Mémoire sur la communication de la mer des Indes à la Méditerranée, par la mer rouge et l'isthme de Soueys [Essay on connecting the Indian Sea to the Mediterranean, via the Red Sea and the Isthmus of Suez], by Jacques-Marie Le Père. Paris: L'imprimerie Royale, 1815. French.
An essay by French engineer Jacques-Marie Le Père (1763-1841) regarding the possibility of constructing the Suez Canal.
Inscribed by the author (dedication on title page; handwritten and signed by Le Père in French), to "Lieutenant-General Tirlet" – presumably, Louis Tirlet (1771-1841), one of the commanders of the artillery forces in the French campaign in Egypt.
Jacques-Marie Le Père took part in Napoleon's journey to Palestine and commanded the Bridges and Roads Corps (Ponts et Chaussées) in Egypt. After the discovery of the Canal of the Pharaohs during the campaign in Egypt (1798), it was suggested to construct a canal connecting the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean, which will significantly shorten the sailing distance from Asia to Europe; Le Père was commissioned to survey the ground in this area, where eventually the Suez Canal was constructed. Due to Le Père's findings, Napoleon suspended the project of constructing the canal. Nevertheless, his survey was later used by the engineer of the Suez Canal, Ferdinand de Lesseps (the works on the Suez Canal started in 1859 and ended in 1869).
[1] f., IV, 168, 18, [1] pp. 39.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Significant worming, slightly affecting text. Partly detached leaves. No binding.