Wm. Lewis Herndon; Lardner Gibbon. Vol I Publisher: Robert Armstrong Public Printer, Washington, 1853. Vol II Published by A. O. P. Nicholson, Washington, DC, 1854. Volume one very good and tight with toning and foxing and rubbed extremities. Volume II same except hole in spine (as shown). Rare set with an interesting history

This American expedition was first proposed by the prominent oceanographer Matthew F. Maury. He urged North American plantation owners to emigrate to the Amazon valley with their slaves to seek their fortunes. He also advocated opening the Amazon to international commerce. Maury was the brother-in-law of Lt. Herndon, a naval officer. The expedition was organized by the U.S. Navy Department and sent out to South America in the Years 1851 and 1852. The Americans traveled to Chile and to Lima, Peru, where Lt. Herndon pushed into the upper Amazon. Lt. Gibbon traveled south through Bolivia and then into the selvas of Brazil.

The two groups met in Serpa, Brazil, and then continued down the Amazon River to Para. Herndon was later lost with his ship, The Central America, off Cape Hatteras, in 1857.

please enlarge photos and see item description

9 x 6 x 1.5 in