Expedition De Chine: (The Expedition To China) Varin, Paul (Lieutenant-Colonel Du Pin)

318 pp. 3 engraved folding maps. 1 folding engraved plate. // A detailed account of the French side of the Anglo-French Expedition to China that led to the burning of Yuanmingyuan in October 1860. The author accompanied the Expedition in a senior capacity as he has a most detailed knowledge of, and insight into, the politics, machinations, orders and motivations of the senior French command. It is now known that Varin was in fact a pseudonym for Lieut-Col Du Pin who was with the Expedition. The work details the expedition chronologically from its outset in 1859, through the campaign in China and on to its return to France in 1861. It includes such little-known facts as the composition and strength of the French forces and states categorically that the French were against the burning of Yuanmingyuan. The back of the book has three black-and-white engraved folding maps. The first shows in some detail the Taku (Dagu) Fort area, river mouth and sea near Tianjin. The second map is: ?Itineraire des Armees Alliees en Chine? which depicts the route the armies took from the Taku forts near Tianjin to Peking. The third map, Plan de Pe-King, is a detailed and extremely rare early map of Peking. This map has 185 numbered places of interest which are described numerically in the last 10 pages of the main text. There is also a folding black-and-white engraved map showing fortifications at Tianjin and Peking. On his return to France Du Pin sold his loot from Yuanmingyuan at auction on Paris. The most famous object he brought back was the unique painted album of 40 views of Yuanmingyuan. This was eventually sold to the then Bibliotheque Imperiale. Occasional slight foxing to text. A number of tears along the folds of the folding maps and plate and slight creasing, folding and chipping to the edges. Minor waterstaining to the top part of a number of pages. Perfectly serviceable for reading and research. In French. Very rare.