Carte de l’Archipel des Iles Viti

Map of the Fijian and Tongan islands, with the tracks the of Dumont D’Urville in the Astrolabe with two insets; Carte des Iles Tonga estraite de l’Ouvrage de Mariner ; Carte des Iles Loyalty. Durville charted the position of more than 120 islands between May 24 to June 11 during his exploration of the islands. From Tongatapu, the Astrolabe had sailed west to Viti (Fiji archipelago). At Ono (Viti0Levu), a medal around a native’s neck drew the attention of the French. A Russian inscription on the back showed it had been given to the native by the Russian navigator Bellingshausen, commander of the Vostok, who had discovered the island in 1820. The son of the chief of Viti-Levu, Tambua-Nakoro offered himself as a guide and remained aboard the Astrolabe during the entire exploration.

From D’Urville’s, Voyage de la Corvette L’Astrolabe, Paris.

Collections:
Bibliothèque nationale de France: ark:/12148/btv1b530938182
National Library of Australia: Bib ID2050849 (Facsimile)