In Several Places. Words Normally Capitalised Have Been Left As Written, Eg

VOYAGE AROUND THE WORLD. Note on this digital version. I came to read the journal of Bougainville’s voyage, in the original French, through my passion for things maritime and ancient. To confirm (or otherwise) that I had correctly understood some of the 18th century French, I looked for a translation in English. I found the following one, made in about 1772, by one John Reinhold Forster, F. A. S. Unfortunately, the digital version available had not come through the optical character recognition process very well. In places it was unreadable, hence this transcription. In so doing, the only changes I have made are: a) The old form of using f for s, I have changed thus failing becomes sailing. b) The outmoded ligatures and have been replaced with standard font. c) Repeated words that were obviously due to typesetting errors, have been removed. All spelling inconsistencies have been retained, even where the same word is spelt differently in several places. Words normally capitalised have been left as written, eg. captain Wallace. The rather erratic punctuation that is more, I suspect, the responsibility of the translator than of the author, remains unchanged. Neither the spelling nor the punctuation, however, should cause the modern reader any real difficulty. The side notes of the original have been retained and have been inserted into the text in contrasting bold type, separated, above and below, by a line space. The footnotes added by Reinhold Forster are included at the bottom of each page, to which they refer, in contrasting typeface. In this translation several things struck me as requiring some comment or redress: a) Reinhold Forster’s interpretation of what is written does not invariably convey what Bourgainville intended to be understood. b) Many of Reinhold Forster’s footnotes are, in my opinion, unjustly hostile. He worked at a time, I suppose, when the entente was not quite as cordiale as it could have been! c) Some of the original has been omitted, that should have been left in. Some material has been added, that should have been left out. So, my next project will be to make a new translation of Bougainville’s book. In it I will try, as do Bougainville’s own words, to bring out the warmth and compassion of this courageous and courteous mariner, who at a time when those qualities were not always associated with sea-officers, ventured scantily equipped into perilous waters. In that there will be a certain irony, for my initials are also JF. A V O Y A G E R O U N D T H E W O R L D. Performed by Order of HIS MOST CHRISTIAN MAJESTY, In the Year 1766, 1767, 1768, and 1769. B Y LEWIS DE BOUGAINVILLE, Colonel of Foot, and Commodore of the Expedition, in the Frigate La Boudeuse and the Store-ship L'Etoile. Translated from the French By JOHN REINHOLD FORSTER, F. A. S. LONDON, Printed for J. Nourse, Bookseller to HIS MAJESTY, in the Strand: and T. DAVIES, Bookseller to the Royal Academy, in Russel-street, Covent-garden. M DCC LXXII. T O JAMES WEST, ESQ. High Steward of St. Alban's, Recorder of pool, AND PRESIDENT of the ROYAL SOCIETY SIR, I Beg leave to offer you the Translation of a Work written by a learned, intelligent, and judicious Traveller, which abounds with remarkable events and curious observations; equally instructive to future navigators, and interesting to science in general, and Geography in particular. THE place you occupy with great honour in the Royal Society, the zeal with which you promote and countenance whatever has a tendency towards the advancement ment of Science, and the remarkable kindness and favour you always have treated me with, encourages me to prefix your name to this publication. ACCEPT then, Sir, this public acknowledgement of the deep sense of gratitude and attachment your benevolence has raised, with the sincerest wishes for your health, prosperity, and the enjoyment of every intellectual and moral pleasure. Believe mc to be, with the truest esteem, S I R, Your most obliged, and obedient humble servant, JOHN REINHOLD FORSTER, THE TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. THE present translation of Mr de Bougainville's Voyage round the World merits, in more than one respect, the attention of the public. Circumnavigations of the globe have been of late the universal topics of all companies: everyone takes upon him to be a competent judge in matters which very few understand, mostly for want of good and authentic information: this work will enable the reader to judge with greater precision of the vague discourses held on this subject. Nautical advices and observations are always interesting, from whatever quarter they may happen to come, provided they are communicated by a man of known abilities; and nobody, we think, will question those of Mr de Bougainville. The superiority of the British discoveries in the great ocean, between America and Asia, cannot be ascertained, unless by an authentic account of the discoveries of the rival nation; who, after a great exertion, and the advantage of being supplied by the Spaniards with all the necessaries of a great distance from home, before they entered the South Pacific Ocean, however discovered very little; and what they discovered, had partly been seen by English navigators, or some Spanish ones of older date, for that the honour of the greatest discoveries made within two centuries, in those remote seas, is entirely reserved to the British nation, and their spirit and perseverance in conducing this great and interesting event. The envious and scandalous behaviour of the Portuguese viceroy, at Rio de Janeiro, towards our philosophers, which will for ever brand that mean barbarian with indelible ignominy, is confirmed by a familiar act of despotic barbarism towards another nation, related in this work. The French, who are so remarkable for the graving [1] with which they ornament their principal publications, will find, that the charts joined to this translation, though reduced to a sixteenth part of the surface of the originals, are, however, infinitely superior to them in point of neatness, convenience, and accuracy. Without being less useful, we have connected, in our charts, the whole run of their ships, from the beginning of their discoveries to Batavia. The chart of the Magellanic Straits is of the same size, and upon the same scale as in the original, but more accurate; and the names by which the English call the several points of land, the bays and the reaches, are all added to the French names. The omission of the charts of Rio de la Plata, and of the Falkland Isles, is by no means an imperfection; because, very lately, two charts have been published in England, one equally good of the first, and a better one of the latter; it would therefore be needless to multiply the identical charts, or to give the public some imperfect ones. Though Mr de Bougainville is a man of undoubted veracity and abilities, he has, however, in a few instances, been misled by false reports, or prejudiced in favour of his nation: we have, in some additional notes, corrected as far as it was in our power these mistakes, and impartially vindicated the British nation, where we thought the author had been unjustly partial; for the love of one's country is, in our opinion, very consistent with common justice and good breeding; qualities which never should be wanting in a philosopher. Our author endeavours to make it highly probable, that the spice-trade, which has hitherto been the great source of the grandeur and wealth of the Dutch East India Company, will soon be divided among them, the French, and the English. We have reason to believe the French to be in a fair way of getting the spices in their plantations, as Mr de Poivre has actually planted at Isle de France some hundreds of clove and nutmeg-trees. Every true patriot will join in the wish, that our English East India Company, prompted by a noble zeal for the improvement of natural history, and every other useful branch of knowledge, might send a set of men properly acquainted with mathematics, natural history, physic, and other branches of literature, to their vast possessions in the Indies, and every other place where their navigations extend, and enable them to collect all kinds of useful and curious informations; to gather fossils, plants, seeds, and animals, peculiar to these regions; to observe the manners, customs, learning, and religion of the various nations of the Earth; to describe their agriculture, manufactures, and commerce; to purchase Hebrew, Persian, Braminic manuscript, and such as are written in the various characters, dialects, and languages of the different nations; to make observations on the climate and constitution of the various countries; the heat and moisture of the air, the salubrity and noxiousness of the place, the remedies usual in the diseases of hot countries, and various other subjects. A plan of this nature, once set on foot in a judicious manner, would not only do honour to the East India Company, but it must at the same time become a means of discovering many new and useful branches of trade and commerce; and there is likewise the highest probability, that some unsearched island, with which the Eastern Seas abound, might produce the various spices, which would greatly add to the rich returns of the Indian cargoes, and amply repay the expenses caused by such an expedition. Mr de Bougainville's work abounds in marine phrases, which makes the translation of it very difficult, even to a native; but a foreigner, and a man unacquainted with nautical affairs, must be under still greater difficulties: we should have been under this predicament, had it not been for the kind assistance of two worthy friends, who not only enabled us to do justice to the original, but also to make the whole intelligible to men conversant with navigation: it is therefore no more than justice to acknowledge this favour publicly [1] 1 We have thought proper to omit M.

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