Paris, P.G. Le Mercier, 1752.
Large 8vo [200 x 126 mm] of (1) bl.l., (2) ll., 135 pp., (1) bl.l. Bound in full contemporary red morocco, triple gilt fillet on the covers, gilt-stamped coat of arms on the center of the covers, spine ribbed and decorated with gilt fleurons, inner gilt border, gilt edges. Contemporary binding.
First edition of the report of the general assembly’s deliberations held by the company of the Provence Canal on April 1752.
“Few copies printed of this volume for the owners of the concession made by the King for the diversion of the Durance River. Copy with the arms of Trudaine, State advisor and director of the Ponts et Chaussées.” Morgand et Fatout, 10881.
In order to support his project of the Provence Canal, the author, Jacques-André Floquet, architect and hydraulic engineer born in Provence, gave several works and estimates about the canal planed in Provence, since 1742 to 1752. This huge project had the ambition to supply Aix, Marseille and their surroundings with water from the Durance River.
“Jean-André Floquet, hydraulic engineer, is famous for having started a canal that carried the waters of the Durance River into the area of Cadenet, his birth place, and mostly for having started a project of this kind meaning to carry these same waters to Marseille, a project that was not pursued, Richelieu having refused to give the necessary funds that he promised; because of that Floquet complained too sharply and got himself locked up in the Bastille where grief pushed forward his death on December 18th, 1771. […] The works of this canal, supposed to fertilize and enrich Provence, started on September 1752 and got interrupted in 1754, Floquet having started to deal with it on 1733. […]” C.-F.-H. Barjavel, Dictionnaire historique, biographique et bibliographique du département de Vaucluse, I, pp. 489-490.
“The other interested composed with the author of the project the former company of the canal. It’s with the help from associations, & his own fund that Floquet has, since 1733, until 1749, provided for the indispensable expenses that were to precede the beginning of the works, like expenses for research, leveling, travels, &c… At this last time, the company finally found that it was fair that the preliminary expenses were to be made publicly from now on. In order to do so, it deliberated the measures it had to take to reach this goal. […] It would be useless to mention it here. What we will say about this subject is from the registers of the former company, & from a deliberation taken during its general assembly on April 18th, 1752. This deliberation was printed, as well as a brief report, for those interested in the Canal project, report made after the deliberations of the aforementioned general assembly.” Abbé Expilly, Dictionnaire géographique, historique et politique des Gaules et de la France, V, p.885.
A precious copy bound in contemporary red morocco with the arms of Daniel-Charles Trudaine de Montigny (1703-1769). Daniel-Charles Trudaine de Montigny, son of Charles, provost of merchants of Paris, and of Renée-Madeleine de Rambouillet de la Sablière, born in Paris on January 3rd, 1703, was successively councilor at the Parliament of Paris, intendant of Auvergne, State councilor in 1734, finance intendant in March 1756 and director of the ‘Ecole nationale des Ponts et Chaussées’; he was also a member of the Academy of Sciences. He died in Paris on January 19th, 1769. He had married Marie-Marguerite Chauvin on February 19th 1727. Olivier, pl. 114.
Provenance: from the collection of the Count of Béarn (emblazoned ex-libris) and André Langlois (engraved ex-libris). This copy was also listed in the ‘Bulletin Morgand et Fatout’ (n°10881 in the 1883 March Bulletin).
