LA PÉROUSE, Jean François Galaup de.

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Viaggi di La Pérouse Intorno al Mondo. First Italian edition. The most significant results of La Pérouse's voyage are the details of "the peculiarities he observed in the natives of the North West coast of North America, [which] are especially valuable" (Sabin). La Pérouse's account was originally published in French in 1797, this edition was published as part of the series Raccolta di Viaggi dopo quelli di Cook.La Pérouse's (1741-c.1788) expedition left France in 1785 to seek an inter-oceanic passage, examining the parts of the Pacific not yet explored by Cook, conducting scientific observations on the various peoples and regions, assessing the extent of Spanish settlement in California, and determining the possibilities of French expansion in the Pacific. En route to Kamchatka, La Pérouse was the first to navigate safely and chart the Japan Sea and the strait between the island of Sakhalin and the northernmost island of Japan, which bears his name. At Kamchatka he received instructions to proceed to Australia to assess the extent of British plans in New South Wales. Travelling via Samoa, where he discovered the islands of Savaii, Manono, and Apolima in December 1787, and through the Tongan group, he arrived at Botany Bay in January 1788, just hours after Captain Phillip had arrived with the First Fleet. La Pérouse's habit of forwarding despatches whenever the opportunity offered ensured their survival; the final despatches were sent from Botany Bay, after which the expediti

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