Narrative of a Voyage round the World
In the Uranie and Physicienne Corvettes, Commanded by Captain Freycinet, during the Years 1817, 1818, 1819, and 1820

An engaging and witty account of the French scientific expedition of 1817–20, published in English in 1823.

Jacques Arago (Author)

9781108061544, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 27 June 2013

678 pages, 25 b/w illus. 1 map
29.7 x 21 x 3.5 cm, 1.59 kg

Founded in 1666, the French Académie des Sciences was a prominent and prestigious organisation behind numerous scientific advances in Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. In 1817, commissioned by the Académie, Louis de Freycinet (1779–1841) embarked on a three-year expedition with the main purpose of investigating terrestrial magnetism and taking a series of pendulum measurements. In the course of this voyage around the world, the scientists aboard the Uranie also collected an abundance of samples and made significant observations in the fields of geography, ethnology, astronomy, hydrography and meteorology. The progress of this journey was detailed by Jacques Arago (1790–1855), draughtsman on the expedition, in the form of letters to a friend. This illustrated narrative is prefaced by a report to the Académie which summarises the mission's findings. Translated into English and published in 1823, this work is an informative and often witty account, reflecting contemporary ambitions in science and exploration.

Preface
Report made to the Academy of Sciences
Part I: 1. Introduction
2. Departure
3. Majorca and Minorca
4. At sea
5. Gibraltar
6. Teneriffe
7. At sea
8. Brasil
9. At sea
10. Cape of Good Hope
11. Isle of France
12. Isle of Bourbon
13. New Holland
14. The Moluccas
15. At sea
16. The Caroline Islands
17. The Marianne Islands
Part II: 18. The Marianne Islands (cont.)
19. The Sandwich Islands
20. At sea
21. New South Wales
22. At sea
23. The Malouine Islands
24. Monte Video
25. Brasil
26. Arrival in France
Appendices.

Subject Areas: European history [HBJD]