Rare, complete work on the Strait of Magellan and its surroundings, by Antonio de Cordoba (1740?-1811), a naval commander in the Spanish navy who served in various battles, campaigns, and scientific expeditions throughout the Spanish empire. His activities took him, amongst others, to Havana (1761), Algiers (1767), Peru, Chile, and New Granada (1768-1772), Brazil, Uruguay, and the Falkland Islands (1760's). In the mid-1780's he went to the Strait of Magellan, a passage through the islands of Tierra del Fuego at the southern tip of South America, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. He commanded the frigate Santa Maria de la Cabeza which set sail from Cádiz in 1785. The main goals of the expedition were to explore various parts of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, and to determine whether it was preferable to enter the Pacific by way of the Strait of Magellan or by way of Cape Horn. De Cordoba and his crew returned to Spain the following year. In 1788 De Cordoba again set sail for the Strait of Magellan, this time with two smaller ships, the Santa Eulalia and Santa Casilda, to complete the cartographical survey of the area. The present works, complete with the five maps, resulted from these two expeditions, and are regarded the first comprehensive studies of the region.
This copy was previously owned by the famous French astronomer Joseph-Jerôme Le François Lalande (1732-1807), and contains his extensive notes, translations and corrections in the text and on the maps, including his name on the verso of the first endpaper. The copy then passed to José Gomez de la Cortina (dates unknown), with his own long hand-written note on Lalande's annotations and his death on 4 April 1807 on p. [3] of the first work.
With the book plate of D. Jose Gomez de la Cortina mounted on the front pastedown, an ownership inscription on the verso of the first flyleaf ("Lalande"), and an annotation about Lalande by Cortina on page [3]. The boards are slightly rubbed. The leaves are slightly creased, a tear in the inner margin of two of the maps, without losses, manuscript annotations in the margins of the leaves and maps. Otherwise in good condition. Ad 1: Bibl. Americana 1971; CCPB 000206669-6; Chadenat 552; JCB II, 3224; Sabin 16765; not in: Catalogue des livres composant la bibliothèque de feu De la Lande (1808); ad 2: CCPB 000117333-2; Sabin 1729.