"Mémoire de la construction et agréz d'une galère ordinaire, avec l'explication des termes, l'usage des manoeuvres, et de toutes les parties qui composent le corps de la galère et son armement"

Complete autograph manuscript of 106 pages entitled: “Mémoire de la construction et agrèz d'une galère ordinaire, avec l'explication des termes, l'usage des manœuvres, et de toutes les parties qui composent le corps de la galère et son armement”. Penned in a neat, unrubricated hand, with occasional marginal notes in another hand.
 
Contemporary full vellum binding, lightly soiled with minor wear, smooth spine without lettering.
A major and invaluable manuscript chronicling the revival of the French galley fleet, written by the most influential galley shipwright of his time: Jean-Baptiste Chabert.
We have identified only two other manuscripts bearing this same title: one belonged to Commander Noël Fourquin, a master mariner and specialist in nautical lexicography; the other was owned by Louis-Philippe himself. The latter is listed under no. 445 in the catalogue of the sale of his Palais-Royal and Neuilly libraries held in December 1852, and bears a binding identical to ours.

This significant manuscript can be attributed to Jean-Baptiste Chabert, a Marseille-based galley shipbuilder. Jan Fennis, in his work Trésor du langage des galères (1995), relays this attribution made by Jacques Humbert (La Galère du XVIII^e siècle), who passed the manuscript on to Commander Fourquin: “Il nous paraît que cette œuvre est celle d'un constructeur de galères travaillant à Marseille car il est question de l'arsenal de cette ville dans le texte. Il nous semble qu'on pourrait assez raisonnablement l'attribuer à Jean-Baptiste Chabert.”
Jean-Baptiste Chabert was part of a Marseille dynasty of galley builders whose activity dated back to the mid-17th century. He was involved in the construction of the remarkable flotilla on the Grand Canal of Versailles, built in Marseille from 1681 onward. In 1682, he was appointed professor at the shipbuilding school in Marseille, where officers, lieutenants and sub-lieutenants of the galley corps were trained, and in 1690 he was awarded the brevet of premier maître constructeur des galères royales.
In a letter addressed to the presidents of the parlements dated 11 April 1662, Colbert writes: “Le Roi m'a commandé de vous écrire ces lignes de sa part pour vous dire que, Sa Majesté désirant rétablir le corps des galères et en fortifier la chiourme par toutes sortes de moyens, est que vous teniez la main à ce que votre compagnie y condamne le plus grand nombre de coupables qu'il se pourra et que l'on convertisse même la peine de mort en celle des galères.”
 
This letter makes it possible to date the manuscript to around 1672–1674, confirmed by the author's mention in the opening pages of the “nationalisation” of the galley fleet: “Il faut savoir que le roi a l'économie de ses galères depuis dix à douze ans, les capitaines étant auparavant propriétaires du corps et agrès des galères.” This dating is also supported by a note in the margin of Commander Fourquin’s copy, reading “1672-74.”
 
The text then immediately refers to “Monsieur [Nicolas] Arnoul intendant des galères de France”: “Du depuis, Monsieur Arnoul [...] a fait construire à Marseille un arsenal très magnifique, dans lequel il y a toute sorte de manufactures pour fournir les choses nécessaires pour armer les galères.” The construction of the Marseille arsenal took place in three phases between 1665 and 1690, though Arnoul died in 1674.
 
Chabert begins his treatise by listing the various types of galleys: ordinaire, Patronne, Capitane and Realle. While distinguished by size, the author does not dwell on their dimensions, reflecting the culture of secrecy surrounding naval construction at the time. He then briefly discusses the state of the galley fleet, Louis XIV’s renewed interest in these vessels, and how the king managed to increase their number—and fill them with convicts—over the past ten years. When Louis XIV visited Marseille in 1660, no war fleet remained in the port: the galleys lay rotting in Toulon, and only six were seaworthy. The king was dismayed and resolved to create a fleet to surpass those of Spain and the Italian states. To this end, Louis XIV tasked Nicolas Arnoul with constructing an arsenal and refitting a new galley fleet.
 
The bulk of the manuscript is dedicated to detailing the various elements of a galley, their construction and respective functions. Chabert discusses everything from the ship’s structure to its weaponry and even the kitchen. Beyond the material aspects, he also outlines the roles of each crew member on board.
 
A superb manuscript, produced in very few copies, bearing witness to the revival of the French navy and the ambitious shipbuilding initiatives launched under Louis XIV and Colbert.