There are strange coincidences in human life sometimes. 270 years ago, on August 23, 1741, the famous navigator Jean-François de Galo, Comte de La Perouse, was born. And 44 years later, again in August, his last voyage began. La Perouse's expedition disappeared under mysterious circumstances …
A naval commander, but not a traveler
Jean was only 15 years old when the Seven Years War began. But the young man decided not to stand aside - he went to French Brest and entered the School of the Marine Guards, where he studied mathematics, astronomy and navigation, as a practice, participating in sea battles against the British.
Over a decade and a half of various military campaigns (including the American Revolution), de La Perouse was wounded, during one of the clashes with the British he was captured, from where he was safely released. Then Jean-Francois repeatedly crossed the Atlantic Ocean, rose to the rank of lieutenant commander.
The wars ended, and in 1783 La Perouse left the bridge and retired. The former sailor was already thinking about memoirs, in which he was going to write about his battles with the British and the struggle for the independence of the United States of America, but it was not so …
King's plans
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Louis XVI decided to wipe the British nose in a peaceful battle. Yes, the English traveler James Cook made three voyages in the Pacific Ocean, became a great discoverer. But Cook died. And now the French must snatch the palm from the British - so the king of France decided. By 1785, a circumnavigation plan was ready. Count de La Perouse was assigned to lead the risky expedition. The instructions of the French monarch were short: to open "all the lands that escaped the keen eye of Captain Cook." In addition, La Perouse was obliged to win the trust of the leaders of tribes living in distant lands. For this, the expedition allocated a considerable number of gifts to the aborigines - simple but practical: 600 mirrors, 2600 hair combs, five thousand sewing needles, various metal tools, scarlet cloth and medals with the minted profile of the French king.
The ships "Bussol" and "Astrolabe" were ordered to explore the North and South Pacific Ocean, as well as to visit the Far East and Australia.
In addition to royal instructions, a large number of La Perouse received requests from scientists, politicians, traders, who hoped for the expedition to clarify geographical maps, to study the possibilities of hunting whales and collecting furs, as well as on the likelihood of establishing French bases on newly discovered lands and joint Spanish colonization of the Philippines.
The upcoming sea voyage, despite the obvious danger, caused a real stir among the sailors who want to set sail. However, there were only 200 jobs, and the "competition" was brutal. 16-year-old graduate of the Paris Royal Cadet School Napoleon Bonaparte did not get into the crew of either ship. The future emperor failed his astronomy exam. Perhaps then Napoleon developed a dislike for the navy.
Gifts for thieves
On August 1, 1785, La Perouse frigates left the French port of Brest. 220 people went into the unknown. On the ships, in addition to officers and sailors, were an astronomer, a doctor, three naturalists, a mathematician, three artists, and several priests with a technical education.
The Atlantic Ocean was passed safely. Then the sailboats rounded Cape Horn. There the sailors were greeted by a herd of whales, "chirping out fountains." And after staying in Valparaiso, Chile, the mysterious Easter Island with mysterious stone statues opened to the eyes of travelers. “These are not idols, but rather grave monuments,” one of the expedition members wrote down.
During the 24 hours that the sailors were on the island, the locals contrived to profit from some of the property of the Europeans. Numerous petty thefts took place on the ships, and an anchor was even stolen from one of the ships. However, Captain de La Perouz showed humanity - he forbade the use of firearms against the natives. Moreover, he ordered the gardener of the expedition to distribute seeds of plants, hitherto unknown to them, to the inhabitants of the island. The islanders also received goats and poultry as a gift.
The swimming continued. After a vacation in Hawaii, the sailboats landed on the shores of Alaska. Here the sea absorbed 21 sailors. During the sea hunt, the wave hit two boats at three or four miles per hour.
Hello Tartary
Then the expedition visited the South China Sea. In the Philippines, replenished food supplies. Further, the frigates headed north: past Taiwan and Japan to the shores of Tataria - this is how the enlightened Europeans called the entire unknown territory to the east of the Ural Mountains. Jean-François wrote: "We were eager to embark on the study of a country that has occupied our imagination since our departure from France."
After exploring the shores of the Korean Peninsula, the frigates set off for Oku-Yeso (modern Sakhalin). Here, during the voyage, the expedition discovered the strait between Sakhalin and the island of Hokkaido. Now this waterway is named after La Perouse.
September 6, 1787 "Bussol" and "Astrolabe" dropped anchors off the coast of Kamchatka. The French flotilla was greeted with a cannon salute in Petropavlovsk. In honor of the arrival of the travelers, the Russians gave a ball at the house of the commandant of the fortress. 13 local ladies were invited to the “hall” for the gentlemen who have lost the habit of the female society. And when it was time to continue sailing, the Russians generously supplied the French with food and everything they needed.
From Petropavlovsk, officer Barthelemy de Lesseps was sent to France with mail and documents. A messenger with a report on the progress of the voyage traveled to Paris for almost a year to hand over secret papers to the king.
After a while, the frigates approached the Samoan archipelago. Moored at the island of Tutuila. Another tragedy occurred on the shores of this island. At first, the islanders behaved very friendly, giving the newcomers magnificent products of local artisans. Before sailing, the captain of the Astrolabe, Flerio de Langle, with several sailors went ashore again and began to distribute small gifts to the natives. But they weren't enough for everyone. A fight ensued. Stones were thrown at the French. As a result, 11 more members of the expedition were killed.
In January 1788, La Perouse sent a report informing Louis XVI that he intended to explore the Solomon Islands, Tahiti, New Guinea and northern Australia. The Boussol and Astrolabe were heading north-east. Since then, no news has been received from the leader of the expedition.
What happened to the Boussoll and the Astrolabe?
On July 14, 1789, the Great French Revolution began. The Parisians took the Bastille. Then they dealt with the king. Tradition says that on the scaffold, Louis XVI asked the executioner: "Is there any news from La Perouse?" There was no news.
The search for the expedition lasted almost 40 years. In 1826, a ship under the command of the Irishman Peter Dillon stopped at Vanikoro Island, where traces of a shipwreck were discovered. Going ashore, the captain saw glass beads and other items of European origin among the natives: silver forks, spoons, tea cups, and most importantly - the handle of a sword with de La Perouse's initials. But whether the captain died immediately after the ship hit the reefs, or remained alive, stayed on the island and died of old age, still remains a mystery. In France, a popular version is that the British were involved in the death of seafarers - La Pérouse did not hide his anti-British views. According to other assumptions, the ships were captured by convicts, killed the sailors and fled to Australia. Proponents of the most exotic of the versions claimthat aliens were involved in the disappearance of the French travelers. But be that as it may, the disappearance of the crews of the frigates "Boussol" and "Astrolabe" remains one of the greatest mysteries of the times of the Great Geographical Discoveries.
Source: Secrets of the XX century