[Memoria relativa a la navegacion del Rio Tajo.] Memoria que tiene por objeto manifestar la posibilidad y facilidad de hacer navegable el Rio Tajo desde Aranjuez hasta el Atlántico, las ventajas de esta Empresa, y las concesiones hechas á la misma para realizar la navegacion. Por el Brigadier de infantería de los Reales ejércitos Don Francisco Xavier de Cabanes. Publícase de Real Orden. [Together with:] Planos que representan los reconocimientos de las riberas del Rio Tajo verificados en 1641, 1755 y 1828. Con objeto de arreglar la navegacion de este Rio

Madrid: Imprenta de Don Miguel de Burgos, 1829. First edition. [Atlas imprint: A Paris: Imp. Lith. de Engelmann & Cie. Lithographes de la Chambre et du Cabinet du Roi, 1829. (10 [desultorily numbered, but complete]), 11-118 p.]. Text volume: In publisher's illustrated wrappers. Atlas: In publisher's printed wrappers. Lithographed throughout. Text volume: Pastedowns discolored, also a few quires. Browning to some quires at print space. Cover artistically restored. In fine condition. Atlas: Wrappers stained. A brown stain to lower left corner of the front cover, it affects the first leaves. Pastedowns discolored. Occasional brown spots throughout. Browning to some leaves at the rear. Artistically restored, overall in very good condition.. First edition. [Atlas imprint: A Paris: Imp. Lith. de Engelmann & Cie. Lithographes de la Chambre et du Cabinet du Roi, 1829. (10 [desultorily numbered, but complete]), 11-118 p.]. Text volume: In publisher's illustrated wrappers. Atlas: In publisher's printed wrappers. Lithographed throughout. (4), (I)-XII, (I)-IX, (1), (1)-63, (1), (1)-210 p.

Extremely scarce documentation of the topographical survey and the design of the navigation on the entire length of the Tagus River. Both volumes in original wrappers.

The Napoleonic Wars and the loss of the American colonies resulted in a political turmoil and economic disaster in Spain in the first half of the 19th century. A shift in the economics and the modernization of the country seemed to be the path to overcome the crisis. Among many signs of progress, an attempt was to make the Tagus River (Rio Tajo), the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula, navigable by steamships on its entire length from Aranjuez to Lisbon, to facilitate the transport of people and goods, thus strengthen the country's internal market.

The plan was designed by Francisco Javier de Cabanes (1781-1834) a multitalented Spanish military historian, in cooperation with an engineer, Agustín Marco-Artu. Although the plan has never been realized, the present work shows Cabanes' profound and systematic preparations. The text volume contains a prologue and detailed indexes, and the sixty-three pages of the report on the project "Memoria relativa á la navegacion del Rio Tajo" which is divided into twelve sections and the conclusion, exposing the advantages and the obstacles of the plan, and the possibilities of its realization. This part is followed by the appendix, the most extensive part of the book with extraordinary value. It contains a collection of 177 documents related to the plans and survey of the navigability of Tagus from the earliest attempt by Juan Bautista (Giovanni Battista) Antonelli in 1581-1582, through Luis Carduchi's and Carlos Simón Pontero's surveys in 1641 and 1755 to Cabanes' own survey executed by Agustín Marco-Artu in 1828. The maps of 1641, 1755 and the 1828 surveys, with short explanations, are included in the lithographed atlas.

Both volumes are preserved in their original wrappers, which is remarkably rare and particularly significant especially in the case of the atlas, as the Paris imprint of Engelmann is only indicated on its cover. In many collections the two volumes are bound together, thus this information became lost, and the lithographed maps are attributed to Miguel de Burgos in Madrid, the printer of the text volume. The text tome is bound into blue paper, the panels are framed with an ornamental double-rule. The front is illustrated with a steamer, the rear panel with naval equipment as an allusion to its content.

Ref.: Palau 38563.

Bibl.: López Gómez, A.: La navegación por el Tajo. El reconocimiento de Carduchi en 1641 y otros proyectos. Madrid: Real Academia de la Historia, 1998. pp. 151-152.; Pastrana, L.: El proyecto del Brigadier Francisco de Cabanes para navegar el Río Tajo mediante embarcaciones a vapor (1828). Iberoamérica Social: revista-red de estudios sociales IX, pp. 178-194.

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