Examen Maritime, Théorique Et Pratique, Ou Traité De Mechanique, Appliqué À La Construction Et À La Manoeuvre des Vaisseaux & autres Batiments.Traduit De L'Espagnol, Avec Des Additions, Par M.Lévêque.

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2 Volumes. 4to. pp. xii, 396, 14; 1 p.l., 364, 20. with half-title in Vol. I only. 14 folding engraved plates. woodcut title vignettes & headpieces. contemporary mottled calf, rebacked preserving spine labels, corners renewed (perforation stamps of the Franklin Institute on titles). armorial bookplate of American naval architect John Lenthall, (who donated the book to the library) & with his signature, dated 1830, on titles. Preface initialed by the translator. Inscribed from the translator Lévêque to 'Monseigneur le Comte de Montmorin de St.-Herem, commandant en chef dans la province de Bretagne'. imprint date altered in ink to '1784'. First Edition of the French Translation. An important contribution to naval science by Spanish geometrician and naval officer, Jorge Juan Y Santacilla, originally published in Spanish at Madrid in 1771. Among other notable accomplishments the author participated in the famous joint French-Spanish expedition to Peru in 1735 to measure an arc of the meridian near the equator, founded the astronomical observatory at Cadiz, and established the Friendly Literary Society, the forerunner of the Royal Society of Sciences of Madrid. "His combination of theoretical learning and practical experience enabled Juan, in his Examen maritimo, to provide a considerable base for the improvement of naval science, to refute several empirical theories of navigation, and to establish the fundamental principles of naval architecture. The book is a valuable application of mechanics to naval science." (DSB) The French edition contains significant additions by the translator, French hydrographer, Pierre Lévêque [1746-1814]. The present copy is inscribed from the translator to Armand-Marc, Comte de Montmorin de St.-Herem [1745-1792], who served successively as ambassador to Spain and governor of Brittany. During the early stages of the Revolution, he was associated with Mirabeau and he remained one of the inner circle of the King's friends until he perished in the massacres of September 1792. The book also bears the ownership entry and armorial bookplate of American naval architect John Lenthall [1807-1882,] who was Chief of the Bureau of Construction and Repairs, United States Navy, from 1853 to 1871. Lenthall distinguished himself as a master of wooden shipbuilding, having been chiefly responsible for the design of such ships as the Wabash, Niagara, Roanoke, Colorado, and Minnesota. Brunet III 591. Palau 125468. cfPolak 4783 (1792 Edn.). Seller Inventory # SANamJUA43

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