The Voyage of Laplace 1830-1832
From Canton, Laplace visited Manila and then sailed south out of the China Sea around the east point of Java, and continued south off the west coast of Australia. Sailing around that continent (stopping at Tasmania), he then anchored on its east coast at Port Jackson and made a voyage to New Zealand, his jumping off point for crossing the Pacific Ocean. Arriving at Valparaiso, the expedition continued around South America’s Cape Horn to Rio de Janiero and north across the Atlantic Ocean back to Europe.
Martin-Pêcheur Vintsioide (Madagascar)	Pteroglossus Ulocomus (South America)
Genette de l’Inde [Indian Civet] (Vietnam)
The above three images are from Voyage Autour du Monde par les Mers de l’Inde et de Chine. Paris: Imprimerie Royale, 1833-3.
These three specimens from the Laplace expedition serve to highlight the early part of the voyage, the area explored following its main mission, and its way homeward bound. The kingfisher was found on islands off the north coast of Madagascar; the naturalists declared that they knew of no other example exactly like it. The genet was acquired in the environs of Da Nang; the naturalists describe it as an adult male "with a strong, somewhat agreeable odor". (The genet is related to the civet, one source for the musk fragrance used in perfumes). The naturalists found this genet specimen to be similar to those taken from the coast of Malabar in southwest India. The South American toucan was the first of its kind to be added to a European collection, differing from specimens described by John Gould. Like the other specimens acquired during the voyage of the Favorite, these were added to the Museum of Natural History in Paris.
Laplace: Page 5 of 5.	back   next