The Journal of Jean-Francois de Galaup de la Perouse 1785-1788. Edited by John Dunmore.
London: The Hakluyt Society, 1994. First Printing of the First UK Edition. A Fine set in Near Fine dust jackets with light edge wear. In the winter of 1785, Louis XVI , appointed La Pérouse to lead two ships on a four-year scientific expedition in the Pacific. Louis XVI directed the expedition to concentrate on five areas: geography; politics and commerce; natural sciences; interactions with indigenous people; and measures to preserve the health of the crewmen. La Pérouse, his crew, and team of scientists and artists sailed from Brest, France on August 1, 1785, on the frigates Astrolabe and Boussole. Once around Cape Horn, they stopped in present-day Chile, Hawaii, Alaska, California, China, Japan, Russia, and Australia. On December 11, 1787, while leading 60 men ashore to retrieve fresh water on the Navigator Islands (present-day Samoa Islands), the captain of the second ship was attacked and killed along with 11 other men. The remainder of the expeditionary force would meet their fate in the spring of 1788 near Vanikoro. Fortunately, many could still learn from the scientific, commercial, ethnological, and geographic findings made by the expedition through dispatches sent to France. Item #29054
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