Pacific voices - Dedication of a rare 1775 "Historic Epistle from Omiah to the Queen of Otaheite"

An Historic Epistle from Omiah to the Queen of Otaheite: Being the Remarks on the English Nation (c.1774–75)

London: T. Evans, York Buildings, Strand, 1775. Price Two Shillings

Quarto. A–M⁴ [24 leaves]: [1] f., pp. [1], 22.

Dedication copy: “To Sir William Thomas from the author.”

This is an unusual and rare 1775 satire which imagines a letter from the celebrated Tahitian Omai (Omiah) to the Queen of Tahiti.

Omai travelled from Tahiti to England with Tobias Furneaux and arrived in 1774 - quickly becoming a sensation. He was introduced to King George III, dined with the aristocracy, and was immortalised in a famous portrait by Sir Joshua Reynolds—now jointly held by the National Portrait Gallery and the Getty Museum.

Written as a mock heroic poem, the verses tease British manners and society from the viewpoint of a more peaceful and straightforward Tahitian life. It parodies British life, European pretentiousness, and the fashionable obsession with the Pacific at the time.

The author remains anonymous, though recent scholarship tentatively attributes it to John Scott-Waring, a satirist active in contemporary elite circles who later gained prominence in India.

This copy bears a presentation inscription to Sir William Thomas (c.1720–1777), MP for Glamorgan, a politically active and well-connected Welsh baronet.

Condition: Worn marbled cardboard binding. Water stains to bottom inner quarter of text block. Ex Francis Edwards bookseller pencil to rear fly leaf.

Rare in commerce and institutions - WorldCat locates 14 institutional holdings worldwide.