HECQUARD (Hyacinte Louis). - Lot 53

HECQUARD (Hyacinte Louis). A Journey Along the Coast and into the Interior of West Africa. Paris: Bénard & Company Press, 1853. — Large 8vo, 263 x 178: frontispiece, (2 leaves), 409 pp., 3 maps, 1 plan, 3 plates. Half tan shagreen, ribbed spine, speckled head, untrimmed (modern binding). Rare first edition of this account by Hyacinthe Louis Hecquard (1814–1866), explorer and lieutenant of the Spahis in Senegal. The book recounts his perilous 19-month journey (1850–1851) across West Africa. Setting out from Grand-Bassam, then from Sédhiou (Cazamance), he explored regions then unknown to Europeans, such as Fouta-Dialon, Haut-Cabou, and Kolli, and reached the sources of the Senegal, Gambia, Falémé, and Rio-Grande rivers. Thanks to the protection of the almami of Fouta-Dialon, he was able to spend a long time among the local populations, which allowed him to study their customs, customs, and institutions with unprecedented precision, whereas his predecessors, such as Mollien and Caillé, had been forced to travel quickly and discreetly. He also collected samples (geological, mineralogical, and botanical) for later scientific analysis and measured latitudes using rudimentary methods. His sincere and accurate account highlights the changes that had taken place since previous expeditions, while emphasizing the natural, political, and human obstacles he encountered during his exploration. The edition is illustrated with four beautiful original lithographs appearing as inserts (“View of the French Settlement at Grand Bassam,” “Kambagaga Falls, Kokoula River (Fouta-Dialon),” “View of Timbo, Capital of Fouta Dialon,” “Omar, Son of Abd-El-Kader, and His Favorite Wife, Sciouto”), a map of George Town (also lithographed), and three fold-out maps: “Sketch of the Course of the Grand Bassam and Assinie Rivers,” “Sketch of the Course of the Cazamance River,” and “Sketch of a Part of West Africa.” A fine copy in a modern binding. Restoration at the upper corner of the half-title page, resulting from the removal of a handwritten provenance note, and at the upper corner of the folio containing pages 245–246, affecting the pagination.