274 - [Antilles]. [MOREAU DE SAINT-MERY]. PONCE. PHELIPEAU.

[Antilles]. [MOREAU DE SAINT-MERY]. PONCE. PHELIPEAU. A collection of views of the principal sites of the French colony of Saint-Domingue. Paris: Moreau de Saint Méry; Ponce; Phelipeau, 1791, APDR. Folio (53.5 x 35.5 cm), title page with a list of engravings on the reverse, 30 plates, some spanning two pages. Contemporary sewn cardboard binding (spine missing, one plate missing, a few plates loose, minor worm damage along the folds that slightly damages a few views in the center, very faint water stain on the side of a few plates, but the collection as a whole remains in fresh condition). A rare complete collection of his 30 plates on Saint-Domingue, published on the eve of the great slave revolt of August 22 and 23, 1791. Comprising 14 plates bearing 27 figures numbered 1 through 26, with a 6 bis, engraved in black on copper, primarily by Nicolas Ponce. Accompanied by 16 plates, including a view of the entrance to the Banique Hot Springs, a plan and cross-section of a sugar mill and a sugar-carrying vessel, a map of the island of Saint Domingue, and 12 plans engraved by René Phelipeau. Beautiful plates, some of which are printed on thick azure laid paper with certain areas and boundaries colored in wash on two maps. Published separately, this series was intended to accompany the work by Médéric-Louis-Elie Moreau de Saint-Méry, *Laws and Constitutions of the French Colonies of Leeward America, with Their Description, History, &c.* The illustrations include views and maps of the island of Saint-Domingue, depicting in particular Cap-Français, Fort-Dauphin, Port-au-Prince, Môle-Saint-Nicolas, Les Cayes, Petit-Goâve, Léogâne, Saint-Marc, Tiburon, and Jacmel, as well as several towns, ports, bays, and natural sites. The views feature traditional costumes, a view of the entrance to the Bánica hot springs, as well as plans and cross-sections of a sugar mill and its equipment. Includes the rare general map of Saint-Domingue, printed late in 1796 (plate 16), drawn by I. Sonis and engraved by Vallance across a double page. Six round vignettes illustrate the daily life of slaves and free Black people, while the last two double-page plates depict a sugar mill and sugar processing equipment. Plate 17 was never actually published. ANTILLES. HAITI. HISPANIOLA. Cohen, 815. Sabin, 50578. ?