Discord logo wearing an 18th-century naval hat, created by an AI.

Good news for all enthusiasts of exploration, history, and adventure: the official Discord server of the Lapérouse Albi France Association (ALAF) is now online!

This space was created as a place to meet and exchange ideas for members, the curious, and anyone who wishes to follow or take part in the association’s activities. Whether you are a young explorer in the making or a passionate historian, you will find a place here to discuss, learn, and share.

A server organized to explore together

Le Discord a été organisé en plusieurs espaces pour faciliter la navigation et permettre à chacun de trouver rapidement ce qui l’intéresse :

Home

A welcome channel to greet new members
A space to introduce yourself, get to know the community, and take your first steps on the server.

Server Rules
The principles of respect and good conduct that allow everyone to interact in a pleasant and constructive atmosphere.

An announcements channel to stay updated
Server news, association announcements, and important information you don’t want to miss.

Voice Channels

General Voice Channel

An open voice space for all members to chat freely in real time. It’s the perfect place to have spontaneous conversations, meet other history and exploration enthusiasts, or simply enjoy a friendly moment together.

ALAF Meeting Voice Channel

A channel dedicated to association meetings. It allows members to gather to organize projects, plan activities, and hold more structured discussions around ALAF initiatives.

General Chat

A general chat channel
The heart of the server: a place to chat freely, exchange ideas, and share your interests.

Conversations about history and exploration
A space to talk about great expeditions, explorers, maritime history, and scientific discoveries.

A space to discuss ongoing projects
A channel to follow the progress of the association’s projects and talk about initiatives in development.

Projects and Research

A channel to share project ideas.
A place to propose new ideas, imagine initiatives, and collaboratively build the projects of tomorrow.

A space dedicated to research and discoveries.
To share information, documents, research leads, and deepen our knowledge.

A channel for the work team.
A coordination space for members involved in organizing and carrying out projects.

Creation and Media

Photo Sharing
A channel for sharing images related to the association’s exploration, history, or activities.

Artistic Creations
A space to showcase drawings, illustrations, or creations inspired by adventure and discovery.

Videos and Documentaries
To share inspiring videos, historical documentaries, or educational content.

Association Life

Access to the Official Website
A direct link to the resources and information available on the association’s website.

Articles and Lectures
A space to share articles, lectures, and content related to history and explorations.

Expedition Information
Learn how to participate in projects and get involved in the association’s initiatives.

Events and Activities

An Events Calendar
Keep track of meetings, gatherings, and events organized by the community.

Activities and Challenges
Fun challenges, games, and activities to learn while having a great time.

Meeting and Conference Rooms
Voice channels to host discussions, meetings, or conferences.

Participation and Collaboration

A Space for Volunteers
A channel dedicated to those who want to help and get involved in the association’s projects.

Partnerships
A space to discuss collaborations with other associations, institutions, or enthusiasts.

Suggestions, Feedback, and Polls
A space to suggest improvements, share your opinion, and participate in community decisions.

Relaxation

Quiz Zone
Quizzes and games to test your knowledge of history, exploration, and many other topics.

A Space for Creations and Sharing
A friendly place to freely share your passions, inspirations, and discoveries.

Puzzles and Riddles
Riddles and challenges to spark curiosity and the spirit of exploration.

A place to share and keep the spirit of exploration alive.

This Discord is dedicated to fostering the spirit of discovery and sharing that inspires ALAF.
Here, you can discuss maritime history, travel, research, or just connect with fellow enthusiasts.

We hope this new space will become a true meeting point for the community, in the spirit of great scientific expeditions: curiosity, cooperation, and discovery.

Join us and embark on the adventure!

Lapérouse, the adventure continues…

https://discord.gg/qqnB7syyBQ

Article written by Nicolas Gosset

The post The Discord of the Lapérouse Albi France association is now available online! appeared first on ALAF.

We are pleased to announce that ALAF has officially received the 400th anniversary of the French Navy label. This recognition marks our association’s commitment to this major national celebration.

Thanks to this certification, we now have access to official resources such as the 400th anniversary of the French Navy charter, official logos, and an explanatory flyer about the certification process. These tools will allow us to promote our actions in full compliance with the event’s guidelines.

The 400th anniversary of the French Navy represents a major milestone for French maritime heritage. By participating in this commemoration, ALAF is joining a national movement that highlights history, commitment, and maritime traditions. It is also a unique opportunity to showcase our association and our region on a national level.

Official logo of the 400th anniversary of the French Navy

This certification is a real opportunity for Albi and for ALAF. We are proud to actively contribute to this anniversary.

Stay tuned to discover the next chapter of the adventure!

Lapérouse, the adventure continues…

Nicolas Gosset

The post ALAF certified for the 400th anniversary of the French Navy appeared first on ALAF.

We asked its president, Raymond Duranton, for permission to publish one of his articles, which recounts Lapérouse’s visit to the famous Easter Island.

If you are interested in Easter Island, please consider joining this association. You will find the link at the bottom of this article.

Here is Raymond Duranton’s article.

Source

The original edition of the book “Lapérouse, voyage autour du monde” (Lapérouse, voyage around the world), published in April 1791 by Louis Marie Milet-Mureau, is unavailable. Numerous books were based on it, with few changes to the text. The edition published by Éditions Maspéro has been used here. In fact, given the relatively slim subject matter, I have only summarized the parts where Lapérouse talks about Easter Island: chapters IV and V (pp. 64 to 91), a little at the end of chapter III, and a little at the beginning of chapter VI. These thirty or so pages should be read carefully, as the text was written by a sailor on a mission.

Location

Lapérouse’s long journey will not be recounted here. The attached map shows the small section that interests us, with a stopover in Chile. Lapérouse had two frigates at his disposal, the Astrolabe and the Boussole, and on board were the best French scientists of the time.

Ratings

Lapérouse uses units of measurement that vary greatly in size: miles (nautical), leagues, toises, feet, etc. Readers may be misled by the glossary at the end of the book, which gives current measurements. We believe that a league for sailors at that time was worth about 5 km and a toise 1.9 meters.

He uses the term “Indians” when referring to the inhabitants of the islands.

He gives names of islands that have since changed, such as Owhyhee for Hawai’i. Islands that are now known to be non-existent are also mentioned, such as those discovered by ancient navigators.

Approach

During the night of April 8 to 9, 1786, Lapérouse sailed within three leagues of the coast of Easter Island. A footnote (p. 59) indicates that Davis and Cook must have been mistaken in saying that there were two islands at Rapa Nui.

In the morning, the weather being fine, the frigates anchored in the same bay where Cook had stopped, Hanga Roa, sheltered from the winds except those from the west (p. 59).

Reception

In the bay, initially at a distance of one league, the Indians followed the ships, sometimes in canoes, sometimes swimming. Then they came aboard laughing, unarmed. They looked different from those known to Cook and the painter Hodges, who was part of his expedition.

Lapérouse offered the inhabitants gifts of animals (goats, sheep, pigs) and seeds to sow and grow. But the islanders stole items from the crew (hats, handkerchiefs) which they carried on their heads, then dispersed. Lapérouse estimated the islanders’ population at 800, including 150 rather attractive women who stole by offering their favors. But overall, the French felt they had received a welcome without treachery.

The image above depicts Lapérouse’s crew on Easter Island. At the bottom left, we see people attempting to establish dialogue with the islanders (among them, perhaps Simon Lavo or Lavaux, a Navy surgeon with a gift for languages), artists, others taking notes, and, amusingly, on the right, an islander attempting to grab the hat of a crew member.

At around 8 p.m., Lapérouse “took leave of his new hosts” (p. 60) and signaled to them that he would return the next day. The Indians left in their canoes, dancing as they went.

Preparation

Lapérouse had a tent set up on the island under the command of Morel d’Escures. They were ordered not to use violence, not even rifle butts, to drive the Indians away.

The seventy men chosen to explore the island were divided into two groups. One was led by Lapérouse himself and did not stray far from the frigates. The other (chapter V), consisting of men who enjoyed walking and scientists, was led by Fleuriot de Langle and was to venture deep into the island. All of the observations reported are already well known to CEIPP members, particularly through the book “Les mystères…” and subsequent research. I will only discuss two or three original observations here.

Vegetation

As he was familiar with Île de France, Lapérouse thought he would find similarities with Easter Island. On Easter Island, trees used to exist in groups or sheltered from the wind; otherwise, they would perish. But the inhabitants had been imprudent (p.65) enough to cut them down. That is why only mulberry and mimosa shrubs remained, and not large food-bearing trees as in the rest of Polynesia.

Turned stones kept the night cool and sheltered young plants. But there was no stream; fresh water was very rare. De Langle saw the Rano Kao volcano to the southeast. The inhabitants lived on sweet potatoes and igames (Lapérouse does not mention taro), and little of the surface appeared to be cultivated.

Lapérouse and Cook, sometimes differing attitudes

Unlike Cook, Lapérouse had a favorable opinion of the Indians.

The Astrolabe and the Compass, with a healthy crew, had stocked up on provisions for several months at La Conception and asked nothing of the island’s Indians, even bringing them animals and seeds.

On the contrary, Cook’s ships, after a long and arduous journey from Tahiti, with men suffering from scurvy, were lacking everything, especially fresh water and food. They began to plunder a poor island, much to the misfortune of its inhabitants.

Conclusion

In this passage, which is both old and valuable for its details, we see that Lapérouse has a lot of respect for James Cook but criticizes him on specific points. I feel that this fact has often been overlooked by subsequent researchers, who did not compare the two accounts sufficiently.

Lapérouse was a French gentleman from the pre-revolutionary era when philosophers published their writings. But he was on a mission for the king and had to obey orders. He was careful not to call the Indians “savages” and did not judge them harshly. The Indians did not welcome the newcomers as enemies, but with dancing and singing, which did not prevent them from taking whatever they wanted. Lapérouse thought that this was how they lived, sharing everything. The women stayed behind, looking after the children, while the young and desirable women offered themselves shamelessly when the gift seemed tempting. Their sense of ownership was different from that of the West.

Image representing James Cook

Departure

On the evening of the 10th, around 8 o’clock, all the men and equipment were reloaded onto the ships. Lapérouse said that he left via the north coast (actually northeast at the beginning). On his way to the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii), he saw Easter Island for the last time.

It should be noted that the Lapérouse expedition spent very little time on this island.

Address of the CEIPP association website: https://centredetudesiledepaques.wordpress.com/

Thank you to Anne-Marie and Jean-Michel for their contribution.

The post Lapérouse in Rapa Nui (native name for Easter Island) appeared first on ALAF.

An expedition inspired by that of Lapérouse (1789-1794)

We have seen how Ambrosio Malaspina who had received Laperouse in Concepcion, then proposed a shipping to Carlos III.

The two ships leave Cadix in July 1789.

A team of scientists is part of the expedition in charge of cartography, study of animals, plants, minerals and astronomical observations, accompanied by the essential draughtsmen. Among them were celebrities such as the painting professor José del Pozo, the painters José Guío and Fernando Brambila assisted by the draughtsman Juan Ravenet (who joined them in Acapulco in 1791), the Franco-Spanish botanist Luis Née, the naturalists Antonio Pineda and Thaddäus Haenke.

For the first time, Spain, a trading nation, mainly concerned with bringing back treasures from its colonies, invested in a mission of pure knowledge.

The aim is also to visit foreign settlements linked to the collection of furs in cold areas. Malaspina also made stops in Spanish cities in America, probably for political purposes, to report on their condition to the Spanish administration. There are some similarities in the respective routes of Lapérouse and Malaspina, but one of the latter’s objectives (to visit Spanish cities) took him on different paths in the South Pacific.

Malaspina made a series of stopovers: Canary Islands, Montevideo, Falklands, Cape Horn. After stops in Spanish ports (Concepcion, Valparaiso, Callao, Lima, Acapulco), Malaspina sailed up to the Gulf of Alaska having been ordered to try to discover the mythical Northwest Passage. He contented himself with exploring the southern coast of Alaska, unwilling to take risks, naming some sites with a few Spanish names and convinced that this passage did not exist. A large glacier bears the name Malaspina.  He stopped at Yukatat Bay, recognized by Lapérouse, and then measured the height of Mount Elie in present-day Quebec.

He recognizes Puget Sound, a very important entrance pass to Vancouver Bay not spotted by Lapérouse who had passed too far offshore.

Malaspina can thus complete the mapping outside the Spanish areas. Then heading for Manila, a Spanish possession rich in spices. Then sail south, New Zealand with the mapping of Doubtful Sound. Then Port Jackson (Sydney) and stop at the Vava’u archipelago in Tonga.

These islands had been discovered by another Spaniard, Francisco Mourelle, and La Pérouse had also passed through them. Finally heading for Tacahano in Chile and returning to Cadiz on September 21, 1794.

A return without ovations

Malaspina is back in Cadix after 4 years and 10 mounths. This expedition, of exceptional length (in time and distance) was a success but his ideas were too humanistic. This man, steeped in the theories of the Age of Enlightenment, returns to a frozen monarchical Spain. He professed liberal ideas for the Spanish colonies recommending a greater autonomy.

In September 1795, Malaspina sent his writings to the Spanish government, trying to exert influence on it, but he is accused by Manuel Godoy, the Spanish secretary of state, of spreading revolutionary ideas. He makes the collections brought back by Malaspina disappear to prove that he had done nothing more than a propaganda tour.
However, an Atlas is kept at the Directorate of Hydrography of the Ministry of the Navy, in Madrid, which is published with 34 navigational charts. But some astronomical observations and natural history are lost forever. Part of the botanical collections had a better fate: Luis Née’s herbarium was given to the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid and many species were described thanks to these materials by Antonio José Cavanilles, who was its director at the time.
At the end of a mock trial, Malaspina was sent to prison in the San Antón Castle in Coruña for ten years. At the end of 1802, thanks to pressure from Napoleon, he was finally released and exiled to Italy in  Pontremoli, in Etruria, his native city.

A career in Italy

In 1804, he moved to Milan, capital of the Italian Republic. In December of that year, the government of the Republic commissioned him to organize the quarantine between the Republic and the Kingdom of Etruria on the occasion of an epidemic of yellow fever in Livorno. In 1805, he was appointed a member of the Council of State of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy. In December 1806, he moved to Florence, to the court of the Kingdom of Etruria. Alessandro Malaspina died in Pontremoli in 1810.

His work is recognized after a century of oblivion

Most of Malaspina’s work remained unpublished in 1885, when the ship’s captain Pedro de Novo y Colson published Viaje político-científico alrededor del mundo de las corbetas Descubierta y Atrevida al mando de los capitanes de navío D. Alejandro Malaspina y D. José Bustamante y Guerra desde 1789 a 1794.

Anne Marie Guillot

The post Malaspina, the forgotten navigator (second part) appeared first on ALAF.

Of the great navigators of the eighteenth century, we remember the names of the prestigious Wallis, Cook, Bougainville and La Pérouse, among others… So mainly British and French. On the Spanish side, we remember the navigators of the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. It seems that Spanish ships no longer cruised on the oceans in the eighteenth century.Forgotten Felipe Gonzalez de Ahedo or Domingo Boenechea? Forgotten Malaspina? And yet Alejandro Malaspina made a journey of 4 years and 3 months that can be compared to the Lapérouse expedition, bringing back an almost complete and healthy crew. Only a few men did not return, such as the botanist Antonio de Pineda.Like Lapérouse, Malaspina was a humanist but he had the misfortune of being too far ahead of his time, which earned him a sentence of 10 years in prison on his return from Spain, instead of the expected praise. The charges against him: being a revolutionary and conspiring against the Spanish Empire.

Who was Alejandro Malaspina?

Who is this extraordinary navigator? Why has he fallen into oblivion? Alessandro Malespina was born on November 5, 1754, in Mulazzo in Tuscany. He died on April 9, 1810 in Pontremoli, Tuscany.He was an Italian of noble lineage, his parents were the Marquis Carlo Morelo and Caterina Meli-Puli di Soragna. The young Alejandro spent his adolescence, from 1762 to 1765, with his uncle, viceroy of Sicily, and followed religious studies, even entering the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem. He does not take his vows.

We find him in Valletta, a port of Malta, where he was introduced to the art of navigation. After the death of his father, he moved to Spain, where his noble origins allowed him, in November 1774, to enter the Royal Navy as a midshipman (in Spanish). He was 20 years old at the time. He was therefore in Cadiz (the city that housed the prestigious naval school from which the officers of the Spanish Navy had graduated and where Lapérouse landed on his return from the Hudson Bay expedition in 1782). His career evolved quickly.

In January 1775, aboard the frigate Santa Teresa, he experienced his baptism of fire off the coast of Melila, besieged by the King of Morocco. He actively participated in the conflicts against the Sultan of Morocco and the Bey of Algiers. From 1777 to 1779, he made his first ocean voyage, he was in the Philippines, before overseeing the maritime isolation of Gibraltar during the American War of Independence which took place from 1775 to 1783 (Spain being on the side of the Americans, against the English). He was promoted to frigate captain at the end of the war on the Astrea and then to frigate lieutenant on the San Julian. He plays an important role in the Moolight Battle. His ship, the San Julian, was captured by the English, but he was allowed to remain on board as a violent storm threatened the ships with running aground. Malaspina rescued the San Juan and resumed his command. The ship reconquered, he returned to Cadiz with the Spanish flag. He also had the attack on Gilbraltar in 1782 and that of Cape Spartel. At the end of the war with the United Kingdom, he was a frigate captain. From 1783, he was the subject of an investigation by the Inquisition, which accused him of walking around with his hat on his head during the prayer of the Rosary. Nor is he being prosecuted. Second captain of the frigate Asuncion, he left Cadiz in August 1783 to inform the Spanish Philippine colonies of the end of the war: a sixteen-month voyage with passage of Cape Good Hope. From 1785 onwards, he took part in several cartographic surveys in the Mediterranean. Then he took command of the Astrea for a new and hard expedition, Cape Horne, Chile, China Sea with unfortunately the death of scurvy for sixteen crew members.

In 1789, he undertook a journey of more than 4 years comparable to that of Lapérouse.

Ambrosio O’Higgins, the initiator of the Malaspina expedition

Ambrosio O’Higgins was intendant of the city of Concepcion in Chile when Lapérouse stopped there on February 21, 1786. He then proposed to the King of Spain an expedition equivalent to that of Lapérouse, which was commanded by Malaspina, whom he knew from having received him previously after a crossing of the Pacific.

O’Higgins’ life is astonishing: an Irish Catholic, the son of an old family whose land was confiscated by Oliver Cromwell, he is now a simple sharecropper fleeing persecution in his country because of his religion.

He found himself in Spain, no doubt attracted by the prospect of being able to practice his religion, but also because of the wealth of this country, which owns a large part of the Western Hemisphere. A poor immigrant with no resources, he put himself at the service of the Spanish Empire and became governor of the Kingdom of Chile and viceroy of Peru. His work in Latin America is immense and deserves a more detailed study. He was the father of Bernardo O’Higgins, who would become the first head of state of independent Chile.

Ambrosio was therefore intendant of the city of Concepción (Chile) when Lapérouse stopped there. He was not yet governor of Chile but, as intendant, he probably participated in the reception of the French navigator. Did they get on well? We only have Lapérouse’s reflections, which are not complimentary on the management of the country. He was struck by the economic slump in which Chile was struggling despite its natural wealth. Crushed by taxes, trade languishes and laziness is rampant. Taxation should be reduced: “A very small duty on an immense consumption is more profitable to the tax authorities than a duty that is too strong and destroys this same consumption.” Hostile to privileged trading companies, Lapérouse set out his liberal profession of faith: “It is in the nature of exclusive privileges to bring death or at least numbness to all branches of commerce and industry, and it belongs only to freedom to give them all the activity of which they are susceptible.” (source: Lapérouse: an explorer in the Pacific | lhistoire.fr).

It was probably this visit of Lapérouse to Concepcion that led O’Higgins to propose to the king an equivalent expedition commanded by Ambrosio Malaspina. She left three years later, from the city of Cádiz.

Source on Ambrosio O’Higgins: From Emigrant to Viceroy: The Life of Ambrosio O’Higgins — History is Now Magazine, Podcasts, Blog & Books | Modern International and American History

The beginnings of the expedition

Malaspina was an experienced captain both in the field of navigation and in the management of men when he was appointed by his government to take command of a scientific and political expedition. It is remarkable for its duration and the fact that the crew was brought back almost to its full strength. The death of his men who died of scurvy during his previous journey undoubtedly prompted him to be cautious afterwards, in feeding the crew but also in navigation so as not to endanger the two ships. The project received the approval of Carlos III. But, at the time of Malaspina’s departure, Carlos III, deceased, was replaced by Carlos IV, whose painting by Goya depicting him surrounded by his family is well known.

Two corvettes were then built in Cadiz, La Découverte and L’Audacieuse

Malaspina commands La Découverte, Bustamante is chosen to command L’Audacieuse

Bustamante was born in Madrid on April 1, 1759. He was an aspirant at the Military Academy of Cadiz a few years before Malaspina. He then embarked for the Philippines but, attacked by the British, he was captured and taken prisoner in England.

Who is José Joachim de Toranzo de Bustamante y Guerra, Malaspina’s second-in-command?

In 1796, Bustamante was appointed Governor of Paraguay and Montevideo. Taken prisoner again in 1803 by the English, he was released, which earned him a court-martial, of which he was acquitted. Appointed Governor of Guatemala at a time of great independence activity (1810-1819), he confronted the local constitutionalists who harshly repressed the insurgents, and he opposed the liberal constitution of 1812. He was dismissed in August 1817 and returned to Spain in 1819 where he died in 1825.

Thanks to Anne-Marie Guillot, our member, who wrote this article at our request

See you next month to get to know this navigator and his expedition around the world from 1789 to 1794 comparable to the one carried out by Lapérouse 3 years earlier.

The post Malaspina, the forgotten navigator, commander of an expedition inspired by that of Laperouse (1st part) appeared first on ALAF.

It’s a not-to-be-missed event that attracted more than 700,000 visitors in 2012 and 2016. Eight years on, Brest is getting ready to light up once again. From 12 to 17 July, more than 7 kilometres of quayside will come alive with dancing, singing and stalls to provide a week of festivities.

What about the Lapérouse Albi-France association?

On Monday 15 July at 10.30am, Stéphane Buord, Scientific Director of International Activities at the Conservatoire botanique de Brest, will be giving a talk for the Lapérouse Albi-France association on “The Compass and botanical science: the Noah’s Ark of our time”. We look forward to seeing you there! See you on the “Hydroograph” ship!

If you would like to be part of this adventure, please send an e-mail to the following address: asso@laperouse-france.org

The post “Les Fêtes maritimes de Brest” appeared first on ALAF.

Jean-Marie Pestel took him on a tour of Albi and the Musée de la Marine in Paris, following in the footsteps of the famous navigator.

Mitani is currently working on a thesis on Jean-François de Galaup, Comte de Lapérouse.

Masashi Mitani is a former representative of the municipality of Wakkanai Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Sakhalin and is involved in supporting exchanges between Japan and Sakhalin (Russia) as a private company.

He sent us an article about his work from a local Japanese newspaper.

Here is the translation:

Mitani says: “I want to be the initiator of private sector exchanges and return the favour I have received from the people of Sakhalin.” The name of his project is “Le Détroit”, a French word for the Soya Strait. Its aim is to stimulate cultural and commercial exchanges and to act as a bridge between the public and private sectors. During his time as a municipal employee until August 2023, he has been involved in friendly exchanges between different towns and the city of Sakhalin for around 10 years. He believes that the city of Sakhalin benefits from special conditions that bring people from all over the world together and where everyone can understand each other and the world today.

As soon as he arrived as head of office in 2019, a coronavirus epidemic broke out and Russia invaded Ukraine. “Every time I encountered difficulties, I felt the kindness of my Sakhalin friends. This reinforced my desire not to be swayed by political expediency, but to cherish our ties as neighbours,” says Mr Mitani.

Last autumn, he moved to the town of Eniwa and set up a website, which has promoted exchanges with the people of Sakhalin by disseminating information on tourist visits and souvenirs, and making presentations to Sakhalin businesses. As a visiting researcher at Chuo Gakuin University, he is also involved in disseminating information on current problems and analyses of border regions. He is also interested in the French navigator Lapérouse, who crossed the Soya Strait in the eighteenth century. Over the past 15 years, he has acted as English interpreter at an event organised in Wakkanai in honour of Lapérouse, deepening his knowledge of the man and forging friendships with his descendants and researchers. Last year, he visited France, hosted by the navigator’s descendants. In Lapérouse’s writings, we learn that he was particularly impressed by the intelligence and kindness of the inhabitants of Sakhalin, which he had come to appreciate during his voyage.

Mitani is 50 years old and is enthusiastic: “I want to follow Lapérouse’s example by establishing relationships of trust with people without any prejudice“.

The post Meet Masashi Mitani appeared first on ALAF.

Joseph Lepaute Dagelet, astronomer and mathematician, was born on 25 November 1751 in Thonne-la-Long in northern Meuse, near the Belgian border. He was the son of Pierre Lepaute, a blacksmith, and Martine Demouzon. He was the nephew of the famous watchmakers who supplied sovereigns (from Louis XV to Napoleon III). At the age of 16, Joseph Lepaute left his native village and was called to Paris by his uncle Jean-André Lepaute and his aunt Reine Etable de la Brière Lepaute. They entrusted his education to Jérôme de LaLand, who ran the observatory at Mazarin College.

The young astronomy student quickly established himself as a brilliant pupil, with a keen sense of observation and scientific reasoning. In 1773, aged just 22, he was chosen to take part in Tremarec’s Kerguelen expedition to the Southern Lands. In recognition of his excellent work, he was appointed professor of mathematics and astronomy at the Royal Military School in Paris. In fact, he became the teacher of a certain Napoleon Bonaparte! In 1780, he presented his observations of the planets and stars to the Académie des Sciences. He was now the leading specialist in small stars. Three years later, he published his memoirs on the aphelion of Venus (the point in its orbit furthest from the Sun), and took an interest in eclipses of the Sun and the passage of comet Halley. Elected to the Académie in 1785, he became the youngest academician in France.

Dagelet was chosen from among the elite of French scientists to take part in Lapérouse’s expedition. He embarked on the frigate La Boussole, alongside Lapérouse, becoming one of his favourite collaborators. During this long and difficult voyage, he made numerous astronomical observations, the results of which are mentioned in his correspondence, but which perished with him and his companions on the island of Vanikoro in the Pacific, around May 1788.

A bachelor, he refused to marry his cousin Henriette Lapaute shortly before boarding his ship. And yet… There are now more than 3,875 individuals listed. The Nivromont, Choltus and Rollin families are the genealogically and genetically closest to Joseph Lepaute Dagelet, who is on the list of those presumed to be the “Vanikoro unknown”, due to the numerous astronomical instruments found around the skeleton discovered twenty years ago.

In Thonne-la-Long, a stele commemorates the Lepaute family, in particular Joseph Lepaute, whose birthplace can still be seen. The last bearer of the name is Nicolas Henry Lepaute, a company executive in Nice.

Ancestry and collateral descendants of Joseph Lepaute-Dagelet

The post Discovering Joseph Lepaute Dagelet appeared first on ALAF.

Jim is born in Alaska, but, the story that I am going to tell begins with his father. It all starts during his childhood, when Jim was on a family boating trip with him. One day, in Southeast Alaska, more precisely in the Tlingit Native village of Klawock, a local family offered to sell to his father a cannon in their possession.  The family was uncertain as to how a French cannon came into Alaska Native possession. Jim was only 7 years old at the time, so does not know the price.  He knows that the sale resulted from 2 or 3 years of negotiation, partly because the family needed the permission of their clan to make the sale. 

After that, time passed, Jim kept sealing, he became a lawyer and member of the sealing club of Seattle

What all of this has to do with Lapérouse’s expedition ?

As you may know, Lapérouse anchors in Lituya Bay in July 1786. It was the place of living and transit for different clans such as “the Ravens and the Eagles among others”. During History, have passed, for trades (animal skins,…), Russians, English, Spanish at this place. It must also be noted that during his time there, Lapérouse had cordial relations with the locals. 

Before leaving his anchorage, Lapérouse sent there two ships in order to check the channel. Unfortunately, this test was the first tragedy of the expedition. Both vessels sank killing 21 seamen. The dangerousness of the bay must be reminded with its tight channel, violent current, imposing glaciers in plumb, and extremely cold water. 

Those seamen were buried on an island in the bay called “Ile du Cénotaphe” (Island of the Cenotaph). A name that found its origin in the french word for empty graves illustrating the tragic destiny of those seamen and the tragic use of this island. Lapérouse made it write this message “Here, …”. 

What about the cannon ?

First of all, there are inscriptions in french on the cannon: “Fait par Dupont à Rochefort 1762” (Made by Dupont in Rochefort 1762) 

Secondly, this cannon seems to correspond to the type of armament needed for an expedition like Lapérouse’s. 

Thirdly, at that time and that place, it is hard to imagine which other french ships could have been there, if not Lapérouse’s ones. Moreover, when he was in Alaska, Lapérouse anchored only in Lituya Bay. 

So, this supposition is not verified, but highly relevant. 

And what are the other possibilities ?

The other possibilities we can considered would be a “theft” from the locals, an exchange during good relations with those same locals, or that this cannon has been brought after the passage of the Lapérouse’s expedition. It could have been either by a later other french expedition, either by an expedition other than french which would have “acquired” this cannon. 

What happens next with this cannon?

Today, Jim meet a lot of experts all around France, among other places, in order to support the theory of the belonging of this cannon to the expedition of Lapérouse. He went to Paris, Brest (the starting point of the expedition where he met Jacques Bodin, another historical member of the association), to Rochefort, and to other places.   

The difficulty to verify this supposition is even bigger that, the traces of the Lapérouse’s expedition have been deeply affected by the gigantic tsunami which occurred at Lituya Bay in 1958. According to Jim, who went multiple times there, the tsunami has made the channel even more dangerous and deep. But, this will not stop him to pursue his investigation. Indeed, he will go back there this summer in order to find new evidence. 

Finally, it is important to precise that this initiative follows no commercial spirit, and that it is an historical research that Jim is leading : “I wanted to know its story by putting my ear on it, as others do it with shellfish, to ask the cannon: “what is your story, I want to know it”. It has not answered to me.” 

The ALAF thanks Jim for his availability, and is honored and proud to count him among its members. The text that you read has been approved by him. 

To find out more :

Le voyage de Lapérouse, written according to his original manuscripts, followed by an appendix containing what has been discovered since the shipwreck and enriched with notes by M. DE LESSEPS, Consul General of France in Lisbon, and the only living member of the expedition for which he was interpreter; accompanied by a general map of the voyage, decorated with a portrait and facsimile of Lapérouse. (FRENCH VERSION : https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k9614376z/f13.item.texteImage / sell by ALAF)

Mega Tsunami : Vague de 523 Metres !, by National Geographic (FRENCH VERSION : https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=video+lituya+bay)

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We devoted our two previous articles to the search to identify the skeleton found on 22 November 2003 in the Vanikoro fault. We recall that it lay buried in a mass of coral, on the ship La Boussole, commanded by Lapérouse. A thesis submitted in 2007 by Coranie Lutton for her state diploma as a doctor of dental surgery, which shows the extent of the work carried out on the skeleton, is a very interesting read.

The examinations carried out by the IRCGN (Institut de Recherche Criminelle de la Gendarmerie Nationale – National Gendarmerie Criminal Research Institute) point to a Caucasian male aged between 29 and 40, between 165 and 170 cm tall, with an old fracture of the left humeral diaphysis and a slight prognathism. The skeleton shows little musculature and remarkable dentition, which rules out the possibility that it was a sailor. The man could only be a scientist from a high social status who knew the rules of hygiene (he looked after his teeth) and sailed on La Boussole. The following candidates can be considered: Duché de Vancy, draughtsman, aged 32 (but we have seen that he was sent from La Boussole to the Astrolabe), Le Corre, surgeon, aged 29, Rollin, surgeon, aged 37, Mongez, entomologist, mineralogist, physicist, aged 36-37, Lepaute Dagelet, astronomer, aged 36. Two families, that of Lepaute Dagelet and that of Mongez, came forward to provide information about their ancestor.

The first point of comparison concerns facial morphology.

Dr Yves Schuliar, forensic pathologist at the IRCGN, interviewed by Alain Conan, examined the measurements of the skeleton’s skull and the portraits of Mongez (both with large faces) and concluded that there was no incompatibility, but nothing more. Elizabeth Daynes, the sculptor responsible for the facial reconstruction, replied: “It’s true that there are similarities, but that doesn’t allow us to say that it’s him. Lepaute’s face looks finer.

Only a DNA comparison could identify the unknown.

Mitochondrial DNA (transmitted only by females) was extracted from the femur of the skeleton. The Lepaute and Mongez families then set about finding a descendant passed down only by women who would carry this famous DNA.

– Given the difficulty of carrying out these investigations and after having considered exhuming a descendant, the search for Lepaute was voluntarily abandoned. He was considered to be the last survivor, according to what were considered to be fanciful accounts. He is said to have been seen in several places after the shipwreck and to have died in 1794. There is nothing to give them any credence.

– As for the Mongez family, in 2006, Fabien Cler, president of the Sine Dolo Association, encouraged by Alain Conan of the Salomon Association, drew up a very complete family tree (more than five hundred descendants of the Mongez family) and submitted it to Dr Cathala of the University of Montpellier in order to identify the carriers of this DNA among them. Etienne Beaumont, forensic pathologist, coordinated the research.

Mongez had no descendants and in any case, being male, he could not pass on this DNA to his children. Fabien therefore started with Anne, a sister of Abbé Mongez, and worked his way down from woman to woman until a male child led to this line being abandoned. This led to Victor Diday, who died in Grenoble in 1924. All that remained was to find a descendant of Victor who might have kept a personal object that belonged to him. Michel Brun, his great-grandson, was contacted. He remembered an old family trunk containing an envelope bearing the title “Beard hair from my beloved father”. Once the envelope had been found, Michel Laffont (then Secretary General of the Lapérouse Albi France Association and a member of the Salomon Association) went to Mr Brun’s home in Bizanos (Pyrénées Atlantiques) on 4 February 2006 and handed over the beard hairs, which were then sent to Professor Eric Baccino and then to Professor Cathala, who had to extract mitochondrial DNA from them and compare it with the DNA on the skeleton.

But Mr Cathala went abroad and the study was entrusted to a replacement. We then learned that “there was no incompatibility” between Victor Diday’s DNA and that of the unknown person, but that the hairs had been contaminated by other DNA.

Fabien Cler resumed his research, and again using Anne Mongez as a starting point, found Albert Delabeye, born in 1892, who carried Mongez’s mitochondrial DNA. When Albert died in 1981, he left behind his razor.

The year was 2014. This time, Alain Conan and Fabien Cler have an appointment with Professor Philippe Charlier from Garches, a forensic pathologist and palaeopathologist, renowned for his work in identifying famous historical figures. This first contact gives Fabien and Alain hope that the analyses will be carried out seriously.

Charlier asked Etienne Beaumont to retrieve the report on Professor Cathala’s analyses, as well as the piece of the unknown man’s femur and Victor Diday’s remaining beard polish.

The clippers supplied still contain a beard hair, but Philippe Charlier is more interested in the cells it may contain. The analyses are to be carried out in Barcelona.

The conclusion is, as for the previous analysis, “there is no incompatibility with Mongez”. Charlier added: “If it’s not Mongez, I’ll tell you”. This does not close the Mongez page definitively, as such research could have led to the conclusion of an incompatibility, but this is not the case.

Fabien Cler recovered the razor, but not the shards of femur or the remaining hairs from Victor Diday’s beard. Fortunately, Michel Brun had been asked to keep half of them as a precaution.

Research is still possible by exhuming bodies in Vénissieux (Delabeye and Veyron-Lacroix branches) and Grenoble (Marine Mongenet and her mother née Perrard). But before any bones can be removed, a number of conditions must be met: the remains must not be mixed with other bodies, which happens when several people are buried in the same plot. This also presupposes well-maintained funeral archives to obtain this information. Secondly, the agreement of descendants. In many cases, the first condition is met. For the second, Sine Dolo comes up against legal or administrative difficulties: agreement from the curators, authorisation from the public prosecutor.

The skeleton now rests in Brest

After being exhibited at the Musée de la Marine in Paris, the skeleton was forgotten for several years in the storerooms of a major Parisian museum. Alain Boulaire, a historian from Brest, urged the authorities to give it a burial in Brest, the expedition’s port of departure.

On 29 June 2011, the Ministry of the Navy buried the body in the Préfecture Maritime, with military honours, near the château-musée, under a compass rose created in several shades of marble by sculptor Joël Kerhervé. The coffin contains Vanikoro sand and glass beads from the Compass, entrusted to us by Alain Conan, as well as the skeleton’s DNA formula. Since 2018, visitors to the Museum have been able to approach the tomb. “This unknown sailor represents all the explorers who left Brest to discover our world and the ocean that we love so much,” says Alain Boulaire, comparing him to the unknown soldier who lies under the Arc de Triomphe.

Will he remain unknown?

An astonishing bust of Jean André Mongez recently discovered by Fabien Cler in the family of a descendant Bringing back a skeleton, preserved for more than two hundred years in a marine environment, is a rare event in marine archaeology, and you can imagine the emotion of the divers faced with such an unexpected sight. For Alain Conan, after the discovery of the two ships, this discovery is a culmination and a kind of reward after thirty-five years of research. He was able to unite a whole team of enthusiasts around him and defied all the administrative and financial obstacles. Many thanks are due to him, as well as to the people mentioned in this article and all those who took part in the research on the Vanikoro site. Thanks also to the TV programme Thalassa and Georges Pernoud, who left us some magnificent images.

The presence of the skeleton in Brest, Lapérouse’s port of departure, is symbolic. Its stele represents the memory of this expedition, so dear to Louis XVI, and that of the sailors and scientists who set off on a crazy epic that was both humanitarian and scientific, braving the oceans in extreme conditions, culminating in this dramatic shipwreck.

Alain Conan’s last involvement before his tragic death, carried out with as much passion as ever, was the search for the identity of the skeleton. His personal conviction, given the many clues, was that it was Mongez.

Science is making steady progress in the field of DNA. Perhaps one day we will know his identity. His magnificent tomb will remain as a tribute to the sailors who died.

Anne Marie GUILLOT
Member of the ALAF Board of Directors
Secretary of the Sine Dolo association
Professor at the University of Bordeaux

_{Fabien Cler recently discovered an astonishing bust of Jean André Mongez in the family of one of his descendants.}

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