LESSEPS, Jean Baptiste Barthélémy - Lot 95

LESSEPS, Jean Baptiste Barthélémy Journal historique du journal de M. de Lesseps, consul de France, employé dans l'expédition de M. le comte de La Pérouse, en qualité d'interprète du roi ; depuis l'instant où il a quitté les frégates Françoises au port Saint-Pierre & Saint-Paul du Kamtschatka, jusqu'à son arrivée en France, le 17 octobre 1788. Paris, imprimerie royale, 1790. 2 volumes in-8 (192 x 120 mm) of 4 ff.n.ch. (of which the first one is blank), VII, 280 pp. 1 folding map and 1 folding engraved plate for volume I; 2 ff.n.ch., 380, VI pp. 1 f.n.ch. of errata, 1 folding engraved map for volume II. Red morocco, gilt fillet and lean gilt framing, smooth ornamented spine, green morocco title and gilt stamps, inner border, gilt edges (period binding). Hill, 1010; Sabin, 40208; Brunet, III, 1017 ("a curious work, and whose copies are not common"); Chadenat, 1152. First edition. Copy on large paper printed on strong and azure paper (see Brunet). Jean-Baptiste de Lesseps was part of La Pérouse's expedition aboard the Boussole as an interpreter for the Russian. He left the expedition in September 1787 to return to France with the maps, drawings and journal of the first part of La Pérouse's voyage, from Macao to Kamtschatka. Thus, he was the only survivor of the expedition. The account of his journey, which lasted 13 months, is a very important complement to La Pérouse's voyage. It was Lesseps who had the difficult task of identifying the remains of the Compass and the Astrolabe brought back to France by Peter Dillon. There is a vocabulary of the Kamtschadale, Koriaque, Tchouktchi and Lamoute languages. The 2 maps show details of the route of the "Presqu'île de Kamtschatka, et lelong du golfe de Pengina depuis le port de St. Pierre et de St. Paul" as well as the "carte de la route depuis Avatscha... jusqu'à Paris". The beautiful plate engraved by Choffard illustrates the 'Kamtschadale Caravan arriving in an ostrog or village'. Rare copy printed on large azure paper; small wear to the binding, title and giblets skilfully redone.