316 pp. (8vo) 21.5x13 cm (8½x5") later marbled boards, brown morocco spine label lettered in gilt. First one volume edition.

Originally published in three volumes in 1806. An unflattering view of America and Americans. Clark describes Ashe as a man who  "was checkered with intrigue, misrepresentation, and fraud. Embarking on the Ohio in April, 1806, Ashe and two servants began a trip to New Orleans on a flatboat The chief reason for his journey was an intense interest in archaeological remains. He uncovered Indian tombs, sought bones of extinct animals, and climaxed his trip by swindling Dr. William Goforth out of a skeleton of a mammoth. Enlivened by misrepresentation and exaggeration, Ashe’s account is interesting and highly readable. Apparently he realized that a book devoted largely to the condemnation of Americans would be profitable." Clark, Old South II 134; Howes A-352; Sabin 2180.