This is an English translation from 1772 of the famous Voyage Autour du Monde (1771) by Louis de Bougainville (1729–1811), French admiral and explorer. The contemporary fascination with global circumnavigation created demand for this translation by John Reinhold Forster (1729–98), which includes many annotations and comments from the translator himself on de Bougainville's observations. Describing all of de Bougainville's adventures on the voyage (which took place between 1766 and 1769) as well as his descriptions of local flora and fauna, the gripping tale includes such interesting passages as the unmasking of the botanist's valet as a woman (the first known to have circumnavigated the globe); de Bougainville's famous descriptions of Tahitian society; and graphic descriptions of the discomforts and perils of sea voyaging in the eighteenth century. It includes a copy of the original eighteenth-century plot of the route, and several plates representing original sketches from the trip.
Dedication; Translator's preface; Introduction; Part I. Departure from France - Clearing the Straits of Magalhaens: 1. Departure of the Boudeuse from Nantes; 2. Account of the establishment of the Spaniards in Rio de la Plata; 3. Departure from Montevideo; 4. Detail of the natural history of the Isles Malouines; 5. Navigation from the Malouines to Rio-Janeiro; 6. Departure from Rio-Janeiro; 7. Accounts of the missions in Paraguay, and the expulsion of the Jesuits from that province; 8. Departure from Montevideo; 9. The run from the Isle of Elizabeth, through the straits of Magalhaens; Part II. From our Entrance into the Western Sea, to our Return to France: 1. The run from the straits of Magalhaens to our arrival at the Isle of Taiti; 2. Stay at Taiti; 3. Description of the new island; 4. Departure from Taiti; 5. Run from the great Cyclades; 6. Run from Port Praslin to the Moluccas; 7. Run from Boero to Batavia; 8. Stay at Batavia, and particulars concerning the Moluccas; 9. Departure from Batavia; Vocabulary of the language of Taiti Island.
