La Pérouse, Jean François de Galaup, comte de | First edition account of this important scientific expedition to the Pacific

La Pérouse, Jean François de Galaup, comte de

Voyage de La Pérouse autour du monde...rédigé par M. L.A. Milet-Mureau. Paris: l'Imprimerie de la République, An V [1797]

5 volumes, comprising 4 text volumes in 4to (283 x 217 mm), and the atlas volume in folio (556 x 425 mm). The text with engraved portrait frontispiece in volume one, 4 half-titles, some type-printed tables and musical notation; scattered pale spots, volume I with marginal tear to leaf E2 and 2F3, small loss at corner of leaf 2D4, Vol II, small loss at corner of leaf 2O3, marginal dampstain at lower corner affecting gatherings 4A to the end of the text, Vol III with a tiny marginal hole in leaf 2C3, marginal loss at corner of 3B3, vol. IV with tiny marginal tears in leaves K3-4 and 2M2, altogether a very bright and crisp set. Contemporary diced calf, with edges decorated in gilt, turn-ins in blind, expertly rebacked in red morocco with gilt lettered and decorated spines, all edges sprinkled red, blue silk ribbons; a few spots of wear at extremities, some minor staining to boards, corners restored. The atlas with an engraved allegorical title by Ph. Trière after J.M. Moreau le jeune, 69 numbered copper-engraved plates, 69 copper-engraved plates, comprising 31 charts, maps and plans (1 folding, 20 double-page), and 38 views, costal profiles, and ethnographical or natural history plates; Occasional pale spotting, generally quite mild and in the margins, light even toning to plate 17, 31 and 38. Atlas in early half red morocco, gilt ruled, with gilt lettered and decorated spine, over red cloth boards; staining to spine, corners a bit bumped, boards unevenly faded, with a few small bumps along edges, the hinges reinforced and endpapers renewed.

First edition of the official account of the famous but ill-fated voyage—a cornerstone work on Pacific exploration.

"La Pérouse's expedition aboard the frigates L'Astrolabe and La Boussole was one of the most important scientific explorations ever undertaken to the Pacific and the west coast of North America. The purpose of the expedition, which took place between 1785 and 1788, was to examine such parts of the region as had not been explored by Captain Cook; to seek for an interoceanic passage; to make scientific observations on the various countries, peoples, and products; to obtain reliable information about the fur trade and the extent of Spanish settlements in California; and to promote the inducements for French enterprise in that quarter. La Pérouse and his men did important geographical research, including visits to Easter Island, Hawaii, Macao, Formosa, the Aleutian Islands, Samoa, Tonga and Australia. The voyage also included the first foreign scientific group ever to visit Alta California. Two of the plates depict a bee-eater and a male and female partridge of California. There are also maps and plans of San Francisco, Monterey, and San Diego. La Pérouse sent dispatches back to France from Kamchatka and Botany Bay. The two ships then set sail from Botany Bay, in 1788, and were never heard from again" (Hill). The French organized expeditions to find La Pérouse, such as that of d'Entrecasteaux (see lot 487), but they were not located until thirty-nine years later, in 1825, when the wrecks of the two frigates were found at Vanikoro in the Santa Cruz group by Peter Dillon.

The La Pérouse voyage is notable for its superb mapping of the coast of Alaska, British Columbia, and northern California. Like Cook, cartographically La Pérouse's mapping of this region was still quite incomplete (e.g. entirely missing the strait of Juan de Fuca). Nevertheless, his surveying was still a major advancement over the work of Cook, making it the most accurate survey until Vancouver. This is particularly true of the British Columbian coastline between 49°34' and 57° and of Nootka Sound.

Of equal importance are the series of charts that were produced as a result of the expedition's surveys of the Asiatic side of the Pacific. The atlas also contains numerous interesting coastal views, as well as botanical and natural history plates. The text contains a wealth of scientific and ethnographic information. In addition, La Pérouse was the first westerner to safely navigate and chart the Japan Sea and the strait between the island of Sakhalin and the northernmost island of Japan. En route for Australia in 1788, La Pérouse sailed via Samoa.

One of the finest narratives of maritime exploration ever written, it deserves a place of high honor among the great travel accounts of the eighteenth century.

REFERENCES

Anker 276; Cowan 383; Ferguson 251; Forbes 272; Hill 972; Howes L-93; Lada-Mocarski 52; Sabin 38960; Wagner 837-48/199-201; The Zamorano 80, 49