Adventure & Exploration Library of Steve Fossett

2 volumes in one, 12mo (154 x 94 mm). Title-pages in red and black, half-titles. (Minor staining.) 18th-century vellum (recased). RARE FIRST EDITION IN FRENCH OF THE DISCOVERY OF EASTER ISLAND BY THE LAST IMPORTANT DUTCH EXPLORER IN POLYNESIA. Roggeveen, who first sailed to the East Indies in 1706 for the Dutch East India Company and in 1721, organized this expedition for the rival Dutch West India Company; it became the last of the great Dutch circumnavigations and a landmark in Dutch discovery in the Pacific. The primary goal was to search for "Terra Australis" and "Davis Land," believed to have been sighted by Edward Davis in 1687, and thought to be part of the great southern continent. Behrens, author of the only full contemporary account of the voyage, sailed as commander of marines; it is not known if he had access to the journals of Roggeveen or of his second-in-command Cornelius Bouman. The three ships passed through the Strait of Le Maire and the Falkland Islands into the Antarctic Ocean, reaching a remarkable southern latitude of 62 30', and sighting, but not investigating, a large land mass to the south. From Juan Fernandez they headed north and on Easter day, 1722, discovered the island thus named and described its tattooed people and giant stone statues. They made additional discoveries in Tuamotus, the Society Islands, notably Bora Bora and Maupiti, Samoa and New Ireland. Landing at Batavia, Roggeveen was tried and imprisoned for infringing the VOC monopoly and his ships were seized. The States General, however, issued a restitution order and full compensation for the value of the cargo, allowing Roggeveen two new ships to complete his voyage. Borba de Moraes I:95; Hill 99; Kroepelien 70; Sabin 4379.