HAWKESWORTH John Relation des voyages entrepris par ordre de sa majesté Britannique, et successivement exécutés par le commodore Byron, le capitaine Carteret, le capitaine Wallis & le capitaine cook, dans les vaisseaux le Dauphin, le Swallow, & l’Endeavour.

Sabin 30940; see Hill 782 (for the first edition, London 1773).

First edition in octavo format, published simultaneously with the quarto edition and illustrated with the same engravings.

“Important collection chronicling English maritime expedition, edited by Hawkesworth. John Byron, in the Dolphin, visited the Tuamoto islands and Nikunau in what would later be called the Gilbert Islands; an unofficial account, often attributed to Charles Clerke, had been published earlier. Captain Wallis, also in the Dolphin, discovered the volcanic island of Tahiti, which he named King George III Island, and Moorea. He also discovered and named Wallis Island and visited Tinian and Batavia. Captain Carteret, in command of the Swallow, became separated from Captain Wallis in a storm and was feared lost. He discovered Pitcairn Island and some remote atolls in the South Seas. The first voyage under the not-yet famous Captain Cook’s command, on the Endeavour, was primarily of a scientific nature. The expedition was to sail to Tahiti in order to observe the transit of Venus across the disk of the sun, to determine the earth’s distance from the sun, and also to carry on the geographical discovery that John Byron had started. Entering the Pacific around Cape Horn, Cook reached Tahiti in 1769 and carried out the necessary astronomical observations. Excellent relations with the Tahitians were maintained, and Sir Joseph Banks and Daniel C. Solander carried out extensive ethnological and botanical research. Leaving Tahiti in July, Cook discovered, named and chartered the Society Islands, and then, heading southwest, explored New Zealand, which resulted in a circumnavigation of that land in a figure eight, and a detailed survey of the country. Cook then headed towards Australia and discovered and chartered the eastern coast for 2,000 miles, naming the area New South Wales. He nearly lost his ship on the Great Barrier Reef. Both Australia and New Zealand were annexed by Britain as a result of this voyage, which began in 1768 and ended in 1771. Cook had chartered upwards of 5,000 miles of coastline under great difficulties” (Hill).

The 52 plates depict views, plans, maps, fauna and flora, inhabitants of Tahiti and of other islands. Splendid copy with an important Princely provenance.

Provenance: Library of Charles de Rohan, Prince de Soubise (OHR 2034, numbers 6 & 7).