Explorers of the Pacific: European and American Discoveries in Polynesia
French Explorers of the Eighteenth Century
French Explorers of the Eighteenth Century
France had established a colony at the Falkland Islands (Malouines) in 1764. Spain, however, claimed that the islands belonged to the continent of South America, and France acknowledged Spain's right in 1776, when Louis de Bougainville was ordered to proceed to the Falklands to deliver them officially to the Spaniards. He was also ordered to proceed to the East Indies by crossing the south seas between the tropics. Bougainville's trip seemed to awaken France to the advisability of taking a share in the investigations and the profits that might accrue therefrom. However, the Government did not move until it sent La Pérouse out in 1785, though two minor voyages were made before that for business purposes. A chronological list of French explorers follows:
Date | Commander | Ships | Islands Visited |
---|---|---|---|
1766-1769 | Bougainville | Boudeuse and Étoile | Tuamotus, Society, Samoa |
1769-1770 | Surville | St. Jean Baptiste | New Zealand |
1771-1773 | Marion de Fresne, Crozet | Mascarin and Marquis de Castries | New Zealand |
1785-1788 | La Pérouse | Boussole and Astrolabe | Hawaii, Easter, Tonga, Samoa |
1790-1792 | Marchand | Solide | Marquesas, Hawaii |
1791-1793 | D'Entrecasteaux | Recherche and Espérance | New Zealand, Tonga |