1739 The Grand Question, Whether War, or no War, with Spain, Impartially Consider'd: In Defence of the present Measures against those that delight in War.

Description

First Edition, Uncommon

The first edition. A Dublin edition was published later in the same year, although this London edition is the true first. 

Bound in quarter cloth with paper-covered boards.

Illustrated with a woodcut engraving to the title page and to the first page of text. 

Uncommon.

Written anonymously, attributed to Horatio Walpole, the younger brother of first British prime minister, Sir Robert Walpole.

An exploration of "The Grand Question", referring to the military position of Britain in reference to Spain. At the time of publication, there had been a number of recent lootings of British merchant ships, including a dramatic incident where Captain Robert Jenkins lost his ear to a Spanish attack.

By 1739, the British public had been growing more and more agitated by the increasing threat. The author presents his argument, describing the demands of a war with Spain, which would probably result in Britain's defeat at the hands of the Spanish ships.

Despite Walpole's concerns, the war entitled the "War of Jenkin's Ear" commenced in 1739, lasting for nine years.