The Discovery of the Treasure Isles by Amelia B Edwards (1831-1892 )
The Curse of the Other World
Born in London in 1831,Amelia B (Blandford) Edwards was a novelist, musician,journalist,poet, travel writer and a leading Egyptologist. Her first novel was My Brother's Wife A Life -History (1855) though Barbara's History (1864) is probably better known, dealing with the Victorian interest in bigamy. Miss Edwards wrote some quite striking ghost stories, many published in such magazines as Household Words and All The Year Round. Now with the rise of ghost and horror tales narrated on podcasts and Youtube, Amelia B Edwards's short stories are gaining a new audience. The Phantom Coach (1864) and the railway haunting classic,The Four Fifteen Express (1866), are the most known.
Miss Edward was a founder of The Egypt Exploration Society in 1882 after travelling into Upper Egypt, and her book of observations and illustrations were first published as A Thousand Miles Up The Nile in 1877- and republished in 1982 and 1986.A promoter of Bible Studies and Women's suffrage, and an opponent of vivisection. Her life and work also attracts interest from LGBQ history researchers.
Recently another aspect of her writing has come to light, her short story The Discovery of the Treasure Isles was included in the British Library collection The Roads of Destiny and Other Tales of Alternative Histories and Parallel Realms (2023). This tale was originally published in the collection Mrs Carew (1865) * and stands out from her other work
The literary style of The Discovery of the Treasure Isles is quite time bound and not to everyone's taste. but it simply ahead of its time. Alasdair Richmond, as editor of The Roads of Destiny suggests the tale " is perhaps one of the first stories to feature what seems best read as a journey to and from a parallel world." It is also clearly a historical novel, opening with the ascent of George III to the throne on 26th October 1760. And Time is an important theme in the novel.
The tale purports to be from a discarded manuscript found on a bookstall. Now quite a standard trope, but a quite new literary device in 1864. Adds to the whole sense of unreality. The manuscript appears to be a journal by one William Burton on the goodship Mary-Anne, a small vessel, bound for Jamaica. The ship gets becalmed, then a frightful sea mist descends. The ship's mate spots a much larger ship, approaching which Captain Burton hails and is invited to clamber on board. He is informed by the other captain that this is the Adventure going homeward bound, carrying precious items from the Treasure Isles. Captain Burton is shown his counterpart a chart of the Treasure Isles. The rest of the crew are silent. Burton is advised that the Treasure Isles are unclaimed, have no inhabitants, and then gets shown a wall of gold ingots at the side of the cabin and advised that there are tons of jewels aboard the ship, all looted from the Isle. Burton receives directions to the Treasure Isles, and given a drink which makes his throat burn. As he climbs down from the Adventure, the previously silent crew laugh at him. There remained only one independent witness to the existence of the Adventure, the ship's mate, who did not go on board.
Captain Burton becomes obsessed by the Treasure Isles. The thought of abandoned treasure ripe for the taking takes over him.He orders his ship to change course, jeopardising his commissioned task of reaching Jamaica. Essential supplies are running low. .....Eventually the Captain reaches the Isles, and makes a solitary trip to the ruins of a lost civilisation. Symbols and carvings adorn walls, the jewelled form of an idol are discovered, along with plenty of treasure. Captain Burton grabs whatever he can. After the jaunt to this lost settlement, Captain finds the Mary-Anne on the shore, rotting away. He establishes that the men who sailed with him have died. He sees his own face in a discarded mirror which indicates that he himself has aged. A day out to the city piled with treasure has devoured 25 years of his life.
Eventually Captain Burton is rescued and gets home. Nobody believes him that the Treasure Isles exists, or that the Adventure ever returned if it even existed. The items that he had returned with are counted as having absolutely no value.
The Discovery of the Treasure Isles is a classic piece of writing. Combines historical fiction, parallel world, archaic mythology, time slip, or perhaps an account of a poor wretch descending into madness. Offers clues to how the 19th century judged the 18th century.
* Other sources on line suggest that this tale was published in 1864, most likely in a magazine, but no definite confirmation emerges.
The Discovery of the Treasure Isles by Amelia B Edwards opens the collection Roads of Destiny and other Alternative Histories and Parallel Realms, part of the British Library 'Tales of the Weird' series
Links
Victorian Web entry for Amelia B Edwards
The Phantom Coach Post from this blog about Amelia Edwards's ghost story
Bite Sized Audio collection of Amelia Edwards's ghost stories.
Picture Credit
Petroglyph in the island of La Palma Lifted from Wikipedia
Books
The Roads of Destiny and Other Tales of Alternative Histories and Parallel Realms, Edited by Alasdair RICHMOND, British Library Publishing, 2023,
A Popular Encyclopedia of Victorian Women Writers, Russell JAMES, Prospero Books, 2024 : Entry for 'Amelia E Edwards'.
As ever, so welcome the interest shown by so many people from different lands who visit the blog.
Still not giving up hope that one day all these ghastly wars that are causing so much suffering will end.
Michael Bully
West Sussex
England
29th July 2026
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