[BERNARDIN DE SAINT PIERRE (Henri)]. - Lot 4

[BERNARDIN DE SAINT PIERRE (Henri)]. Journey to the Isle of France, the Isle of Bourbon, the Cape of Good Hope, etc., with New Observations on Nature and Mankind. Amsterdam, Paris: Merlin, 1773. — 2 volumes in-8, 194 x 123: frontispiece, (2 ff.), 100 pp., 8 fold-out pages, pp. 101–328, 3 plates; (2 ff.), 278 pp., 2 plates. Marbled calfskin, decorated raised spine, marbled edges (contemporary binding). First edition of this travelogue recounting the author’s expedition to Mauritius. In this work, Bernardin de Saint-Pierre combines naturalist observations (flora, fauna), sociopolitical reflections, and portraits of local cultures, while exploring themes such as colonialism and attachment to place. In his preface, he clearly states his objective: “I shall consider myself to have been of service to mankind if this humble account of the plight of the unfortunate Blacks can spare them a single lash, and if the Europeans, who in Europe cry out against tyranny and who write such fine treatises on morality, cease to be barbaric tyrants in the Indies ” (p. iv). The edition is illustrated with six plates, three of which are based on works by Moreau the Younger. It also includes 4 fold-out sheets showing the “Dimensions of the ship Le Marquis de Castries, with a tonnage of seven hundred,” the “Masts of the ship,” and the “Nautical observations, & chart of the route, winds, etc. during the voyage” from March to July 1768. A fine copy in a contemporary binding, from the library of the Château de Souverain Moulin. Some scuffing on the covers; corners slightly worn. Wormholes in the lower margin of the leaves of the second volume. Provenance: Château de Souverain Moulin, with bookplate. – Marquise de Chauvelin, with signature on the half-titles.