État présent de Royaume de Portugal. 1797.

Present State of the Kingdom of Portugal. New revised, corrected, and considerably augmented edition. Hamburg. Chatenauneuf Bookstore. 1797.

Quartero (24 x 20.5 cm), 278 pp., with 1 folded plate. Original binding. Copy with bookplate of J. Weyland.

The work was originally published in 1775, authored by a leading figure of the French Revolution, Charles François Dumouriez (1793-1823), although it appeared anonymously in that edition. It is known that Dumouriez dedicated an entire year to studying the military campaign fought between the armies of Spain and Portugal, and proposed a greater French commitment to the latter country, requesting a review of the Portuguese alliance with England and its interference in world maritime trade.

Dumouriez's life is surprising today, a journey from hero to villain; far removed from the authorities established by the French Revolution, he was forced into emigration. Throughout his life, he left behind a series of writings, this being his first book: a meticulous study that traces the history of Portugal, its geography, its military situation, its colonies, its government… Some claim that this book was of real importance in carrying out the Napoleonic invasion that led to the relocation of the court to Brazil.