Admiral Byngs Defence, as presented by him, and read in the Court January 18, 1757, on board his Majesty's Ship St. George, in Portsmouth Harbour.

Book. Containing a very particular Accouunt of the Action on the 20th of May, 1756, off Cape Mola, between the British and French Fleets. London: for J. Lacy, 1757. 8vo, removed. Title, pp. 445, (1) blank. Wanting the half-title. Moderately foxed and worn; very good. First edition. Following a court martial, Admiral John Byng was executed for failing to do his utmost in battle, despite being supplied with ships badly in need of repair and a wide range of failures of command by his superiors. The execution sparked a great outcry among his countrymen, and the (truncated) case gained international attention, with accounts pulbished in America and satirized in Voltaire's Candide. ESTC.. (Inventory #: 1247)