The official record of Bougainville's voyage around the world. The main intention of the voyage was political: to extend French influence in Indochina. However, Bougainville also touched at Pondicherry, Manila, Macao, Surabaya, Sydney, Port Jackson, Valparaiso and Rio de Janeiro. Bougainville, son of the explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville, had served as an eighteen-year-old ensign on the Baudin voyage, and after distinguished service in the Napoleonic wars, he was given command of the frigate La Thetis and the corvette L'Esprance. He spent several months in and around Sydney, where most of the ornithological material gathered by the voyage had been collected here, and resulted in three drawings by Bessa of four species of birds, including 'superb illustrations' (Wood) of the male and female Gang-gang, or red-crested parrot. 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 R.-P. Lesson's account of the natural history.

First edition. 3 vols, comprising 2 vols 4to text and 1 vol. folio atlas (53 x 35 cms), text a little spotted as usual, atlas with 56 plates (comprising 34 lithographed views and portraits after V. Adam, Sabatier and others from sketches by E.B. de la Touanne, printed by Bernard & Frey, 12 hand-colored engraved natural history plates after P. Bessa and J.-G. Pretre by Coutant, H. Legrand, Oudet, Dumenil and Massard, double-page hand-colored aquatint of various native vessels, folding engraved map, 2 double-page coastal profiles and 6 double-page engraved maps and charts, by A. Tardieu after E.B. de la Touanne), usual sporadic toning and light staining, plate 4 a bit foxed, contemporary calf-backed marbled boards, atlas rebacked to match, a very good set.