LAPIED Voyage en Chine et à Péking pour observer le Passage de Vénus du 9 décembre 1874. Journal.

Very detailed unpublished report of the ‘French Mission sent to observe the transit of Venus over the Sun on 9 December 1874’. It is illustrated with 20 original photographs from the period and 11 sketches illustrating the mission’s passage through Hong Kong.

The only surviving information on Lapied’s life can be found on the Bnf website, where he is mentioned as a ‘cartographer’ and the author of the large map of Peking, of which a partial manuscript copy is to be found in this volume in the section devoted to his stay in Peking.

The report, meticulously written in fine, legible handwriting, begins with a photographic frontispiece showing the ‘Cabane des essais photographiques à Paris dans le parc du Luxembourg’, followed by a list of the crew members of the 6 French missions sent to the two hemispheres of the world, 3 to the northern hemisphere and 3 to the southern hemisphere.

The missions sent to the Southern Hemisphere were based on Campbell Island (with the following members: hydrographic engineer Bouquet de la Grye, sub-hydrographic engineer Hatt, lieutenant Courjolleux, and naturalist Filhol), on the islands of St. Paul and Amsterdam (captain Mouchez, lieutenant Turquet, physicist Cazin, naturalists Vélina and De L’Isle, doctor Rochefort), and on Nouméa (scientist André de la Grye).

The missions sent to the Northern Hemisphere were to Peking (lieutenant Fleuriais, lieutenant Blariez, ensign Lapied), Nagasaki (Jannsen from the Paris observatory, director of the Toulouse observatory Tisserand, ensign Delacoix), and the secondary station at Saïgon (sub-engineer Héraut, ensign Bonniset).

The table of contents occupies 1 sheet giving an outline of the progress of this important scientific journey: Paris: 22 April – 30 June 1874; Marseille: 1-5 July (it is noted that the worker-driver Mosnier was dismissed after his trunk was seized by his hotelier); liner Anadyr: 5 July – 16 August; Shanghai: 16-23 August; the Paoting: 23-27 August; Tien-tsin: 27-29 August; by boat: 29 August – 1 September; Tong-chao: 1-2 September; Peking: 2 September 1874 – 27 February 1875; return to Tien-tsin: 27 February-1 March; Tien-tsin: 1-3 March; Chan-si: 3-9 March; Shanghai: 9-19 March; [steamer] Le Hoogly: 19 March-30 April; Marseille: 30 April-4 May; Paris: 7 May.

This is followed by a second photographic frontispiece showing the 4 members of the Peking mission (Blarez, Huet, Fleuriais and Lapied) and the aide named Antoine.

The expedition : Singapore – Saïgon – Hong-Kong – Shanghai

The description of the passage at sea on the liner Anadyr contains observations on the weather as well as navigational details, but the author does not omit to mention information on the ships arriving in Singapore (La Néva arriving from Batavia; Le Volta going to China…) as well as a beautiful description of ‘Singapoure presque l’île de Malacca’). This is followed by descriptions of Saigon (marine cemetery, government, demography, etc.) and Hong Kong, where the scientists arrived on the morning of 10 August 1874. The description of Hong Kong begins with a detailed profile of the coastline, followed by a lengthy note on the city, its inhabitants, etc. ‘The English have taken over Hong Kong from the British. ‘The English seized Hong Kong Island in 1841. The city of Victoria is improperly called Hong Kong, after the island on which it is situated’. The story is brought to life by 11 original Indian ink drawings (9 of which are handcoloured).

The watercolours show, among others, women’s ‘fashionable deformed feet’ and the hair of married women ‘strangely arranged’, men’s hairstyles ‘with their heads shaved except for the toupee’, and the clothes of men and women whose ‘costume is the wide Moorish trousers, generally a kind of glossy black silk’. The account of Hong Kong closes with a large original full-page watercoloured drawing of the city’s harbour in the background.

The description of the stay in Shanghai occupies 5 leaves and contains a large number of demographic, geographical and meteorological details, as well as 2 small original drawings of maps and a sketch showing a ‘singular vehicle, which comes from Japan’. The continuation of the journey via Tien-tsien and Tong-Tcheou to Peking is illustrated with detailed maps (including 3 laid-on canvas) and watercolours, one of which is full-page (‘Night watch on the Peï-ho’). This is followed by a description of ‘Six months in Peking’ (13 nn.ll.), illustrated with 6 original photographs (Our dwelling, in the grounds of the French legation; Our Chinese staff: Toung-tcho – One of the Chinese interpreters of the French legation – Fou-hiai, Mr Fleuriais’ boy; A Japanese mousmé (partially coloured); Building of the French minister’s residence).

Lapied then gives an extensive description in 44 nn.ll., or ‘Notes sur la Chine’, specifying that the details were borrowed from the works of Pauthier, Du Halde, and various other works. Illustrated with drawings and 6 original photographs (Un chinois de Tien-tsin; Tartare – Et Chinoises du Nord; Cantonaise (partially coloured); Le Général chinois Li-Hong-chang vice-roi de la province de Tchi-li; Acteurs (partially coloured), it contains the history of China’s dynasties from its beginnings, a short note on missionaries in China, and details of the government, religion, philosophy, manners and customs. 

Beijing

The ‘Description de Péking’ (18 ff.n.ch.) begins with an original photographic view (‘Une porte extérieure de la ville Tartare’) followed by a small schematic plan of the imperial city, as well as a very large detailed plan (590 x 470 mm), mostly handwritten and folded, and another smaller handwritten plan mounted on cloth (copied from the German Fritsche plan). It gives details of the palace, the imperial city and the Tartar city, followed by information on the outskirts of Peking (Aï-tching city, outer city). The large plan also appears in the publication Mission de Pékin (in: Académie des sciences, Recueil de mémoires, rapports et documents relatifs à l’observation du passage de Vénus devant le Soleil, Mission de Pékin. Paris, Gauthiers-Villars, 1887, tome II, part 1).
Apart from a few watercolours, the description of Beijing contains a second original photograph (‘Monk’s tomb’).

Following an illness suffered by Lieutenant Blarez, the team undertook his ‘First journey by land from Peking to Tien-Tsin and back to Peking’ in order to ‘take Blarez, who was ill, back to France’. This account occupies 5 pages and is followed by descriptions (18 nn.ll.) of the ‘Journey to Lou-ko-tiao and Tié tai tze (25-29 December 1874), the “Journey to the Great Wall”, and the ’Second journey by land from Peking to Tien-tsin. Return to France’.

Scientific Description of the Passage of Venus

The large chapter, occupying 42 numbered pages, contains ‘graphic discussions of the phases of the phenomenon’ and is illustrated with 32 scientific figures in the text. Pages 40-42 contain details of the orientation of ‘the photographic plates in the heliograph’. This is followed by 9 leaves of measurements taken on site (barometric, meteorological, latitudes, etc) and measurements of the ‘Plan of Peking, surveyed in 1874-75 by M. Lapied’ with the ‘coordinates of various points in relation to the coal mountain’.

The true description of the transit of Venus is written on 3 leafs and it is indicated that it was Lapied who was operating the heliographic camera. The report for this crucial day begins at 5 a.m. and continues until 3.15pm in the afternoon. ‘From 9.30 a.m. to 10 a.m.: The brightness of the sun increases at first, then gradually fades. The 2nd contact is easily observed; very faint ripples – Some good photographs – From 10.15 to 11am: Until 11am the equatorials can still observe; but the photography has nothing more to do’. The story continues with Mr Fleuriais’s ‘Appreciation of the phenomenon of contacts’. He states that he had ‘paid the greatest attention to the phenomenon of the ligament, referring on the one hand to the artificial observations in Luxembourg, and on the other hand to real observations, and I have come to the conclusion that the size of the said ligament depends essentially, if not completely, on the size of the undulations’.

The scientific report is followed by 8 leaves with a technical description (illustrated by a large colour diagram) of the ‘Telegraphic Communications between the Observatory and the Chronograph’. It is accompanied by 4 drawings showing details of the technical apparatus, a plan of the observatory and a clipping from the magazine L’Illustration showing the technical installation of the observatory on site in Beijing, based on a drawing supplied by Lapied. Four original photographs (L’Observatoire; Le même en construction; La Mission de Péking – Huet, Fleuriais, Lapied, Blarez [dans l’Observatoire, devant les appareils optiques]; L’Equatorial de 6 pouces) complete the set.

The end of this chapter contains a technical description of the ‘photographic apparatus of Messrs Fizeau and Cornu: Telescope with a focal length of about 4 m – Two achromatic lenses 9 inches in diameter – Reflecting mirror…’.

The last 35 pages contain notes with ‘Nautical information for the voyage from Suez to Hong Kong’, ‘From Pointe de Galles to Singapore’, ‘From Singapore to Saigon’, ‘From Saigon to Hong Kong’, then those concerning the return voyage.

This report by Lapied has not been published to our knowledge. However, the report by Fleuriais was published by the Académie des Sciences (Recueil de mémoires, rapports et documents relatifs à l’observation du passage de Vénus devant le Soleil, Mission de Pékin. Paris, Gauthiers-Villars, 1887, Volume II, Part 1).

A very important unpublished manuscript of this scientific expedition to China in the nineteenth century.

Details of the illustrations and contents: 

Photos:

1 : “cabane des essais photographiques à Paris dans le parc de Luxembourg”

2 :” La mission de Péking” (Blary, handy-man Antoine, Huet, Fleurieais, Lapied)

3 : “Notre habitation, dans le parc de la légation de France” [in Beijing]

4-6 : “Notre personnel chinois : Toung-cheo – interprète de la légation de France – Fou-hiai, boy de Mr. Fleuriais”

7 : “Une mousmé japonaise”

8 : “Dépendance de l’habitation du ministre de France” (image largley sunned)

9 : portrait ‘Un chinois de Tien-tsin

10 -11 : “Tartare – Et Chinoises du Nord”

12 : “Cantonnaise”

13 :” Le Général Chinois Li-Hong-chang vice-roi de la province de Chi-li”

14 : “Acteurs”

15 : “Porte extérieure de la ville Tartare”

16 : “Tombeau d’un bonze”

17 : “L’Observatoire [Beijing]”

18 : “Le même, en construction”

19 : “La Mission de Pékin”

20 : “L’Equatorial de 6 pouces”

Four Waterolour views : Anadyr; Aden; Pointe de Galles-Ceylan; Hong-Kong.

Reliefs : 2 (Malacca, Hong-Kong).

11 sketches to illustrate Hong-Kong

4 sketches to illustrate Shanghai

1 manuscript map on cloth of the river Pé-ho from Takoue to Tien-tsin (I)

1 small map of Tien-tsin

1 manuscript map of the river Pé-ho from Tien-tsin to Ma-tao (II)

1 map on paper of the northern part of the province Pe-tehe-li

2 watercolours illustrating teh excursion from Tien-tsin to Ma-tao (Une jolie brise …. ; Alerte !)

1 watercolour, full-page : “Veille de nuit sur le Pei-ho”

1 manuscript map on paper of Tong-Tchao

1 manuscript map on cloth of “Cours de Pé-ho de Ma-tao à Tong-tcheao (III)”

1 woodengraving of ‘L’Observatoire américain pour le passage de Vénus”

1 drawing 28 May 1873 – “audience de l’empereur Hong-tchou”

1 coloured woodcut afre the drawing by M. Pâris (buddhist temple)

1 portrait of Fo-hi (Chinese Emperor) in India ink

1 portrait of Tsin tchi huang ti (India ink)

1 printed and coloured map of China and Japan

3 portraits of Chinese dignitaries : Koung fou tseu – Meng tseu – Lao-tse

1 drawing of a Japanese chariot (“la cangue”)

1 plan of the Forbidden City

1 large folding handcoloured plan, mimeographed and completed in manuscript, of Beijing 

1 manuscript plan of Beijing, partly coloured, after M. Bouvier

1 coloured woodcut “Une porte de la ville impériale”

1 watercolour “Un Fiacre”

1 watercolour “Forme exacte d’une porte de la ville Tartare”

1 full-page watercolour “Une Porte de la ville Tartare”

3 woodcuts (Plate-forme aux sacrifices ; Porte de l’enceinte intérieure du temple ; vue du temple, prise de la terrasse)

1 full page coloured woodcut : “Le Grand Dôme bleu du temple du ciel. Pékin”.

1 woodcut “Autel où l’on brûle les offrandes”

1 India ink drawing, coloured, “Un buddha, dans une pagode de Haï-tien”

1 plan in India ink of ‘Ville des Chinois’ with small sketch at the bottom of the page

4 woodcuts (Verbiest’s observatory)

1 woodcut of “Paï-tcha Chan et Meï-chan”

1 watercoloured drawing “Ruines de la Cathédrale de Tien-Tsin”

1 watercoloured drawing “Fort sur le Peï-ho, en amont du Tien-Tsin”

1 India ink drawing “Cour d’auberge”

1 Printed and partially colored map (“Expédition en Chine 1860”)

1 pencil sketch ‘On allume le camp’

1 drawing “Pierre du tombeau de Yung Lôh”

1 watercoloured drawing “Avenue des animaux (tombeaux des Mings)”

1 watercoloured drawing “Sépulture de Yung Lôh”

1 pencil drawing, watercoloured “Passe de Nankao – La porte et la muraille courant dans l’ouest”

1 pencil drawing, watercoloured “Passe de Nankao – Deux petits temples sur de roches à pic…”

1 India ink drawing, watercoloured “Vue vers le nord prise su sommet de la Grande Muraille à l’ouest de la porte de la passe du Nankao”

1 India ink drawing, watercoloured “Pass de Nankao”

1 woodcut “Aspect fort ressemblant de la Grande Muraille”

Second expedition on land from Beijing to Tien-Tsin – return to France 27 February  -1st March 1875

1 caricature “Départ de Pékin – Retour at home !”

Passage of Venus – Graphic discussion of the phases of the phenomena, 42 pp.

32 text-illustrations

– On the orientation of the photographic plates 

6 schematic illustrations

– Résultat de toutes natures rapportés par La Mission de Pékin, 5 nn.ll.  (last blank)

– Observations pendant notre séjour à Pékin, du 2 septembre 1874 au 27 février 1875, 2 nn.ll.

– Plan de Péking levé en 1874-75 par M. Lapied, sous les ordres de M. Fleuriais, 2 nn.ll.

– Passage de Vénus du 9 décembre 1874 à Péking, 4 nn.ll. (last blank)

– Communications télégraphiques entre l’observatoire et le Chronographe – L’Observatoire

1 full-page schematic drawing “Distribution télégraphique entre l’observatoire et le pavillon d’habitation…”

1 original ink wrawing showing a bird’s-eye-view of the Observatory

1 woodcut after Lapied (published in ‘L’Illustration’) ‘Le passage de Vénus sur le soleil’

2 photos : L’Observatoire – et Le Même en construction’

[The chapter ends with the technical description of the photographic apparatus supplied by the company Fizeau & Cornu : “lunette de 4m environ…”)

Journal-clipping “Note envoyé à l’Illustration par l’amiral Pâris, d’après deux lettres de Fleuriais”

1 original photography : “La Mission de Pékin Huet, Fleuriais,Lapied, Blarez” (shown with the photographic material)

1 original photography “Equatorial de 6 pouces”

– Nautical details on the journey from Suez to Hong Kong, 35 pp.