WILLIAM FASKEN. ILLUSTRATED MANUSCRIPT MEMOIR OF A VOYAGE TO NEW ZEALAND AND AUSTRALIA IN 1860-62, 2 VOLS

with dated entries from 26 November 1859 to 31 March 1862, presumably based on Fasken's contemporary journals, detailing events from the ship's departure from Britain, occurrences during the voyage to Sydney including the desertion of a midshipman at the Cape of Good Hope and a man overboard (13 June 1860), arrival at Sydney (1 July 1860) with initial accounts of the flora and fauna of New South Wales, the ship being almost immediately ordered to transport troops to New Zealand following the outbreak of the First Taranaki War, the Fawn landing troops on 23 July 1860 and thereafter cruising extensively around the New Zealand coast, notably the Marlborough Sounds, Auckland (Manukau), Wellington, Kororareka (Russell) in the Bay of Islands, the Coromandel Peninsula, Napier, and elsewhere, with a short return trip to Sydney via Cockatoo Island (June 1861), with extensive discussion of New Zealand's landscape, native flora (notably ferns, of which he made an extensive collection), the rapid spread of European plants and animals ("...Hedge rows of the English wild rose are now common, & about Auckland some tropical plants grow side by side with those of temperate & even cold climates..."), encounters with Maori and European settlers, description of events including the consecration of a Bishop of Polynesia and a race between Maori war canoes during a regatta in Auckland on 29 January 1862 ("...The canoes when seen end on looked like monsters of the deep - on account of their black savage heads & uncanny horns, and the resemblance was heightened by the narrow body of the canoe..."), also discussing such subjects as the military tactics of Maori including the construction of Pa  ("..simple palisades, but cunningly contrived - with one set of pales or staves inside another - and the pales themselves, so joined together that a resilience was imparted to the light looking fabric... The Maoris themselves were catlike prowlers...") and the issue of land rights that underlay the tensions between Maori and European, with 31 watercolour views inserted, 5 photographs (one of Government House, Auckland, in 1860 but the other four unrelated and probably inserted later), and two pages with samples of ferns, divided into parts ("Part VIII" to "Part XIII"), lined paper, 448 numbered pages (209 and 239), small 4to, modern green cloth retaining original coloured paper wrappers, early 1880s, some damp staining [with:] a small bundle of research papers and correspondence, 1950s

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."

"...So sheltered was it that even the wind scarcely disturbed the solemn quiet with a breath. Animal life was almost absent - vegetable life had the forest to itself. Few birds were to be seen - an occasional 'Tui Tui' and its clear bell-like note resounded in the still atmosphere ... In the middle of this forest & partial clearing is a log-hut formed by a piece of canvas stretched across two walls made of logs ... In this hut lived the two settlers ... and the wife of one of them - a respectable, well spoke, and well mannered Irish woman - who was moreover near her confinement! Not another house within thirty miles - and nothing but impenetrable forest between..." (Pelorus Sound, August 1860)  A DETAILED ACCOUNT OF NEW ZEALAND IN THE EARLY DAYS OF EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT. For another Fasken journal, see also lot 107.