Interesting Particulars Of The Loss Of The American Ship Hercules, Capt. William Stout, On The Coast Of Caffraria, June 16, 1796; The Consequent Sufferings And Subsequent Adventures Of The Crew, During a long and painful Journey over the Southern Regions of Africa, To the Cape Of Good Hope. London: Printed for Thomas Tegg, 111, Cheapside. Tegg was at 111 Cheapside between 1805 and 1824, and the printer was Plummer, of Seething Lane; Plummer was trading as Plummer and Brewis as of 1809 and he moved from Seething Lane to Love Lane in 1810, so the book was probably published around 1809, and it was priced at only sixpence.
This book is 3/4 bound, with just a sliver of a title in gilt on the spine - the lettering is really that small, about a millimeter wide - with mauve boards, blank endpapers, the title page and 27 pages of text.
The ship was built in New England in 1792 and was hired by the British East India Company to carry rice from India to England. It set sail for Bengal in December 1795 and ran into a gale on June 1, 1796, which got progressively worse until the 7th, “when the contentions of the sea and winds presented a scene of horror, which, perhaps, the annals of marine history gives us no example … The terrors of the day could only be surpassed by those of the night.” A great way to start a book.
The crew started with sixty, thirteen were drowned, the rest of the shipwrecked crew went ashore off the coast of South Africa and were well treated by the local tribesmen, but when they arrived at a European settlement, there were only twenty-four who arrived safely. Some were left behind as they made their way inland, and eventually the stragglers arrived at Cape Town, but the British general in charge didn’t treat them too kindly, and that is how the story goes. See Sabin 92354.
Only three copies are listed in special collections around the world: at the University of Michigan, Durham University, and the National Library of New Zealand. All the other copies are from 1819 or are on microfilm. (See WorldCat.)
The book measures 7 1/8 x 4 1/4 in. wide and is in great condition, with no browning or soiling. We’ve found only two copies that were sold at auction since 1969, and a rare story of an American ship and crew that didn’t fare too well on its way from India to England.