Viage Pintoresco por los Ríos (...). 1863.

Viage Pintoresco por los Ríos Paraná, Paraguay, Sn. Lorenzo, Cuyaba y el Arino tributario del grande Amazonas con la descripción de la Provincia de Mato Grosso bajo su aspecto físico, geográfico, mineralójico y sus producciones naturales. Paris. Librería Parisiense. Dupray de La Maherie. 1863.

Quarto, (26.5 x 18 cm), XI pp., (includes Half title, Title page, blank), 153 pp., 7 Plates, 1 Map, 1 sheet of Faith of Errata. Publisher's cloth binding with embossing. Copy, typical in this first edition, with foxing. Suarez, no. 963. Santos Gomez, b. 522. First edition.

Immersed in an entertaining story, Bossi dwells on brief historical considerations, alludes to the economic potential of each region he visits, describes the virgin nature in certain areas, addresses the conflict with some indigenous peoples -particularly with the Guaycurús- and acknowledges it with In his own words, he flees from exaggeration, willing to arouse the attention of colonizing companies.

A sailor of Genoese origin, Bossi (1812-1890) emigrated to the Río de la Plata as part of the Garibaldina squadron in Uruguay around 1832. He resumed his connection to the navy when between 1851 and 1855 he embarked on a steamer that sailed the Pacific Ocean to the coasts of California, and at the end of the decade driving the ship "Pampero" that linked the ports of Montevideo and Buenos Aires. But his adventurous spirit prompted him to make exploration trips to Matto Groso in Brazil, to the Chilean Island of Juan Fernández and to the Strait of Magellan itself. As a result of the trip and the publication of this book, Bossi was nominated in 1864 as director of the Diamond Mining and Washing Company and commissioned by the Government of Brazil to promote regional colonization, which was prevented by the war with Paraguay.

S.O.XXII - GSM