First separate edition. 8vo. A crisp copy in the publisher's printed wrappers, largely unopened. 46pp. Paris, Typography Ch. Meyrueis et Cie, 1863.
Exceedingly rare, this memorial to Charles Baudin (1784-1854) originally appeared in the Protestants Illustres, but this offprint is altogether more desirable and in lovely condition.
Baudin made an auspicious debut to his naval career as midshipman on the Géographe on Nicolas Baudin's (no relation) 1800-1803 voyage to Australia. The object of the voyage was to expand France's presence in New Holland in areas unoccupied by the British. Baudin's voyage co-incided with that of Matthew Flinders' and the two famously met on 8 April, 1802, in Encounter Bay.
He evidently served with some distinction as he was the only midshipman retained on the Géographe following its arrival in Port Jackson and was promoted to enseigne (sub-lieutenant) upon his return. He later served in the West Indies on the Piémontaise and in the Indian Ocean on the Semillante. He lost an arm fighting against the British ship HMS Terpsichore during this time, though continued his naval career. He made his way through the ranks and was appointed commander-in-chief of France's Mediterranean Fleet in 1848. He retired the following year.
No copies on OCLC, or Libraryhub, we locate a single copy at BnF.
Howgego 2, B16; Starbuck, Nicole, Baudin, Napoleon and the Exploration of Australia (Taylor & Francis, 2015), p.54.
