James Silk Buckingham

Reprint of the original, first published in 1843.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1843.

Originally published between 1824 and 1853, these four pieces by James Silk Buckingham (1786–1855) illuminate the concerns of a broad-minded traveller and the problems of governing an empire. A newspaperman, social reformer and fierce critic of the East India Company, Buckingham published the Calcutta Journal until his expulsion from India in 1823 for attacking vested interests. The first and second pieces reissued here are his open letters, written anonymously in 1824, to the MP Sir Charles Forbes regarding press freedom and the expulsion, without trial, of himself and another editor. These are followed by an 1830 account of the reception of his public lecture tour on the East India Company's monopoly, and an 1853 outline for the future government of India. Together, these polemical texts provide great insight into contemporary colonial debates surrounding British rule in India.

Cornish-born writer, traveller and controversialist James Silk Buckingham (1786–1855) spent much of his early life as a sailor in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean and went on to publish accounts of his extensive travels to India, Palestine and Persia. His criticisms of the East India Company and the Bengal government led to his expulsion from India in 1823. In the 1830s he became a Member of Parliament and campaigned for social reforms and for the promotion of the temperance movement. He founded several journals, including the periodical The Athenaeum, covering a wide range of topics from literature to popular science. This illustrated two-volume work, published in 1827, recounts Buckingham's journey through Mesopotamia, giving descriptions of its ancient sites and opinions of its modern inhabitants. In Volume 1, Buckingham recounts in great detail his journey from the historic city, Aleppo in Syria to Sinjar (now in north-western Iraq).

Cornish-born writer, traveller and controversialist James Silk Buckingham (1786–1855) spent much of his early life as a sailor in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean and went on to publish accounts of his extensive travels to India, Palestine and Persia. His criticisms of the East India Company and the Bengal government led to his expulsion from India in 1823. In the 1830s he became a Member of Parliament and campaigned for social reforms and for the promotion of the temperance movement. He founded several journals, including the periodical The Athenaeum, covering a wide range of topics from literature to popular science. In this work, first published in 1821, Buckingham describes his journey from Egypt by sea to Syria and then to Palestine. He ascended Mount Tabor and visited the Holy Sepulchre, but considered his experiences in Bashan and Gilead, east of the Jordan, to form the climax of his journey.

Cornish-born writer, traveller and controversialist James Silk Buckingham (1786–1855) spent much of his early life as a sailor in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean and went on to publish accounts of his extensive travels to India, Palestine and Persia. His criticisms of the East India Company and the Bengal government led to his expulsion from India in 1823. In the 1830s he became a Member of Parliament and campaigned for social reforms and for the promotion of the temperance movement. He founded several journals, including the periodical The Athenaeum, covering a wide range of topics from literature to popular science. This illustrated two-volume work, published in 1827, recounts Buckingham's journey through Mesopotamia, giving descriptions of its ancient sites and opinions of its modern inhabitants. In Volume 2, Buckingham continues his travels through Mesopotamia, from Sinjar in the north-west of the region to the city of Baghdad.

James Silk Buckingham (1786–1855) was a Cornish-born traveller and writer. As a member of Parliament in the 1830s he campaigned for reforms in the army and navy as well as for the temperance movement. He travelled widely to the Middle East, Israel and America, wrote travel books and also founded a number of journals. One of these was The Athenaeum, a weekly London periodical covering a wide range of topics from literature to popular science. In this work, published in 1849, Buckingham names seven evils threatening contemporary society (ranging from ignorance from intemperance to war and competition), proposes a number of economic reforms that primarily target the existing taxation system, and pleads for a new Reform Bill. Buckingham develops in great detail his vision of a model town and the community inhabiting it, and offers his thoughts on how a such city should be planned.

James Silk Buckingham (1786–1855) was a writer who travelled extensively and published accounts of his adventures in places such as India, Persia, Egypt, and Palestine. He first went to sea as a boy, and, aged only ten, spent a period as a prisoner-of-war in Spain. He was expelled from India in 1823 for criticising the East India Company and the Bengal government. Back in London, he was a supporter of reform, and served as the first M.P. for the new constituency of Sheffield, from 1832 to 1837. He founded several journals, including The Athenaeum. On retiring from Parliament, he left for North America, where he spent nearly four years, and was highly critical of America's economic dependence on slavery. His autobiography was cut short by his death. Volume 2 covers his travels in the Middle East and India, where he met European travellers including Belzoni and Burckhardt.

James Silk Buckingham (1786–1855) was a writer who travelled extensively and published accounts of his adventures in places such as India, Persia, Egypt, and Palestine. He first went to sea as a boy, and, aged only ten, spent a period as a prisoner-of-war in Spain. He was expelled from India in 1823 for criticising the East India Company and the Bengal government. Back in London, he was a supporter of reform, and served as the first M.P. for the new constituency of Sheffield, from 1832 to 1837. He founded several journals, including The Athenaeum. On retiring from Parliament, he left for North America, where he spent nearly four years, and was highly critical of America's economic dependence on slavery. His autobiography was cut short by his death. Volume 1 covers his early life and travels until 1812, mostly in the Mediterranean but also to the West Indies and America.

The Cornish-born traveller and writer James Silk Buckingham (1786–1855) campaigned energetically for social reform while a Member of Parliament during the 1830s. He later spent four years in North America, and in 1839 travelled on to Canada to investigate its social and economic landscape. In this revealing account, first published in 1843, Buckingham recalls his experiences in the Eastern provinces. He found the Canadians to be civilized, hospitable, hard working and unfailingly loyal to Britain (unlike the independent Americans, who he reports they despised). He also encountered evidence of widespread poverty, and argues that in order to advance Canada's economy and, in turn, that of Britain, new emigrants needed better financial support from the British government. He concludes by calling for a new system whereby land, labour, skill and capital would be optimally utilized, in a pioneering proposal that he expected to prove controversial.

The Cornish-born traveller and writer James Silk Buckingham (1786–1855) campaigned energetically for social reform while a Member of Parliament during the 1830s. He later spent four years in the United States, and in 1839 travelled across the Carolinas, Virginia, Georgia, and Alabama to observe at first hand the inhumane treatment of slaves in a system that showed 'reckless indifference to human life'. Originally published in 1842, and dedicated to Prince Albert, this two-volume work documents Buckingham's findings and argues that the USA should follow Britain's example in abolishing slavery. Within the framework of a travel narrative recording climate, geography, flora and fauna, Buckingham describes the use of slaves in industries as diverse as gold mining, cotton manufacturing, railways, canals, and agriculture. He highlights the social and political issues surrounding free labour, and relations between the slaves and their employers. Volume 2 focuses mainly on Georgia and Virginia.

The Cornish-born traveller and writer James Silk Buckingham (1786–1855) campaigned energetically for social reform while a Member of Parliament during the 1830s. He later spent four years in the United States, and in 1839 travelled across the Carolinas, Virginia, Georgia, and Alabama to observe at first hand the inhumane treatment of slaves in a system that showed 'reckless indifference to human life'. Originally published in 1842, and dedicated to Prince Albert, this two-volume work documents Buckingham's findings and argues that the USA should follow Britain's example in abolishing slavery. Within the framework of a travel narrative recording climate, geography, flora and fauna, Buckingham describes the use of slaves in industries as diverse as gold mining, cotton manufacturing, railways, canals, and agriculture. He highlights the social and political issues surrounding free labour, and relations between the slaves and their employers. Volume 1 includes descriptions of Charleston, Augusta, and New Orleans.

James Silk Buckingham (1786–1855) was a writer who travelled extensively throughout the world and published accounts of his adventures in places such as India, Persia, Egypt, and Palestine. In addition, he was a supporter of political reform and served as the first MP for Sheffield, from 1832 to 1837. On retiring from Parliament, he left for North America, where he spent nearly four years, saying, 'I had a strong desire to add to the knowledge … acquired of the Old World, by examining for myself the most favoured portion of the New'. He recounts part of his time in America - during which he visited every state in the Union except Florida and Arkansas, as well as some of the provinces of Canada - in this three-volume work, published in 1841. Volume 1 focuses on his time in New York, Washington, DC, and Baltimore.

James Silk Buckingham (1786–1855) was a writer who travelled extensively throughout the world and published accounts of his adventures in places such as India, Persia, Egypt, and Palestine. In addition, he was a supporter of political reform and served as the first MP for Sheffield, from 1832 to 1837. On retiring from Parliament, he left for North America, where he spent nearly four years, saying, 'I had a strong desire to add to the knowledge … acquired of the Old World, by examining for myself the most favoured portion of the New'. He recounts part of his time in America - during which he visited every state in the Union except Florida and Arkansas, as well as some of the provinces of Canada - in this three-volume work, published in 1841. Volume 2 follows his travels through Pennsylvania, Delaware, and upstate New York before he heads to Niagara Falls.

James Silk Buckingham (1786–1855) was a writer who travelled extensively throughout the world and published accounts of his adventures in places such as India, Persia, Egypt, and Palestine. In addition, he was a supporter of political reform and served as the first MP for Sheffield, from 1832 to 1837. On retiring from Parliament, he left for North America, where he spent nearly four years, saying, 'I had a strong desire to add to the knowledge … acquired of the Old World, by examining for myself the most favoured portion of the New'. He recounts part of his time in America - during which he visited every state in the Union except Florida and Arkansas, as well as some of the provinces of Canada - in this three-volume work, published in 1841. Volume 3 sees the final part of Buckingham's expedition through upstate New York, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

Title: Travels in Mesopotamia. Including a journey from Aleppo to Bagdad, by the route of Beer, Orfah, Diarbekr, Mardin, & Mousul; with researches on the ruins of Nineveh, Babylon, and other ancient cities. With plates.]Publisher: British Library, Historical Print EditionsThe British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. It is one of the world's largest research libraries holding over 150 million items in all known languages and formats: books, journals, newspapers, sound recordings, patents, maps, stamps, prints and much more. Its collections include around 14 million books, along with substantial additional collections of manuscripts and historical items dating back as far as 300 BC.The HISTORY OF TRAVEL collection includes books from the British Library digitised by Microsoft. This collection contains personal narratives, travel guides and documentary accounts by Victorian travelers, male and female. Also included are pamphlets, travel guides, and personal narratives of trips to and around the Americas, the Indies, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. ++++The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to insure edition identification: ++++ British Library Buckingham, James Silk; 1827. 2 vol.; 8 . T 42940 (a)