MEARES (John). Voyages de la Chine à la côte Nord-Ouest d'Amérique faits dans les années 1788 et 1789... précédé d'un Traité abrégé du commerce entre la Côte Nord-Ouest et la Chine. Paris, Buisson, year 3 (1794); 3 vol. in-8 (193 x 123 mm) and an atlas in-4 (289 x 220 mm), marbled green calf, smooth spines decorated with gilt medallions, cherry calf patches, fillets on covers (Period bindings). 28 maps and plates including views of Macao, the Philippine Islands, full-length portraits of naturals, chiefs of the entrance to Nootka, a view of the rock known as Loth's Woman... First French edition. A former officer in the Royal Navy, Meares became a merchant marine and traded in sea otter furs, which he bought from North American Indians to sell in China. His Voyages contain long and interesting details of his relations with the natives of Russian America (Alaska), the islands of the Bering Sea and the Aleutian Archipelago, and his views on trade in the Pacific - against a backdrop of rivalry between the Spanish and the British. His allegations (notably about Nootka Sound) enabled the English to lay claim to Oregon and British Columbia. A VERY GOOD EXAMPLE IN NICE UNIFORM POST-ISSUE BINDINGS (small worm work at the bottom of one hinge of the atlas).