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Narrative of a five years' expedition against the revolted negroes of Surinam, in Guinea, on the wild coast of South America; from the year 1772, to 1777: elucidating the history of that country, and describing its productions, viz. Quadrupedes, birds, fishes, reptiles, trees, shrubs, fruits, & roots; with an account of the Indians of Guiana, & negroes of Guinea

Reize naar Surinamen, door den capitain John Gabriël Stedman (Amsterdam: Allart, 1799-1800). Dutch. Voyage à Surinam et dans l'intérieur de la Guyane... par le capitaine J. G. Stedman. Traduit de l'anglais par P.-F. Henry. Suivi du tableau de la colonie française de Cayenne par Daniel Lescallier (Paris: F. Buisson, an VII [1798]). French. Stedman's Nachrichten von Surinam und von seiner Expedition gegen die rebellischen Neger in dieser Kolonie in den Jahren 1772 bis 1777 (Hamburg: Benjamin Gottlob Hoffmann, 1797). Nachrichten von Surinam, dem letzten Aufruhr der dortigen Negersclaven ... In dem Jahren 1772 bis 1777 (Halle: 1797). German. Viaggio al Surinam e nell' interno della Guiana, ossia Relazione di cinque anni di corse e di osservazioni fatte in questo interessante e poco conosciuto paese dal capitano Stedman (Milano: Giambattista Sonzogno, 1818). Italian. Capitain Johan Stedmans Dagbok öfwer sina fälttåg i Surinam, jämte beskrifning om detta nybygges inwånare och öfriga märkwärdigheter (Stockholm: 1800). Swedish.

Goldsmiths' Library of Economic Literature, University of London. Rhodes House Library, Oxford. John Rylands Library, Manchester. British Library. Bibliothèque Nationale de France. Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal.

Narrative Travel Expedition Surinam Dutch Guiana America Maroons Illustrations Blake Slavery

This important Romantic travel narrative, with its shocking illustrations of torture of slaves in South America engraved by artists like William Blake, was a significant influence on the development of anti-slavery feeling in Europe. The 'Narrative of a Five Years Expedition' was based on the journal of a Scottish-Dutch mercenary soldier, John Gabriel Stedman, who fought against maroon armies in the Dutch colony of Surinam between 1772 and 1777. Stedman was able to provide a first hand account of the treatment of slaves in the Americas as well as the guerrilla tactics of the maroons and insight into eighteenth-century colonial life in South America. His own story, which included a doomed romance with a slave, also contributed to the book's popularity. The images of torture, engraved from Stedman's own sketches, provided abolitionists with compelling visual evidence that supported their arguments, although Stedman himself described slavery as a necessary evil.

Two illustrated volumes, with maps. Volume II is also available online: http://www.archive.org/stream/narrativeoffivey02insted#page/n5/mode/2up Although heavily edited in 1796, with many controversial passages regarding slavery and sexuality removed, the Narrative was a bestseller in the late eighteenth century, with translations into multiple languages. A re-edition based on Stedman's original 1790 manuscript has been published, edited by Richard and Sally Price (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1988). A number of the most famous illustrations in Stedman's narrative are by the British artist and poet William Blake - see the online archive of his work: http://www.blakearchive.org/blake/indexworks.htm