< Back

Memoirs of a French Jesuit in South-East Asia

LA BISSACHÈRE, Pierre-Jacques Lemounier de, (MONTYON, Antoine de).
Etat actuel du Tunkin, de la Cochinchine, et des royaumes de Camboge, Laos et Lac-Tho. Traduit d'apres les relations originales de ce voyageur.






Paris, P. A. Belin for Galignani, 1812. 2 vols. 8vo. Contemporary sprinkled calf, spine gilt, with red and green title labels, gilt binding edges, marbled endpapers, green sprinkled edges. 4, (II), 325, (1); (4), 342, (2) pp.

Second edition of this interesting work on Tonkin and Cochin-China by the French missionary Pierre-Jaques Lemounier de la Bissachère (1764-1830). La Bissachère went to the Orient in 1790, and settled down in Tonkin, where he stayed for 17 years. He was very successful in converting the inhabitants, his district counted over 7000 Christians and contained no less than 37 churches, but he had many enemies as well. In 1795, therefore, he had to hide in the forest, and in 1798, during the most severe persecutions, he fled to an isolated rock where he had to stay for seven months. When the revolution brought a new king on the throne, Christianity was accepted again, and La Bissachère was allowed to travel freely through Tonkin and Cochin-China. He was even appointed Mandarin. In 1807, however, he left the Orient, and went to England.
La Bissachère, feeling himself not capable anymore to write his memoirs in the French language, handed his notes over to Félix de Rénouard de Sainte Croix in 1806, who published La relation sur le Tonkin et le Cochinchine in 1810 without mentioning La Bissachère's name. In Londen the latter gave his notes to Antoine du Montyon who published a book under the title Exposé statistique du Tunkin, de la Cochinchine, du Camboge, etc., sur la relation de La Bissachère. This text, however, was vitually composed by Montyon, only making use of La Bissachère's notes. So this second edition of 1812 is in fact also the work of Antoine de Montyon. The first volume is divided in chapters on the geography, meteorology, geology, population, zoology, agriculture, navigation, arts and crafts, commerce, costumes, housing, food, law, and the financial and military aspects of the countries. The second one treats the religion, customs, language, literature and history of the region, and contains also some prophecies on its future. At the end of vol. 2 some letters, tables and extracts concerning Tonkin and Cochin-China are added. In 1813 a German translation appeared, and in 1920 Charles B. Maybon published a critical edition based on the original notes by La Bissachère.

Very good copy.
Ch. B. Maybon, La relation ... qui contient des précieuses notes bibliogr. (1920); Numa Broc pp. 270-1; not in Chadenat.

Related Subjects: Asia  Cambodia  Cartography  China  Vietnam  Voyages 

Add to Shopping cart
€ 2.950,00

Prices in EUROS (€), shipping and BTW/VAT extra.

< Back

Terms of sale

All items are offered subject to prior sale. Prices are nett and in (€) EURO. VAT/BTW, postage, and insurance are not included. 

Free shipping for orders over € 2,500.  EU customers: if applicable, please quote your VAT number when placing orders.

Preferred mode of payment: by credit card through our secure online payment service, which is facilitated by Ogone. If you wish to make other arrangements, please contact us. Terms of sale

E-mail this to a friend







This is a captcha-picture. It is used to prevent mass-access by robots. (see: www.captcha.net)

Type the characters that you see in the box (5 characters). The code can include characters 0..9 and A..F.*

  


Antiquariaat FORUM B.V.
Tuurdijk 16
3997 MS t Goy-Houten,
The Netherlands
Phone: (+31) (0)30 601 1955
Fax: (+31) (0)30 601 1813
E-mail: info@forumrarebooks.com
Web: http://www.forumrarebooks.com