MURPHY, James Cavanah.- A general view of the state of Portugal; containing a topographical description thereof in which are included an account of the physical and moral state of the kingdom, together with observations on the animal, vegetable and mineral productions of its colonies.- London: Printed for T. Cadell Jun. and W. Davies, 1798.- XI, 272 p.: XV gravuras, 1 mapa desdobr.; 31 cm.- E. Original edition of one of the most famous foreign books on Portugal. James Murphy (1760-1814), Irish architect and traveller, native of Blackrock (Cork); in the service of William Burton Conyngham, he was in Portugal during the years 1789 and 1790, with the mission of studying and designing the architecture of the Monastery of Batalha. The author's third work on Portugal, the first two having been published in 1795: “Plans, elevations, sections and views of the church of Batalha...” and “Travels in Portugal through the provinces of Entre Douro e Minho, Beira, Estremadura and Alem-Tejo in the years 1789 and 1790”. It includes a map of Portugal (double, at the end) and 15 aquatints, coloured by hand, representing mainly Portuguese customs and costumes. The location of the engravings and the map strictly respects their original placement, according to the index on pages IX and X. The copy, with good margins, belonged to Rodrigo da Fonseca Magalhães (1787-1858), bearing its white seal and ownership on the title page; another ownership crossed out, on the lower margin, with a stain passing slightly to the next sheet. Some sections with browning, but the engravings are exceptionally clean and fresh. The copies with the hand-coloured engravings are very unusual. Ex-libris of Henrique Botelho. Half-leather contemporary binding (?), with the initials VB gold engraved on the upper cover, keeping the original endpapers in marbled paper. Duarte de Sousa, 509. Foulché-Delbosc, 197 D.