La Rochelle, chez P.L. Chauvet, 1787, in-4°, 25 x 19,5 cm, (4) nn pp (title ) + 587 pp + (3) nn pp ( errata, binder's instructions) + 7 folding engraved plates. Bound in contemporary half calf, boards covered in marbled paper, raised gilt spine with title label, all edges painted red, marbled endpapers. Fine copy . The author ( 1744 - 1805 ) studied in Paris where he befriended Lalande. He became professor of mathematics and navigation in La Rochelle which was the French naval shipbuilding centre in the 18th c. This was partly due to the large provision of oak wood which existed upstream of the Charente river. See Polak, Bibliographie Maritime Française item n° 8372..