A New Voyage to the East-Indies: Containing their Adventures in two Desart Islands, And an Account of the most Remarkable Things in Maurice Island, Batavia, at the Cape of Good Hope, The Island of St Helena, and other places on their Way to and from the Desart Isles. Adorn’d with Maps

A New Voyage to the East - Indies by Francis Leguat and His Companions. Containing their Adventures in two Desart Islands, And an Account of the most Remarkable Things in Maurice Island, Batavia, at the Cape of Good Hope, The Island of St Helena, and other places on their Way to and from the Desart Isles. Adorn'd with Maps and Figures.
First UK edition. Printed for R. Bonwicke, W. Freeman, Tim.Goodwin, J. Walthoe, M. Wotton, S. Manship, J. Nicholson, B. Tooke, R. Parker, and R. Smith. London. 1708. Title page in red and black, (4) Dedication, xv (preface), 248, (22) index, (2) publisher's catalogue. 32 engraved maps and plates, 16 folding. Recent full calf, spine in six compartments with raised bands, gilt rules, red leather label and gilt lettering. Renewed endpapers. Text toned, occasional spotting. Plates bright. Short repaired closed marginal tear to 147/8. Folding memorial to Isaac Boyer plate (p104) replaced with a replica on period paper. François Leguat (1637 / 1639-1735) French explorer and naturalist. He was one of a small group of male French Protestant refugees who in 1691 settled on the then uninhabited island of Rodrigues in the western Indian Ocean. The colonists became discontented with their life on the island and after a stay of two years managed to escape to Mauritius in a small boat. Leguat arrived back in Europe in June 1698 and this work was published in 1708. Notably, Leguat describes several species of birds and tortoises that were endemic to Rodrigues but are now extinct