A Complete and Universal Dictionary of Signals for the boats of Her Majesty's Fleet: : Well Adapted for Yachts, the Merchant Service, Military Posts, Signal Stations and Railroad, either in Communication with each other, or in conjunction with the Royal Navy of England. Containing a variety of New and Simple Modes of Signalizing: With a complete list of the Royal Navy, the Indian Navy, the Different Yacht Clubs; and the names of all Merchant Vessels Registered at Lloyds, with their tonnage, corrected to 1850. Compiled and Invented with the Sanction and under the Especial Patronage of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty - Arthur Parry Eardley-Wilmot, Commander Royal Navy 1850 - W. J. Cleaver, London - First Edition A rare first edition of Vice-Admiral A.P. Eardley-Wilmot’s compendious Dictionary of Signals.

Inscribed by Eardley-Wilmot to Sir John Cam Hobhouse, who was a close of friend of Lord Byron and the ‘best man’ at Byron’s wedding.

In contemporary binding and illustrated with twenty two plates of which eight are hand-coloured. Housed in later bespoke slipcase of card and carbon fibre sail material.

Besides an ordinary flag-signalling plan, it contains the following systems: Homograph to be made with a sword -Tiller-StickStretcher, and a Handkerchief or Flag; with Hats, Caps, Balls or Flags rolled up; with Oars, Boathooks, Stretchers or Thwarts; numbered Balls; Flags and Yards for Calms; Distant Signals; Signal Box for Day and Night; Semaphoric Signs (Pasley’s); Telegraph with Four Balls, Boat Hook Staff and Mast; and Semaphore with Boats’ Thwarts.
  Vice-Admiral Arthur Parry Eardley-Wilmot, C.B., was the fourth son of Sir John Eardley-Wilmot, Bart., M.P. for Warwickshire, and Governor of Van Diemen's Land, and entered the Royal Naval College in 1828. He joined H.M.S. Wolf, fitting for the East Indies, in 1830 as a 1st Class Volunteer, and subsequently saw active service against the Malay Pirates and in the blockade of the Quedah. In 1832 he was at Canton when the Chinese 'first displayed the symptoms of insolence and aggression'. He returned to England in October of the latter year as Midshipman in the Crocodile, and next joined Sir William Parker's Flagship, Asia, at Lisbon where he witnessed the expulsion of Don Miguel from Portugal during the Civil War with Don Pedro. Having passed for Mate in 1833, he visited 'the South Sea Islands, protecting British interests in the Sandwich Islands, the missionary interests at Marquesas, and the peace and good order in the Rio de la Plata'. During this latter commission a group of islands was discovered and named after the Actaeon. Promoted Lieutenant in July 1840, he was appointed to the ‘Powerful’ the following November, and, under Commodore Sir Charles Napier, served off Syria and in the blockade of Alexandria. In the ‘Wolverine’ he sailed for China, and was employed at the close of the Opium War in the blockade of the Canton River. He then served as Flag-Lieutenant to William Parker in the ‘Cornwallis’ on the East Indies Station and in the ‘Hibernia’ in the same capacity in the Mediterranean. Advanced to Commander in 1847 he was nominated acting Captain of the ‘Spartan’ off the coast of Syria and then second Captain of the ‘Superb’.

In 1851 he was appointed Commander of the Brig ‘Harlequin’, and, as there was no standard uniform for sailors at that time, he followed the lead of other Captains who dressed their crew, particularly the crew of the gig boats, according to their own taste. Wilmot's gig, manned by 'multi-coloured Harlequins', was consequently never hard to make out. In the ‘Harlequin’ Wilmot distinguished himself in anti-slavery operations on the coast of West Africa, where he made several treaties, and subsequently received from the King of Dahomey, as 'a tribute of esteem and friendship', an ornamental purple velvet Cap and Silver Staff in the form of an alligator Fetish. In December 1853 The Illustrated London News wrote of this prize, 'The Staff is an emblem of high rank, and gives to the possessor the title of Great Chief. Whenever the person carrying the Staff is seen, the natives fall prostrate upon the ground, and, according to the homage paid to Royalty, throw dirt over their heads ...'

Promoted Captain in 1854, Wilmot went aboard the Royal William (Captain Kingcome) as a volunteer for operations in the Baltic ending with the capture of Bomarsund. At Fort Nott, 'owing to the truce having expired', he was taken prisoner but the Russians chivalrously agreed to release him and he returned home in the Royal William to take command of the Paddle Steamer Sphinx, destined, with a cargo of amunition and explosives, for Sebastopol. Commended in numerous despatches and created a C.B. for services in the Crimea, he was appointed in 1862 Captain of the wooden Corvette Rattlesnake, in which he was instructed to hoist the Broad Pennant of Commodore on the West Coast of Africa, where he spent the next four years stamping out the slave trade. On his return to England he was nominated a Naval A.D.C. and appointed Superintendent of Deptford Dockyard until his promotion to Rear-Admiral in 1870. On 2 October of that year he was appointed Second-in-Command of the Channel Fleet under Admiral Wellesley and hoisted his flag on board the Agincourt. In 1871 during a visit to Gibraltar, the Agincourt, leading the inshore Squadron, ran on the Pearl Rock and became stranded, causing considerable comment and controversy at the time. The mishap proved 'a deathblow' to Wilmot's seagoing career, and he retired Vice-Admiral in 1876.

Provenance: Sir John Cam Hobhouse, Bart., M.P. (1786-1869), Baron Broughton, was a close friend of Lord Byron , and the ‘best man’ at Byron’s wedding in 1815. He became an M.P. in 1820. Acted as executor in Byron’s will in 1824, and was chief secretary for Ireland, 1833. Retired in 1841, made K.C.B. in 1852. There aslo appears to be a letter that was removed opposite the title page. Later from the library of Peter R. Hunt with his modern slipcase, note and ex-libris.

Duodecimo (binding size 15cmx10cm), pp. xxiv 24, 287 [3].
  In contemporary full tan calf, spine intricately decorated in gilt, brown label lettered in gilt, boards with twin gilt filet borders, upper board enclosing gilt vignette of anchor, marbled endpapers and page edges   Condition: Fine in near fine binding, rubbing to edges, some loss of gilt to spine.   Ref: 111406   Price: HK$ 12,000