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A voyage round the world, performed by order of His Most Christian Majesty, in the years 1766, 1767, 1768 and 1769

documentary heritage
  • Other Name

    Voyage round the world [Spine title] (Alternate title)

  • Description

    First Dublin edition of the first French circumnavigation, translated and with an introduction by Johann Reinhold Forster (according to the preface, although the translation at least is now thought to have been the work of Forster's son Georg).

    Forster senior calls the voyage 'a work written by a learned, intelligent, and judicious traveller, which abounds with remarkable events and curious observations', and says that he has edited 'and partially vindicated the British nation where we thought the author had been unjustly partial'.

    Bougainville sailed from Nantes in November 1766 to the Falkland Islands. They picked up a supply ship, the Etoile, and both ships passed through the Strait of Magellan in January 1768, spent time looking for the mythical "Davis Land", said to be off the Chilean coast, and then started on a direct route across the Pacific. Bougainville discovered the Tuamotus, and in April sighted and thought he had discovered Tahiti, not knowing that Wallis had been there the previous year. He visited Samoa, sailed through Melanesia, sighted the Great Barrier Reef, and passed through the Solomons, and New Britain, to Batavia.

    It was in fact only the Great Barrier Reef that prevented Bougainville landing on Australian soil. He had specifically set out to reach "New Holland" by running west from Quiros' "Espiritu Santo", but turned away from the obvious barrier presented by the Reef. Had he made it, 'he would have come to the Australian coast near Cooktown, and would, likely enough, have been wrecked where Cook was wrecked two years later?' (Wood).

  • Place
    Dublin, Ireland
  • Other Id

    G926.B67 BOU 1772 (Library of Congress Call Number)

    35328 (Cat ID)

    63078 (DBTextworks system ID)

    28139 (Presto content ID)

  • Department

    Publications

Images and documents

Catalogue

  • Object Type

    book

  • Name/Title
    A voyage round the world, performed by order of His Most Christian Majesty, in the years 1766, 1767, 1768 and 1769
  • Other Name

    Voyage round the world [Spine title] (Alternate title)

  • Primary Maker

    Johann Forster

     72 Louis de Bougainville

  • Contributor/Publisher
    printed for J. Exshaw, H. Saunders, J. Potts, W. Sleater, D. Chamberlaine, E. Lynch, J. Williams, R. Moncrieff, T. Walker and C. Jenkins
  • Place
    Dublin, Ireland
  • Date
    1772
  • Physical Description

    xxxii, 480 pages, [2] folded leaves of plates : illustrations, 1 map ; 22 cm

  • Language
    English
  • Level of Current Record
    Bib record
  • Member Object

    1 item in this collection. View all items.

  • Related Object Notes
    G924.B67 BOU 1771 Voyage autour du monde par la fregate du roi La Boudeuse, et la flute L'Etoile, en 1766, 1767, 1768, & 1769 [Original Language publication]
  • Subject Category

    Bougainville, Louis Antoine De, 1729-1811--Journeys/Library of Congress subject headings

    Boudeuse (Frigate)/Library of Congress subject headings

    Etoile (Ship)

    Voyages around the world--Early works to 1800

    Tahitian Language--Glossaries, Vocabularies, Etc.

    South America--Discovery and exploration--Early works to 1800

    Falkland Islands

  • Provenance Details
    Richard Ruxton ex libris plate with bull and motto Jam Jam. Motto Jam Jam is motto for Ruxton of Ardee House.
  • Content
    The Contents. --
    Dedication to James West, Esq High Steward of St Alban's, Recorder of Pool, and President of the Royal Society --
    Translator's Preface --
    Introduction --
    Part the First --
    Chap. I. Departure of Boudeuse from Nantes ; puts in at Brest ; run from Brest to Montevideo ; junction with the Spanish frigates, intended for taking possession of the Malouines, or Falkland's islands. --
    Chap. II. Account of the Establishment of the Spaniards in Rio de le Plata. --
    Chap. III. Departure from Montevideo ; navigation to the Melouines ; delivery of them into the hands of the Spaniards ; historical digression on the subject of these islands. --
    Chap. IV. Detail of the natural History of the Isles Malouines.
    Chap. V. Navigation from the Malouines to Rio-Janeiro ; junction of the Boudeuse with the Etoile. Hostilities of the Portuguese against the Spaniards. Revenues of the king of Portugal from Rio-Janeiro. --
    Chap. VI. Departure from Rio Janeiro, second voyage to Montevideo : damage which the Etoile receives there. --
    Chap. VII. Accounts of the millions in Paraguay, and the expulsion of the Jesuits from the province. --
    Chap. VIII. Departure from Montevideo ; run to Cape Virgin ; entrance into the Straits ; interview with the Patagonians ; navigation to the isle of St. Elizabeth. --
    Chap. IX. The run from the isle of Elizabeth, through the straits of Magalhaens [sic]. Nautical details on this navigation. --
    Part the Second --
    Chap. I. The run from the straits of Magalhaens [sic] to our arrival at the Isle of Taiti [sic] ; discoveries which precede it. --
    Chap. II. Stay at Taiti [sic] ; account of the good and evil which befell us there. --
    Chap. III. Description of the new island ; manners and character of its inhabitants. --
    Chap. IV. Departure from Taiti [sic] ; discovery of other islands ; navigation to our clearing the great Cyclades. --
    Chap. V. Run from the great Cyclades ; discovery of the gulph of Louisiade ; extremity to which we are reduced there ; discover of new isles ; putting into a port on New Britain. --
    Chap. VI. Run from Port Praslin to the Moluccas ; stay at Boero.
    Chap. VII. From Boero to Batavia. --
    Chap. VIII. Stay at Batavia, and particulars concerning the Moluccas. --
    Chap. IX. Departure from Batavia ; touching at the isle of France ; Return to France. --
    Vocabulary of the language of Taiti [sic] Island. --
  • Public Access Text

    [Keywords: Rare books--18th century; Indonesia--Discovery and exploration; Islands of the Pacific--Discovery and exploration--French; Tahiti (French Polynesia : Island)--Discovery and exploration--Early works to 1800]

    The first Dublin edition, very scarce: a smaller format issue of the text of the first London edition of the same year and incorporating the Tahitian word-list. Such Irish printings are effectively piracies; typically the text remains unchanged while the (harder to copy) maps and illustrations are partly or completely dropped. "Vocabulary of the language of Taiti Island", p. [474]-480. ESTC: T175592. Bibliographical and other footnotes by the translator.

  • Associated Notes

    https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=nZI-wgEACAAJ

    Full text available through Google Books. (Accessed 4.7.2022)

  • Collection Type
    Reserve Collection
  • Copyright
    All rights reserved
  • Last Update
    19 Dec 2023
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