In 1829, the French missionary Eugène Casalis joined an expedition intended for Bechuanaland (modern Botswana). After several years of preparation, in 1832, Casalis and his fellow missionaries arrived in Cape Town where they were told by British authorities that the country was too unstable for missions. Casalis was then approached by a representative of the Basotho king Moshoeshoe I who sought to bring a mission to Lesotho (then known as Basutoland). In 1833, he arrived in the kingdom and remained there for 23 years, establishing missions throughout the country. He also founded hospitals, schools, churches and a printing press. Casalis became friends with the king and was integral in persuading Moshoeshoe to seek the protection of the British in response to pressure from encroaching Boer farmers.
Casalis briefly returned to France in 1849, returning to Lesotho in the early 1850s. He was recalled to Paris in 1855, leaving the country under threat from invasion by both British forces and Boer farmers. Lesotho became a British protectorate in 1868.
On returning to France, Casalis set about publishing this account of the country and the Basotho people, which was published in 1859. He presented this copy to Queen Victoria.