[COOK] CASSINI, Giovanni.
Le Isole Della Societa e di Noel Delineate sille ultime Osservazioni del Capitan Cook.
Rome, Presso la Calcografia Camerale, 1798.
Engraved map, 375 x 410 mm. (plate size), original handcolouring; a little watermarked and embrowned; an attractive copy.
Attractive map by Cassini of the "Leeward Isles" of the Society Islands, so named by Cook when he first visited the group in 1769 during his observation of the transit of Venus. The Society Islands became an important port of call for Cook, and lengthy stays in the region were central to each of his three voyages.
There is still some confusion as to Cook's use of the term "Society". The most popular explanation remains the theory that he named it in homage to the Royal Society (who had, of course, been instrumental in planning the visit to the region), but it has also been suggested that the name was his homage to the friendliness of the islanders. More prosaically, it has also been suggested that they are named merely for their close proximity to each other. Clearly shown in Cassini's map are the main islands of Bolabola, Otaha, Ulietea, and Huaheine, while the more distant Noel is present as an inset. The islands became a French protectorate in 1843 and a colony in 1880.
