Add MS 8628

RELAZIONI, LETTERS, AND TOPOGRAPHICAL MAP RELATING TO CORFU; 1716-1717. Italian, partly transl. The collection relates to the siege of Corfu in Aug. 1716 and is partly translated from French. The MS. is entitled (ff. 2, 72) 'Assedio e Liberazione di Corfù'; it is described by Foligno, anno 6, t. xii (1906), pt. ii, no. cxxxix, p. 338. Decorative engraved frames pasted onto titlepages (ff. 2, 72). Bookplate of Pietro Gradenigo di S. Giustina (f. 1), and MS. ownership note 'Ex libris N.V. Petri Gradenico, de Confinio S. Justine', with later addition 'ab eo Collectis ad utilitatem studij sui, et ad usum praestantium Nobilium Reipublicae' (for the Gradenigo bookplate see Bragaglia, vol. ii, no. 538: c. 1730). Owned by Frederick North, 5th Earl of Guilford, but lacking his armorial bookplate. '175' in pencil at top of front pastedown. Purchased, together with Add. 8624, 8626, 8632, 8634, 8639, and 8640, from R. H. Evans, 8 Dec. 1830, lot 175 (part).

Paper; ff. 98+iii, plus 42 unfoliated blanks (9 interleaved and 33 at the end). Composite MS. Modern foliation in pencil 1-98 (followed here), including the front pastedown, but omitting one leaf after f. 5. Old foliation in ink 1-54 (ff. 5bis-58), partially cropped away. 198 x 142mm. Several Italian hands. 18th-cent. binding of brown mottled leather with gilt-tooled spine in compartment.

Contents as follows:

1. ff. 3-4. Plan of the siege of Corfu; 1716. Ink on paper. Circa 265 x 196mm.

2. ff. 5-55. '.1716. / Relazione dell'Assedio di Corfù / Tradotta dun'altra simile in Francese', with later footnote 'Corfu, il di cui assedio fu levato da Turchia 21 Agosto 1716', account of the siege of Corfu translated from French into Italian by Lorenzo Molin. Inc. (f. 5bis) 'Monsegnieur / Già con più mie precedenti lettere'.

3. ff. 55-58v. Correspondence between the Provveditore of Corfu,Vettore da Mosto, and Staggi [sic, possibly for Haji] Mehmet Choza Pasha, and between the Turkish Serasker (commander-in-chief), Mustafa Pasha, and the Venetian commander. Other copies of the relazione and letters in Venice, Bibl. Marciana, It. MSS. VII, 584, 1533, 1618, 1619, 2247.

4. ff. 59-69. Relazione of the siege of Corfu; 1716. Inc. '10. Aogosto 1716. Corfù / Io non prendo alcuna delle Occasioni'. Followed by a table of the weapons imployed by the Venetian forces.

5. ff. 69-71v. Relazione of Turkish forces on the account of a Turkish prisoner; 1716. 'Adi 20. Agosto 1716. in Corfù / Riavutosi dalli deliquij delle sue ferite Cuszerra Gianizzero caduto schiavo'.

6. ff. 73-84v. 'Assedio di Corfù 1716.'; 1716. Inc. 'Sù gli avvisi recati da Vassello di Bandiera francese proveniente da Levante',

7. ff. 85-98v. 'Rellatione sopra l'Assedio di Corfù 1717.', account of the siege of Corfù by Giovan Pietro Merlo; 1717. Inc. 'Illustrissimo et Eccellentissimo Signore mio Signore et Padrone Colendissimo / Non parlo della prima Campagna di questa guerra, ne della condotta', expl. 'mi consacro fino alle ceneri in particolare / Di V. E. Devotissimo ... servo vero Giovan Pietro Merlo Verona li 3 Luglio 1717 / Eccellentissimo Signore Antonio Donà / Venezia'.