Description:
xii+415 pages. Octavo (9 1/4" x 5 1/2") bound in full leather with black label to spine lettered in gilt. First American edition in the year of the first English edition.John Cochrane, traveler, was a nephew of Sir Alexander Cochrane [q. v.] and grandson of the eighth Earl of Dundonald. Having entered the royal navy when ten years old, he served, chiefly in West and East Indian waters, until the peace of 1814. He then made a tour on foot through France, Spain, and Portugal. Returning to England in 1820 he offered his services to the admiralty for the exploration of the Niger, but receiving an unfavorable answer, left England with the intention of making the tour of the world by way of Russia, Siberia, and North America. He travelled by Dieppe, Paris, and Berlin to St. Petersburg, most of the way on foot for the sake of economy. His subsequent progress was facilitated by the Russian government, who supplied him with the means to hire horses, sledges, and canoes. He reached Okhotsk in June 1821, having… Read More