NICOLSON Le père Essai sur l’Histoire Naturelle de Saint-Domingue, avec des figures en taille-douce.

Pritzel, 6695; Nissen, 2973 ; Sabin 13344: “Valuable supplement to Charlevoix”.

First edition.

The observations gathered during a four-year stay cover natural history. Through the cultivation and processing of coffee, sugar cane, indigo, tobacco and cotton, they also provide a wealth of information on slave labour. Pages 365-371 are devoted to a study of the Taïno culture, which has disappeared since the conquest of Saint-Domingue by Europeans.

“Tout a été anéanti avec eux; leurs conquérants ne cherchoient que de l’or, ils ne s’occupèrent que des moyens de s’en procurer” (p. 365).

There are descriptions and illustrations of fetishes, fragments of pottery and axes. The other plates show the fauna (insects and crustaceans) and flora of Santo Domingo.

A good copy.