Reflections on the Magellan expedition
Identifiers
CMV:
CMV36058
Repository:
Shelfmark:
Voltaire Library, 5-240 (VIII, f.22), ‘Notice sur le voyage de Magellan’
Title:
Reflections on the Magellan expedition
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Content
People:
Incipit Diplomatic:
Incipit Modernised:
Language(s):
In Own Hand:
Yes
Brief Summary:
The manuscript is an autograph draft of reflections on the Magellan expedition, written in Voltaire’s hand. It is likely a preparatory work for Chapter CXLIX from l’Essai sur les mœurs.
Detailed Summary:
In Chapter CXLIX, Voltaire discusses the Magellan expedition, particularly focusing on the Mariana Islands. He elaborates on the islands’ local produce, vegetarian diet, housing, and religious practices. The chapter also features historical figures, such as Don Henri and Pope Alexander VI, and concludes with a brief discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of colonialism.
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Physical Description
Material(s):
Extent:
1 f.
Format:
Dimensions:
Hands:
1
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Binding:
The manuscript is bound with other documents in contemporary red morocco.
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History
Date:
c.1756
Ownership:
After Voltaire’s death, the MS passed into the ownership of Catherine II and remained in the imperial and then national collection thereafter.
Origin (transcript):
[Geneva]
Origin:
Provenance:
This MS was probably taken to St Petersburg by Wagnière in the summer of 1779 along with the rest of Voltaire’s library.
Bibliography
Bibliography:
Fernand Caussy, Inventaire des manuscrits de la bibliothèque de Voltaire conservée à la bibliothèque impériale publique de Saint-Pétersbourg (Geneva, Slatkine reprints, 1970), p.38.
OCV Reference:
26A, P.247-252
OCV Manuscript Reference:
26A, ‘MSL’, p.xxv-xxvi