in Albania, the second tour travelling up the Italian coast from Sicily to Genoa, with time in Naples (including Pompeii), Elba and Livorno (meeting the novelist Charles Lever, "a stout, rather heavy looking man"), with a trip inland to Florence and Pisa, and then to the Dardanelles, with a visit to the town of Çanakkale (visiting, for example, a Turkish Bath), regular dated entries worked up from a contemporary journal, with 29 full page illustrations inserted, in pencil, wash and watercolour, chiefly maritime views and Italian landscapes, 166 numbered pages on lined paper, headed "Part IV" and "Part V" (p.70), one volume, small 4to, probably early 1880s, modern cloth retaining original lower paper wrapper, soiling to first page, some light spotting to illustrations

Condition is described in the main body of the catalogue, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

William Dunsford Fasken, MD, (1819-1883) had been appointed Assistant Surgeon on the Bellerophon in 1843 but he was the senior medical officer on board when the ship sailed in December 1847. He had a long naval career (see lot 270), eventually becoming Deputy Inspector-General of Hospitals and Fleets. In retirement he wrote up memoirs of his time in the navy based on his original journals, richly illustrating the volumes with watercolours that were presumably sketched at the time. Only three volumes are known to survive (see Lot 270).