The Voyage of La Pérouse (1785–1788)

1. 1. Brest

   Today: Brest, France · Arrived 1 August 1785 · departed 1 August 1785 · The expedition sailed from Brest on 1 August 1785.

   La Boussole and L'Astrolabe sail from Brest with over 200 men, including savants, artists and gardeners — France's answer to Cook.

   The expedition sailed from Brest rather sooner than had at first been contemplated, on August 1, 1785, and doubled Cape Horn in January of the following year.

   Also called at by Louis-Antoine de Bougainville — who called it “Brest (departure from Nantes)”. Identified as Brest

2. 2. Concepción, Chili

   Today: Concepción, Chile · Arrived 24 February 1786 · departed 17 March 1786

   After doubling Cape Horn the ships refitted on the coast of Chile, where La Pérouse befriended Ambrosio O'Higgins — whose son Bernardo would one day liberate the country.

   Laperouse at once conceived an attachment for O'Higgins, "a man of extraordinary activity," and one "adored in the country."

   Also called at by Charles Darwin — who called it “Concepcion”. Identified as Concepción

3. 3. Easter Island

   Today: Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Chile · Arrived 9 April 1786 · departed 10 April 1786 · A single day's call.

   A brief call at Easter Island; the French left gifts and seeds, but relations were strained by persistent theft.

   In April, 1786, the expedition was at Easter Island, where the inhabitants appeared to be a set of cunning and hypocritical thieves

4. 4. Sandwich Islands (Mowee)

   Today: Maui, Hawaii · Arrived 1 May 1786 · departed 30 May 1786 · Scott dates the landfall broadly to May 1786; the landing on Maui is usually placed at 29–30 May — La Pérouse was the first European to set foot on the island. · position approximate

   First European landing on Maui. La Pérouse refused to claim the island for France, writing sharply against the European habit of annexing inhabited lands.

   Steering north, the Sandwich Islands were reached early in May. Here Laperouse liked the people

   Why is this position approximate?

5. 5. Port des Français

   Today: Lituya Bay, Alaska · Arrived 2 July 1786 · departed 30 July 1786 · The disaster at the bay's entrance struck on 13 July 1786.

   Charting the Alaskan coast, the expedition anchored in a bay La Pérouse named Port des Français. On 13 July two boats were swallowed by the tidal race at its entrance: twenty-one men drowned, and a cenotaph was raised on what is still called Cenotaph Island.

   No verified journal excerpt for this stage yet — help us find one.

   The record survives. Why is this stage empty?

6. 6. Monterey, New Spain

   Today: Monterey, California · Arrived 14 September 1786 · departed 24 September 1786

   Ten days at the Spanish presidio and missions of Monterey — the first non-Spanish visitors to Alta California, observing the missions with a sharp, sceptical eye.

   No verified journal excerpt for this stage yet — help us find one.

   The record survives. Why is this stage empty?

7. 7. Macao

   Today: Macau, China · Arrived 3 January 1787 · departed 5 February 1787

   Across the Pacific to the Portuguese enclave of Macao, where the sea-otter furs collected in Alaska were sold for the benefit of the crews.

   No verified journal excerpt for this stage yet — help us find one.

   The record survives. Why is this stage empty?

8. 8. Petropavlovsk, Kamchatka

   Today: Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia · Arrived 7 September 1787 · departed 30 September 1787

   After charting the fog-bound coasts of Tartary, Sakhalin and the Kurils — where a strait still bears his ship's name — the expedition rested at Petropavlovsk, and the voyage's records went home overland with young Lesseps, the only member ever to return to Europe.

   At Petropavlovsk in Kamchatka the drawings of the artists and the journals of the commander up to date were packed up, and sent to France overland across Asiatic Russia, in charge of a young member of the staff, J. B. B. de Lesseps.

9. 9. Maouna (Tutuila), Navigator Islands

   Today: Tutuila, American Samoa · Arrived 9 December 1787 · departed 14 December 1787 · The massacre at the watering place struck on 11 December 1787.

   At Tutuila a watering party was attacked: Captain de Langle — commander of the Astrolabe — and eleven others were killed; the boats that stayed afloat saved forty-nine of the sixty-one ashore.

   happily remaining afloat, were enabled to save forty-nine men out of the sixty-one.

10. 10. Botany Bay

    Today: Botany Bay, Sydney, Australia · Arrived 26 January 1788 · departed 10 March 1788 · The French stood off the heads on 24–25 January and anchored on the 26th — the very day Phillip shifted the First Fleet to Port Jackson.

    Arriving off Botany Bay, the French sighted the British First Fleet at anchor within. For six weeks the two expeditions shared the bay in courtesy; Père Receveur, wounded at Samoa, died here, and his tomb still stands.

    This was a British squadron, at anchor in Botany Bay, the pennants and ensigns of which we could plainly distinguish.

    Also called at by Lieutenant James Cook. Identified as Botany Bay

11. 11. Mannicolo (Vanikoro)

    Today: Vanikoro, Solomon Islands · Arrived 1 June 1788 · The ships left Botany Bay on 10 March 1788 and were never seen again by Europeans. The end of the voyage is reconstructed from islander accounts collected by Peter Dillon in 1826–1827, which place both wrecks at Vanikoro. · position reconstructed

    The secret of the sea: both ships were lost on the reefs of Vanikoro. Survivors built a small craft from the wreck and sailed away — they were never heard of again.

    They told me that the natives of Mannicolo stated that many years ago two large ships arrived at their islands; one anchored at the island of Whanoo, and the other at the island of Paiou, a little distance from each other.

    Why is this position reconstructed?

Published under CC BY-SA 4.0. Sources keep their own open licences. See the Magna Carta of the Seas for how this was verified.