COLLINS. ACCOUNT OF THE ENGLISH COLONY IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 1802

Second edition, 4to (269 x 206mm.), engraved frontispiece portrait, 2 maps (one folding), 23 plates (3 hand-coloured), and text illustrations (2 hand-coloured), vocabulary of the Australian Aborigines and the New Zealand Maori at end, 2pp. advertisements, contemporary marbled boards, some plates trimmed, spotting and staining, rubbed, tear to map, rebacked  

St. Peter's College, Cambridge, bookplate, shelf mark on title

Ferguson 390

Condition is described in the main body of the catalogue, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Collins embarked for Australia with the first convict fleet as deputy judge-advocate for and secretary to Governor Arthur Phillip, making him the second most powerful man in the colony. The account describes the first ten years of the settlement and is augmented with an account of a voyage by Captain Flinders and W. Bass in which they discovered the strait separating Van Dieman's Land from Australia.