A Treatise on the Commerce and Police of the River Thames : Containing an Historical View of the Trade of the Port of London ; and Suggesting Means for Preventing the Depredations Thereon, by a Legislative System of River Police Hardcover - 1800

London: Printed for Joseph Mawman, in the Poultry, Successor to Mr. Dilly, 1800. Hardcover. Binding is Poor / Text is Very Good. This treatise examines the effects of crime on the commercial trade of the River Thames and interestingly, a copy was presented by the author to King George III shortly after it's publication. Title continues "With an Account of the Functions of the Various Magistrates and Corporations Exercising Jurisdiction on the River ; and a General View of the Penal and Remedial Statutes Connected with the Subject". Collated and complete. Black cloth over boards w. title written in a period hand onto a paper spine label, all edges stained red, 8vo (8.5 inches tall), pp. [4], xxxiv, 593, [1], 609-676, [20 - index], complete w. two fold-out tables (one printed recto & verso) and one fold-out map (map neat lines measure 8x21 inches), tp and p. 676 w. colophon in square brackets "[H. Baldwin and Son, Printers, New Bridge-street.]" and no colophon credit for the printing of the index. ESTC locates six variant impressions of this title, none of which have this particular "colophon / no colophon" combination. Volume w. covers almost completely detached, backstrip off, heraldic bookplate to front pastedown "Gladstone Library National Liberal Club" and their small circular rubber stamp noted to six pages - inc. tp, p.o. name and date "1913" in ink to front pastedown, ffep w. pencil notes, small tears and a water stain, text block is solidly bound, clean and unmarked throughout, 2nd rfep w. a thumb-size chip from upper corner, fold-out map w. small closed tears, some misfolds, minor soiling and has been tightly trimmed up to the neat line by the binder along it's bottom edge, some leaves still remain unopened (585-592, 617-624, 633-644, 665-672), one leaf (593/blank) is loose, p. 586 is misprinted as "486", the other two fold-outs are in fine condition. Overall, a rather nice binding copy, with mostly detached covers and a completely detached backstrip - remaining still, a functional copy in it's fresh 4 mm Mylar jacket. Ref. : English Short Title Catalogue Citation Number - ESTC T228633. The treatise also covers the history of trading on the Thames, the companies which worked the river and it's importance to the British economy, including in Part IV "Trade with the United States of America