Oblong folio (330 x 485 mm.) Facsimile copy, 16 four colour offset scale plates entitled 'Sixteen Views of Places in The Persian Gulph, Taken In The Years 1809-10', by Richard Temple, etched by John Clark + 8 colour plates of the town and harbour of Port Louis, 2 title pages in b/w; bound; printed on wood free book printing paper, antique wove with die printing; 22 pp., separate Introduction booklet in English and Arabic by Sheikh Hasan Al Thani; red cloth binding with gilt title on the front, fitted in a specially made cloth cardboard box, 1 view pasted on cover, 2nd reprint of 1810 edition, reproduced by Neueschwitter AG. of Switzerland, printed by Memminger Zeitung of Germany, Box Binding by Touch Binding of the United Kingdom, Published by Touch Editions Ltd, UK, 2017.

Synopsis

LIMITED AND NUMBERED EDITION OF 490 DELUXE COPIES of which this is number XXI (numbered from 1 to 490 in Arabic Numerals), and 510 standard edition. RARE PICTORIAL BOOK OF THE GULF. This album of the views of the Gulf of Persia is a collection of plates drawn by Richard Temple in the years 1809-10 illustrative of the proceedings of the forces employed on the expedition sent from Bombay under the command of Captain Wainwright of H. M. Ship Chiffone, and Lieutenant Colonel Smith of H. M. 65th Regiment against the Arabian Pirates. These views are highly considered among renowned sources in the Arabian Gulf history. The plates illustrate series of operations carried out by the British Naval Forces based at Bombay. This military operation took place, with full backing of the Omanis, against al-Qawassim of Ras al-Khaymah who were allied to the Wahabis at the dawn of the nineteenth century. The operation documented here is reported to be the second British expedition against the Al -Qawassim in 1809.
The album consists of two sections; the first consists of 16 plates depicting some views of this famous expedition against the Al Qawasim of Ras Al Khaimah and its dependencies. [1 view of the British fleet at Bombay harbour, 2 views of Muscat harbour, 5 views of the bombardment and occupation of Ras Al Khaimah, 1 view of Linja, and the other remaining views of Luft, Shanass, Kor Fakkan, and Ramas].
The second section portrays eight views of the positions of the British Army, commanded by the Honourable Major-General F. Abercrombe on the 26th & 30th of November & 1st of December 1810, also of the town and harbour of Port Louis. The views were drawn during the naval fleet presence on Mauritius Island in the Indian Ocean. The incident happened as a result of British hostilities against the island, an attempt of British expansionist policy to bring the island under British control.
Bibliographic references: Abbey, Travel 389, 293; Bobbins I, 115 and 274; Tooley (1954) 482, 481.