Bougainville

JOURNAL DE LA NAVIGATION AUTOUR DU GLOBE DE LA FRÉGATE LA THÉTIS ET DE LA CORVETTE L'ESPÉRANCE PENDANT LES ANNÉES 1824 1825 ET 1826

1837 · WRCAM54770 — Paris: Arthus Bertrand 1837. Two large quarto text volumes plus folio atlas. Text volumes: vi742; xvi3511652pp. Atlas: 4pp. plus fifty- six engraved or lithographed plates and double-page maps many handcolored. Errata. Lacking front blank in first volume. Half titles. Uniform contemporary half tan diced russia and marbled boards text and altas neatly rebacked preserving original backstrips. Two modern bookplates on each front pastedown minor scattered foxing. Varying degrees of foxing to atlas plates. Very good. First edition of the official record of Bougainville's voyage around the world. Hyacinthe de Bougainville son of Louis de Bougainville sailed as an ensign at the age of eighteen on the Baudin voyage. His own expedition of 1826 has continued to be overshadowed by such circumnavigators as Dumont d'Urville. After distinguished service in the Napoleonic Wars Bougainville was promoted to post-captain and given command of the Thétis. She was only the second French frigate to be commissioned for a circumnavigation the first having been his father's vessel the Boudeuse. <br> <br> The voyage took twenty-eight months visiting Pondicherry Manila Macao Surabaya Sydney a stay of almost three months Valparaiso and Rio among other places. Bougainville returned to France with a fine collection of natural history specimens and the official account of the voyage was handsomely published after a delay of some eleven years. The major purpose of the expedition was political and strategic and Bougainville's first report of 1826 gave the French government a survey of colonial possessions in Asia and of the military strength of Manila as well as accounts of Singapore the Australian colonies and Spanish America. He spent several months in and around Sydney where he collected considerable ornithological material. This ultimately resulted in three drawings by Bessa of four species of birds including superb illustrations of the male and female Gang-gang or red-crested parrot. <br> <br> From here both ships crossed to Valparaiso where la Touanne commenced his overland journey to rejoin the expedition at Rio. The account of this journey takes up much of the second volume together with René Primevère Lesson's account of the natural history. Bougainville's advice was taken into account in the development of French strategy and diplomacy in the Pacific during the 19th century. <br> <br> The rare atlas volume includes thirty-four lithographed views and portraits after Adam Sabatier and others from sketches by de la Touanne printed by Bernard & Frey; twelve handcolored engraved natural history plates after Bessa and Pretre by Coutant Legrand Oudet Dumenil and Massard; an excellent double-page handcolored aquatint of various native vessels; a folding engraved world map; two double-page coastal profiles and six double-page engraved maps and charts by Tardieu after de la Touanne. <br> <br> A handsome copy of a historically underappreciated circumnavigation. FERGUSON 2236. HILL 162. FINE BIRD BOOKS p.79. BORBA DE MORAES p.115. NISSEN ZBI 483. SABIN 6875. WHITTELL p.68. WOOD p.251. ZIMMER 83. Arthus Bertrand hardcover books