Shipwrecks

Tek Sing Shipwreck Treasure [Recovered by Mike Hatcher] – Shipwreck in the Gaspar Straits 1822

Qing Dynasty decorated footed dish recovered by Mike Hatcher from the Tek Sing shipwreck. A very good clean example.

Niceley decorated and with peony and magnolia flowers and double lines at rim, simple decoration under rim. Strong colouring and no damage which is rare. 10.5 cm in diameter 2.5 cm high. Retains the auction reference sticker from the famous Nagel auction in Germany underneath.

A fine example of a Tek Sing shipwreck bowl

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The Tek Sing Shipwreck – Background

The Tek Sing (Chinese for “Bright Star”’) was a large Chinese Junk which sank in 1822 in the South China Sea at the Belvidere Shoals. She was 50 meters long, 10 metres wide and weighed a thousand tons. Manned by a crew of 200. The great loss of life has led to the Tek Sing being referred to as the “Titanic of the East”.

Sailing from the port of Amoy (now Xiamen), the Tek Sing was bound for Jakarta, with a cargo of porcelain goods and 1,600 Chinese immigrants. After a month of sailing, Captain Lo Tauko took a shortcut through the Gaspar Straits and ran aground on a reef and sank in 100 feet of water.

The next morning and English East Indiaman captained by James Pearl sailing from Indonesia to Borneo passed through the Gaspar Straits. He found debris from the sunken Chinese vessel and survivors. They managed to rescue 190 people.

In 1999, marine salvor Mike Hatcher discovered the wreck. His crew raised what has been described as the largest cache of Chinese porcelain ever recovered. It was auctioned by Nagel in Stuttgart, Germany the following year

$140.00

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Shipwreck and Discovery of the Pelew Islands – First Edition 1788

An Account of the Pelew Islands situated in the Western Part of the Pacific Ocean, composed from the Journals and Communications of Captain Henry Wilson, and some of his Officers who, in August 1783, were there Shipwrecked in the Antelope … George Keate – 1788

Published by G Nicol, Booksellers to His Majesty the King, Pall Mall, LonDon in 1788. Quarto, xxvii, 378 pages. Bound in half leather over marbled papered boards, spine in compartments with gilt titles, author, date [1788] and fouled anchors to compartments. Binding a little rubbed to edges but still strong and impressive, internally a little age and occasional foxing and the odd stain, overall a good to better copy complete and worthy in any collection.

Frontispiece and sixteen magnificent engravings 8 of which are folding. Frontispiece of Wilson and an important folding map of the islands and their relationship with The Philippines, also a three-fold plan or view of the islands.

Composed from the journals and communications of Captain Wilson and his Officers who in 1783 were shipwrecked in the Antelope a packet belonging to the Honourable East India Company. They hit a reef near one of the Palau (Pelew) Island, a previously unexplored group. The entire crew managed to get ashore safely, where they were well treated by the natives and eventually managed to build a small vessel from the wreck in which they reached Macao. They took Prince Lee Boo, one of King Adda Thulle’s sons, with them to England, where he made a very good impression. Unhappily despite of precautions he died of smallpox. Keate was the author of numerous books of poetry, history, and letter, and counted Captain Wilson as well as Voltaire amongst his friends.

First Edition 1788 – An important Account with an interesting, readable narrative and impressive plates and maps.

$790.00

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The Expedition to Borneo of H.M.S. Dido for the Suppression of Piracy with Extracts from the Journal of James Brooke, Esq of Sarawak – Captain Henry Keppel – Two Volumes -1847

A third edition set of this Borneo classic published by Chapman and Hall, London in 1847 the year after the first. Preferred for the additional details particularly the new chapter on recent intelligence by Walter Kelly.

It is the second half of the title that explains the importance of these volumes. Brooke had suggested the first part as the principal title maybe to underplay his hand.

James Brooke (1803-1868) was an extraordinary individual born into a colonial family and generally describe as soldier and adventurer. He was given the Raj of Sarawak in Borneo, by the Sultan of Brunei, as a reward for quelling an uprising and driving pirates from the region. He ruled with an iron fist from 1842-1868. There is much more to his story than can be written here … he knew Alfred Russell Wallace and influenced his decision to conduct extensive natural history researches in the region culminating in the evolutionary evidence giving rise to the naming of the “Wallace Line”.

James Brooke is behind the character in Joseph Conrad’s “Lord Jim” and the “White Rajah” of Nicholas Monsarrat. Charles Kingsley dedicated “Westward Ho” to the man and Errol Flynn planned to star as Brooke in a film written by himself although it was never made.

The author of this work, Captain Henry Keppel had sailed the Dido to Borneo in 1843. His crew became heavily involved in resisting attacks by Lanoon pirates.

Two royal octavo, volumes, 429 and 315 pages after preliminaries. Bound in morocco with separate title and volume labels gilt on black leather, raised bands etc. Nicely illustrated with 11 tinted lithographic plates, 6 folding maps and a chart. A little pale foxing otherwise very good copies of this interesting account. Carries the bookplate of Walter Jeffrey, early writer of maritime novels and historical accounts.

The Dido in and Around Borneo and the Journals of Adventure and first Sultan of Sarawak – James Brooke

$590.00

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Batavia’s Graveyard – The True Story of the Mad Heretic Who Led History’s Bloodiest Mutiny – M Dash

First edition of Mike Dash’s book on the bloody Batavia story. Published by Weidenfeld & Nicholson, London 2002.

Thick octavo, 398 pages including extensive bibliography. A very good. Illustrated with maps and charts.

The Dutch East India vessel Batavia struck an uncharted reef off the West Coast of Australia on her maiden voyage in 1629. A total of 332 men, women and children were on board. A few headed off in a life boat to seek help. The remainder ended up on a small coral island less than a kilometre long. A band of mutineers began a cold – blooded killing spree … only eight remained alive when help arrived three months later. The ringleader Jeronimus Cornelisz a failed apothecary and heretic.

Gruesome true story of the strangest atrocities following a shipwreck off Australia in 1629.

$35.00

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Tek Sing Shipwreck Treasure – Dish decorated in Lotus, Lingzhi and Peach – 1822

Qing Dynasty decorated dish recovered by Mike Hatcher from the Tek Sing shipwreck of 1822. Nice condition.

Beautifully decorated with bands of lotus flower around a central spiral and set in alternate designs of lingzhi fungus and fruiting peach. Similar decorations to external rim, potters mark at bottom. Bright and clean. 15cm in diameter 6cm high, weighs 220gm. Retains Nagel auction sticker.

Price $240.00

Bright well decorated treasure from the Tek Sing
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The Tek Sing Shipwreck – Background

The Tek Sing (Chinese for “Bright Star”’) was a large Chinese Junk which sank in 1822 in the South China Sea at the Belvidere Shoals. She was 50 meters long, 10 metres wide and weighed a thousand tons. Manned by a crew of 200. The great loss of life has led to the Tek Sing being referred to as the “Titanic of the East”.

Sailing from the port of Amoy (now Xiamen), the Tek Sing was bound for Jakarta, with a cargo of porcelain goods and 1,600 Chinese immigrants. After a month of sailing, Captain Lo Tauko took a shortcut through the Gaspar Straits and ran aground on a reef and sank in 100 feet of water.

The next morning and English East Indiaman captained by James Pearl sailing from Indonesia to Borneo passed through the Gaspar Straits. He found debris from the sunken Chinese vessel and survivors. They managed to rescue 190 people.

In 1999, marine salvor Mike Hatcher discovered the wreck. His crew raised what has been described as the largest cache of Chinese porcelain ever recovered. It was auctioned by Nagle in Stuttgart, Germany the following year

$190.00

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White Blackfellows – Charles Barrett

Published in 1948 by Hallcraft, Melbourne. Octavo, 261 pages, well illustrated. A very good copy in a nice albeit chipped dust jacket.

We recognise that the title of the book is unacceptable. Accept the book though for the history within. Sixteen different histories from all over Australia. Many of these have inspired other works – Patrick White etc. And, quite a few appear in longer form within the Voyager collection – but in no other place do we have a balanced presentation of so many.

Mrs Fraser, William Buckley, James Murrells, Barbara Thompson etc and the dubious Louis de Rougemont

$40.00

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Tek Sing Shipwreck Treasure [Recovered by Mike Hatcher] – Shipwreck in the Gaspar Straits 1822

Shipwreck and Discovery of the Pelew Islands – First Edition 1788

The Expedition to Borneo of H.M.S. Dido for the Suppression of Piracy with Extracts from the Journal of James Brooke, Esq of Sarawak – Captain Henry Keppel – Two Volumes -1847

Batavia’s Graveyard – The True Story of the Mad Heretic Who Led History’s Bloodiest Mutiny – M Dash

Tek Sing Shipwreck Treasure – Dish decorated in Lotus, Lingzhi and Peach – 1822

White Blackfellows – Charles Barrett

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