| Preamble | Early Life in Albi |
| Brest and the French Navy | Indian Ocean |
| Back in France | American War of Independence |
| Marriage and family life in France | Plans for a Pacific Voyage |
Preamble
Jean-François de Galaup de La Pérouse led the most impressive, single voyage of exploration
by a French expedition in the Eighteenth Century and probably of all time. That the voyage
ended with the disappearance of the expedition, when the ships were sunk at Vanikoro,
cannot diminish its known achievements up to that point. The distances sailed, the places
visited, and the descriptions and information gathered ensured that La Pérouse's expedition
can be ranked with those of Cook. La Pérouse's seamanship and leadership qualities were of
the highest order. That the ships were sunk can be attributed to a hurricane and a coral
reef and La Pérouse being, unfortunately, in the wrong place at the wrong time.
La Pérouse was only 46 when he died but he already had a distinguished naval career of 30
years behind him. Coming from a family in Southwest France with no maritime connections,
he had attended Naval College in Brest at age 15, become an Ensign and risen to be
Capitaine de Vaisseau, before being entrusted with charge of a French expedition to the
Pacific. La Pérouse had seen service in North America, the West Indies and the Indian Ocean,
including participation in several sea battles and the capture of British ships.
He married two years before his fateful voyage and he and his wife, Eleonore, had no
children. She survived until 1807, still not knowing what had happened to her husband.
It was only in 1827 that Peter Dillon found the wreckage of the ships in the Santa Cruz
Islands.
Early life in Albi
The de Galaup family.
The French Sailor and Explorer, La Pérouse, was born Jean-François de Galaup in 1741 in Albi
in the southwest of France. He was born into a family which had a long association with
Albi and which held a position of some importance in the town. Over three hundred years,
the family had, through hard work and strategic marriages, carefully built up its standing.
They had originally been merchants but later were involved in law and medicine, with
several of them becoming Consul in the town. The family first makes an appearance in the
town records when Huc Galaup became Consul in 1478. His grandson, Jean, acquired an estate
at Orban in 1558 and, with it, the right to add the participle "de" to the family name.
The family already possessed houses in Albi but Jean's son, Claude, added to them in the
early 1600s by buying a property, just to the east of the town, at Le Go. This property is
situated in a horseshoe of the River Tarn near a ford to Lescure, on the opposite bank of
the river (the word "go" means ford). It would become the family's summer residence and
Jean-François would be born there in 1741. Claude's sister Lavezonne married Clement de la
Jonquiere, establishing a link with a more noble family and one which would prove
influential in La Pérouse's career. About this time the family had also acquired its own
coat-of-arms.
La Pérouse's parents were married in 1740. Victor-Joseph de Galaup, born 1709, married
Marguerite de Resseguier, the daughter of a Colonel in the Regiment de Conde. Jean-François
de Galaup was born the next year on 23 August 1741, the first of ten children. In a
situation typical of the time, only two of his siblings, Martiane-Claire (born 1742) and
Victoire-Henriette-Marguerite-Claire (born 1758) survived to adulthood and married. A third
sister Marie-Anne-Charlotte (born 1743) became a noviate nun as Soeur Sainte Pelagie but
she died when she was only eighteen. Antoine-Salvy-Melchior (1745-1747), Armand-Roch-Victor
(1746-1748), Claire-Francoise (1747-1752), Jacques-Antoine-Victor (1749),
Hippolyte-Victoire (1751) and Francoise-Marie-Therese (1755-1766) all died in childhood.
When Jean-François left Albi for Brest in 1756, five of his brothers and sisters had
already died.
The Forefathers of Jean-François de Galaup de La Pérouse
Huc Galaup
Pierre Galaup
Jean de Galaup =
Claude = Catherine de Ciron
Jean = Jeanne Le Brun
Pierre = Catherine-Isabeau de Carriere
Jean-Antoine = Claire de Metge
Victor-Joseph (1709-1784) = Marguerite de Resseguier
Jean-François (23 August 1741 - 1788) = Louise-Eleonore Broudou (15 May 1755 - 4 April 1807)
The Family of Victor-Joseph and Marguerite de Galaup
Victor-Joseph (1709-1784) = Marguerite de Resseguier
(1) Jean-François (1741 - 1788) = Louise-Eleonore Broudou (1755 - 1807)
(2) Martiane-Claire (1742 - ?) = M. Dalmas
(3) Marie-Anne-Charlotte (1743 - 1762)
(4) Antoine-Salvy-Melchior (1745 - 1747)
(5) Armand-Roch-Victor (1746 - 1748)
(6) Claire-Francoise (1747 - 1752)
(7) Jacques-Antoine-Victor (1749)
(8) Hippolyte-Victoire (1751)
(9) Francoise-Marie-Therese (1755 - 1766)
(10) Victoire-Henriette-Marguerite-Claire (1758 -1818) = M. de Barthes
Albi and Tarn.
Albi is an ancient town situated on the River Tarn in the Languedoc region of Southwest
France. The Tarn flows west to join the Garonne, which passes Bordeaux and empties into
the Bay of Biscay. Albi is 250 kilometres from Bordeaux and 120 kilometres from the
Mediterranean. It is 70 kilometres northeast of Toulouse, the major centre in the region.
There are references to Albi as early as the Fourth Century but it achieved fame during
the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries for the Albigensian Heresy. The doctrine of Catharism
arose to oppose the perceived materialism of the established Church, based in Rome. The
region around Albi formed one of its strongholds until Crusades led by Simon de Montfort
crushed the rebellion. Soon after the Catholic Church established the dramatic Cathedral
Sainte-Cecile that still dominates the town.
It has never been a large town and today has approximately 65,000 people. A market town,
it serves as the administrative centre for the Department of Tarn. There is a La Pérouse
Museum on the north bank of the Tarn and a statue of the explorer is located in Place
La Pérouse. The High School is now called Lycee La Pérouse.
1741 - 1756 Childhood.
His mother was responsible for La Pérouse's early education at home. Later he attended a
small school nearby in the Rue de l'Ecole-Mage. When he was nine he entered the Jesuit
College in Albi (this later formed the basis of the Lycee La Pérouse) and he remained there
until 1756. Consideration had been given as to what Jean-François would do with his life,
especially given the current status of the family. They were sufficiently well off for him
not to have to enter a trade and, as some of the professions were somewhat dubious, this
left the Church and the Military as viable options. Since he was the sole surviving son,
he would be expected to perpetuate the family line, which meant he could not enter the
Church. Thus, in late 1756, it was decided that he would enter the French Navy.
Given that Albi is so far from the sea and that the de Galaup family had no direct
connection with the sea, it may seem strange that the Navy was chosen over the Army.
It has been suggested that Clement Taffanel de la Jonquiere, a descendant of Lavezonne de
Galaup and a naval officer with a considerable reputation played a part in the decision.
He visited the de Galaup family regularly and may have persuaded La Pérouse's father that
the Navy represented a reputable and profitable career. An anecdote tells of la Jonquiere
recounting to Victor-Joseph how much money he had won as prize money after capturing
British ships.
La Jonquiere agreed to be La Pérouse's protector and banker when the young man left for
Brest. A colleague of la Jonquiere, Charles-Henri-Louis d'Arsac de Ternay, also became his
protector. La Pérouse would sail with both men in the future. La Jonquiere also persuaded
Victor-Joseph that it would be in Jean-François' interest to add to the family name by
attaching a suffix. The Officers in the French Navy at that time divided into two broad
factions, the Reds and the Blues. The Reds were from the Nobility while the Blues came
from the Merchant Navy or from other levels of French society. The Reds were usually given
preference when promotions were being made. The addition of a suffix would help delineate
Jean-François as coming from a Noble background.
The de Galaup family had a farm outside Albi and the name of that farm (La Peyrouse) was
chosen as the suffix to the family name, which therefore became "de Galaup de la Perouse".
(The name appears sometimes as La Perouse and, at other times, as La Pérouse. Jean-François
would henceforth usually write it as one word and sign himself "La Pérouse". It is this form
that I will use).
Brest and the French Navy.
1756 - 1762 Seven Years War.
1756
In November 1756, at the age of 15, La Pérouse travelled north to Brest in Brittany to join
the French navy. Brest was established as one of the major ports for the French Navy, being
the base for the Atlantic Fleet and commanding the entrance to La Manche (The English
Channel). It was a bustling town, much larger than Albi, situated on the north side of a
well-protected harbour, the Rade de Brest. La Pérouse joined the Ecole des Gardes de la
Marine, which acted as a training school for Naval Officers and when he was in Brest he
lived at the Hotel St. Pierre, backing onto the Rue de Siam. La Pérouse was taught the
fundamentals of mathematics, astronomy and navigation as well as all about ships and
seamanship.
For much of the Eighteenth Century France had been at war with Britain and, in May 1756,
Britain had, once more, declared war on France. A rivalry existed in North America where
Britain had colonies down the eastern coast from Nova Scotia to Georgia and the French had
a colony, Nouvelle France or Canada, along the St. Lawrence River. Skirmishes had begun in
1754 at places such as Ohio where the two colonies came into contact. Matters escalated
and, together with other events in Europe, caused a full-scale war to take place. For the
next six years La Pérouse's studies would be interrupted by periods of active duty on French
ships.
The French Navy had transported a French Army, under the Marquis de Montcalm, across to
Canada from Brest in early 1756 and one of its principal roles would be to maintain a
supply route across the North Atlantic Ocean. As the Royal Naval was better equipped with
more seaworthy fighting ships and better-trained crews, this would not be an easy task.
La Pérouse would soon be involved in the action.
1757
The first posting of La Pérouse was, in March 1757, to the Celebre, which sailed on
3 May from Brest across the Atlantic to Fort Louisbourg on Ile Royale (later renamed Cape
Breton Island), near the mouth of the St. Lawrence River. The fort was crucial as a
stronghold protecting the St. Lawrence and therefore the French colony upstream. Britain
had captured it once before ten years earlier but it had been handed back to France under
the terms of the Pace Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748. The Celebre was under the
command of la Jonquiere, who had visited Albi a few years earlier. It is probable that la
Jonquiere had some influence in the posting. La Pérouse's first Atlantic crossing was
uneventful and the Celebre reached Louisbourg on 19 June 1757. After two months
unloading, the ship sailed again on 24 September to be in Brest in early November.
In late 1757, La Pérouse was transferred to the Pomone, a frigate under the command
of Ternay, the colleague of La Jonquiere, who had also visited Albi. The Pomone
spent two months sailing near Brest and patrolling off the Brittany coast.
1758
In February 1758, La Pérouse was aboard the Zephyre, another frigate, and again
under the command of Ternay. It left Brest and sailed down the coast to Rochefort before
heading across to Ile Royale with troops and supplies. When they reached Ile Royale in
early June, it was decided to land the troops at Port Dauphin, another harbour to the west
and away from the British, before moving on to Louisbourg. Arriving at Louisbourg on 6 June
they encountered the beginnings of the British siege of the Fort.
Admiral Boscawen had transported the British army, led by General James Wolfe, and landed
them in Gabarus Bay to the west of the fort. A long siege of seven weeks ensued before the
fort surrendered on 27 July. The Zephyre, with La Pérouse aboard, was dispatched back
to France with news of events. The ship managed to slip out of the harbour and evade the
British ships by sailing north through the Gulf of St. Lawrence and then through the Strait
of Belle Ile between Newfoundland and Labrador. It reached Brest but not before it
encountered British ships blockading the port of Ouessant (Ushant). Ternay managed to
evade the British and sail into port. La Pérouse was discharged from the Zephyre in
late July and enjoyed a brief spell of shore leave.
He was next to sail on a storeship, the Cerf, under the command of Bereul de la
Melaine, for three months close to the French west coast, south from Brest. In November, he
returned to his studies in Brest.
1759
La Pérouse and several other Gardes were posted to the Formidable in May 1759 and
joined the ship on 1 June. The Formidable, a 80-gun Ship of the line was commanded
by Chevalier Louis de Saint-Andre du Verger and carried a complement of 971 persons. The
ship was part of French plans to invade Britain but the British fleet, under Lord Hawke,
had been successfully blockading the French west coast, trapping the French fleet in port.
Commodore Duff commanded another British fleet standing off Quiberon Bay near where it was
thought the troops were being assembled for the invasion.
The French fleet was kept in port until 14 November when gales forced Hawke to retreat to
Torbay in Devon for refuge and repairs. The French Commander, Marechal Hubert de Conflans,
saw his opportunity and sailed south for Quiberon ready to attack Duff's ships. On the 20th,
Conflans with 21 ships began the attack on the eight ships of Duff only to realise that
Hawke had returned and was himself beginning an attack on the French with his fleet of 21
ships. The French were now both outnumbered and attacked from two sides and were soon in
disarray.
A strong wind blew the French into Quiberon Bay and, eventually 11 ships escaped into the
estuary of the River Vilaine and eight more reached safety in Rochefort. Five French were
sunk or burnt while one, the Formidable, was captured. The Formidable had
borne the brunt of the British attack and suffered badly. It was estimated that 300 men
died and over 150 were wounded, including La Pérouse. The captured ship was unable to sail
to Britain with wounded and prisoners so the wounded La Pérouse was put ashore as a paroled
prisoner on 28 November. It is probable that he was among those treated in the hospital at
Vannes before he returned to Brest. The battle is known in English as Quiberon Bay and in
French as Cardinaux (from some rocks in Quiberon Bay). La Pérouse may then have visited his
family in Albi as no mention of him appears in Marine records until late 1760.
1760
1760 was a relatively quiet year for La Pérouse. He was recovering from his wounds and was
still a prisoner of war until he was released from his parole late in the year. He would
not have been able to do much had he been fit and free as the French fleet was blockaded
in ports or stranded up estuaries. He, therefore, resumed his studies.
1761
Several of the ships that had taken refuge in the River Vilaine were still there in 1761.
It was determined that they would be recovered and Ternay, now a Lieutenant, and the
Comte d'Hector, another Lieutenant, were given the task of sailing the Dragon and
the Brillant out of the estuary. Under the cover of fog, they succeeded in early
January and sailed them to Brest, followed by three other ships. Two other ships, the
Robuste and the Eveille were still in the estuary and Ternay, promoted to
Captain for his earlier exploits was given charge of recovering them. La Pérouse joined the
Robuste in May, only to find the ship in very poor condition. Finally, on 28
November, the ships were in a good enough state to sail and Ternay took them to La Coruna
in northwest Spain, keeping close to the coast all the way. Some repairs were carried out
there before the ships headed north across the Bay of Biscay to Brest. La Pérouse was back
in his home port in late December and discharged from the Robuste in January 1762.
1762
The War had gone badly for France and it had already lost Canada to the British, a fact
which would deny them access to the rich fishing grounds off Newfoundland. The French
Minister of War, the Duc de Choiseul, determined that capturing a part of Newfoundland
would secure them continued rights to the fisheries when the terms of the impending peace
treaty was signed. Ternay was dispatched in the Robuste, with three other ships and
600 hundred soldiers, to destroy British fishing stations and regain a foothold in North
America. La Pérouse was on board the Robuste again when it sailed 8 May 1762.
Several small British ships were captured on the crossing before they reached the Avalon
Peninsula of Newfoundland on 20 June. Ternay landed the troops near Bay Bulls south of St.
John's. Colonel d'Haussonville marched his men north and captured St. John's, having
surprised the garrison by approaching from the land. The French ships then set about the
task of destroying British fishing settlements and Trinity and Harbour Grace were among
those burnt.
The news of the French attack quickly reached the British based in Halifax in Nova Scotia
and a force, under Lord Colville, was sent to recapture St. John's. This was achieved on
18 September but Ternay, La Pérouse and the two frigates, Robuste and Eveille,
had already left quietly on the night of the 15th. (The future British explorer, James
Cook, was in Colville's fleet).
Approaching Ouessant on 29 September, the French encountered a British blockade, which
denied them entry to Brest. They next tried Port Louis, further south, but were again
blocked and headed, instead, for La Coruna in Spain. They received instructions from
France to remain there until Peace was signed.
1763 - 1764 Peace
Ternay anticipated the signing and sailed for Brest on 9 January 1763, reaching his home
port on the 20th. The Treaty of Paris was signed on 10 February and peace was restored.
La Pérouse went home to Albi. After a brief holiday with his family he returned to Brest to
complete his studies.
France was close to being bankrupt and its navy was badly depleted. If La Pérouse wanted a
future, he needed to graduate from the Ecole and he needed to gain more and varied
experience. Such experience in peace time would prove difficult to obtain. In September
1763, he helped sail the Six-Corps from Lorient to Brest, a short journey, which took
four weeks. It was then back to his studies for the rest of 1763 and much of 1764. On 1
October La Pérouse passed out of the Corps de Garde and was commissioned as an Ensign
(Sub-Lieutenant).
1765
On 20 August 1765, La Pérouse began a series of postings on storeships working around the
coast of France. The French navy used these vessels to transport goods and supplies to the
ports and naval yards for shipbuilding, fitting out and stocking new and existing ships.
La Pérouse was posted to the Adour, commanded by Jean-Etienne-Bernard de Clugny.
The ship travelled down to Bayonne to collect a cargo of timber, which was taken to
Rochefort and Brest for shipbuilding. The crew was discharged in January 1766.
1766
In May, La Pérouse transferred to another storeship, the Dorade, under the command
of the Chevalier de Kergariou. They collected timber and other supplies from Bayonne,
which were delivered to Bordeaux and Rochefort. La Pérouse and the Dorade were back
in Brest in July. He moved to the Gave, captained by Le Saige de La Mettrie, and
sailed once more to Bayonne, then back to Brest. La Pérouse entered new territory when he
sailed to the French port of Toulon on the Mediterranean coast, which entailed passing
through the Straits of Gibraltar.
1767
La Pérouse was given his first taste of command on 10 September 1767 when he took charge of
the storeship Adour, on which he had sailed the previous year. This was a short
command from September to November and was followed immediately by his taking charge of
another storeship, the Dorothee. .
1768
La Pérouse's command of the Dorothee ended on 18 May. His friend and mentor, Ternay,
had been instructed to carefully survey Ouessant and the coast nearby. From 14 July to 14
September, La Pérouse joined Ternay on the Turquoise as he carried out the survey.
1769
As he had no postings, La Pérouse asked for leave and, on 1 March, he went to Albi to see
his family. He was able to stay there until September, when he returned to Brest. The main
news that year was of Louis-Antoine de Bougainville's return from his round the world
voyage. La Pérouse was one of many who were inspired by that voyage.
1770
The Belle-Poule was a frigate of 26 guns under the command of Thomas d'Orves and,
in the summer of 1770, La Pérouse joined the crew. It would mark a step up from the
storeships of recent years. However, there were no missions for the ship to carry out and
it lay in waiting in Brest Harbour. There was talk of another war resulting from competing
claims to the Islas Malvinas (Falkland Islands) by Spain and Britain. A few years earlier,
Bougainville had led French settlement of the islands but the French had agreed to Spanish
claims and withdrawn. Though the British did not give up their claim, war was avoided.
As part of precautions to avoid possible invasion by the British and to give him some
employment, La Pérouse was given a new task in October. He was required to take a bugalet
(a small vessel with a crew of eight) to the north and west coasts of Brittany to check on
British shipping and set up signalling posts. He was back on the Belle-Poule on 30
December 1770. The King had discharged the Duc de Choiseul from his position as Minister
of War, and his cousin, the Duc de Praslin, from his position as Minister of Marine at the
end of 1770. These moves had immediate repercussions on people who had benefited from the
rule of the Choiseuls. To a limited extent, La Pérouse was one of these people.
1771
La Pérouse understood he had been considered for command of a corvette, the Lunette,
but, with the fall of the Choiseuls, the command had been given instead to another officer,
de Tromelin. La Pérouse wrote to the new Minister, Joseph-Marie, Abbe Terray to complain.
Terray, himself, had only lasted a few weeks as Minister and it was his successor,
Bourgeois de Boynes who replied quickly telling La Pérouse to accept the decision. De
Tromelin was better qualified and La Pérouse was better off on the Belle-Poule,
according to the Minister.
La Pérouse had no time to brood as, in May 1771, the Belle-Poule finally sailed from
Brest bound for Santo Domingo in the West Indies. Among the other junior officers on board
was Fleuriot de Langle, who would become a close friend and would accompany La Pérouse on
the expedition to the Pacific.
The Belle-Poule landed at Cap Francais on the north coast of Santo Domingo before
heading round to Port-au-Prince. It then headed back across the Atlantic and reached Brest
in October. La Pérouse signed off on 14 October and the Belle-Poule went for a refit.
However, it was not the end of the association between the ship and La Pérouse as he was
back on board on 22 January.
Indian Ocean
1772 - 1776 Ile de France / Mauritius.
Charles-Henri-Louis d'Arsac de Ternay was something of a mentor for La Pérouse and in 1772
he was appointed Governor of the Ile de France (Mauritius) and Ile de Bourbon (Reunion) in
the Indian Ocean. The Belle-Poule was commissioned to take him to his posting and
La Pérouse was to sail with him. La Pérouse rejoined the ship on 22 January and the ship
sailed from Brest on the 25th. It called briefly at Lorient for provisioning before
leaving that port on 15 February. Further brief stops were made at Cadiz and at Goree
(near Dakar in West Africa) on the way to the Cape. The Belle-Poule entered False
Bay on 18 June 1772 and remained there until 22 July. It then crossed the Southern Indian
Ocean to arrive at the Ile de France on 22 August 1772.
The existing Governor, Francois du Dresnay Desroches, had been visiting the neighbouring
island of Bourbon and Ternay had to wait off Port Louis for the Governor's return. They
were able to land on 24 August. The island had been affected by a hurricane and supplies
were in short supply so La Pérouse was posted to the Africaine, which would sail to
Madagascar. The storeship was under the command of du Chayla and it would make return trips
to Madagascar several times by April 1773, bringing back rice, cattle and other supplies.
1773
The French lost much of their influence in India in the Seven Years War but it still
controlled a few ports scattered around the country. Ships from the Ile de France provided
a lifeline and Ternay gave La Pérouse the opportunity to visit India in early 1773. On 21
April, La Pérouse took charge of the Seine, a flute of 700 tons and 30 guns. The
Seine sailed from Port Louis on 18 May and, after a quick visit to Ile de Bourbon,
continued north towards the Seychelles Islands. The French, keen to have its own source of
spices, had established a small settlement on the main island of Mahe. On 6 June, La Pérouse
arrived at a small outlier, Frigate Island, and then proceeded to Mahe. The settlement was
in disarray with people accusing each other of wrongdoing. La Pérouse attempted to resolve
the problems, which included removing some of the protagonists and taking them with him.
He departed on 26 June and sailed to Pondicherry, a French port, on the southeast coast of
India via Eight Degree Channel and the Palk Strait. In Pondicherry, he was instructed to
proceed to Chandernagore, another French port near Calcutta. Waiting to avoid the monsoon
season, La Pérouse sailed north up the east coast of India on 27 August and reached
Balasore near the mouths of the Ganges on 3 September. He then entered the Hugli River
and took ten days to sail up the river to Chandernagore.
The Seine remained in Chandernagore for three months before leaving on 16 December
1773, with the Etoile, under the command of de Trobriand. The British, from
Calcutta, closely monitored their progress down the river, much to the consternation of
the French.
1774
Re-entering the Bay of Bengal, they sailed back to Pondicherry, calling in at Masulipatnam
on the way. Leaving Pondicherry on 3 February, the Seine crossed the Indian, passing
to the east of Chagos Archipelago and calling in at Rodriguez Island. They reached Port
Louis on 24 March.
After a short respite on Ile de France, Ternay sent La Pérouse back to India. Sailing again
in the Seine, La Pérouse departed in August 1774 with the Trois Amis for
company. Pondicherry was reached on 20 September, after rounding the south of Ceylon (Sri
Lanka). On this occasion, La Pérouse was required to sail to the Indian west coast and visit
French ports there. They visited Cochin and Mahe before they reached Mangalore on 3
December. The hinterland was controlled by Haidar Ali, the leader of Mysore, an enemy of
the British who, therefore, welcomed the French and entertained them for ten days. Sailing
north on the 13th, La Pérouse put in at Goa, a Portuguese enclave on 18 December. The
Portuguese were suspicious of the French and made their stay awkward, the customs official
especially so. Even so, La Pérouse remained in Goa for a week before continuing his progress
north toward Surat.
1775
On 5 January 1775, the Seine was attacked by a Mahratta fleet of three ships and 20
smaller vessels but saw off the attackers, who retreated to their home port (Coulage?).
Meanwhile, La Pérouse reached Surat where he stayed for two weeks before heading back south.
A brief return to Goa found the Trois Amis, which joined the journey south to Mahe,
which they reached at the end of February. Mahe was under attack by Cherikal, a Malabar
Prince from Kolattri with a force of 10,000 men.
La Pérouse took charge and successfully held the attackers at bay. He created a diversion
by sending one of his junior officers, Robert de Closnard, into a small galliot, the
Experience, with instructions to attack from a second front. De Closnard, who would
later sail with La Pérouse to the Pacific, was wounded but his efforts helped prolong the
defence. Near the end of April, peace was negotiated and La Pérouse was able to leave Mahe
and return to the Ile de France.
Sailing on 28 April, the Seine negotiated the Nine Degree Channel and, with pumps
working flat out all the time, returned to Port Louis in May 1775. La Pérouse would now
experience a extended stay on the Ile de France.
Eleonore
The Ile de France was only a small island, 50 kilometres north to south and 30 kilometres
east to west and there were only so many things to do and places to visit. The previous
Governor, Desroches, would not speak to the other senior official, the Intendant Pierre
Poivre. They had developed separate residences on either side of Port Louis. Poivre lived
at Mon Plaisir at Pampelmousse to the north and had used Philibert Commerson, the
naturalist on Bougainville's round the world voyage, to advise on the gardens. They are
now the Botanical Gardens of Mauritius.
Ternay inherited the Governor's residence, the Chateau de Reduit to the south of Port Louis
and La Pérouse was a regular visitor.
Jean-François had met and fallen in love with Louise-Eleonore Broudou (usually called
Eleonore), the daughter of Abraham Broudou, the manager of the naval storeyards and
hospital. The Broudous lived beyond the Reduit on an upland area, the Plaines Wilhelms
where La Pérouse went riding. In May 1775, he bought, together with his close friend
Charles Mengaud de La Hague, a property at Eau Coulee in Curepipe by the River Mesnil and
conveniently near the Broudous.
The friendship between Jean-François and Eleonore blossomed over the next months but not
everything went well. La Pérouse had sent word to his family and Victor-Joseph de Galaup
was not happy about the suitability of Eleonore as a wife for his son. The elder Galaup
quickly let Jean-François know of his disapproval and also informed Ternay, his superior
officer. La Pérouse was sufficiently dutiful to realise that he needed both the approval of
his family and the Navy before he could choose a wife. He therefore held back in asking
Eleonore to marry him but determined to pursue the matter back in France.
1776
A Polish émigré named Maurice-Auguste-Aladar, Baron Benyowski had started a settlement at
Antongil Bay in northern Madagascar two years earlier. Reports of trouble emanated from the
settlement and it was decided to send ships to investigate. The frigate Consolante
with Governor Bellcombe on board, on his way to assume command in Pondicherry was chosen
to go. As it would not return to Ile de France, Ternay sent La Pérouse in the Iphigenie
to accompany the frigate and report back to him. It also took La Pérouse away from Eleonore
Broudou's company.
The ships sailed to Madagascar in September 1776, reaching Foulpointe on the 17th. They
found that there had been fighting between local groups as well as with Benyowski's
settlers. Foulpointe was in ruins. Bellcombe helped reconcile some of the factions. He then
moved on to Benyowski's settlement at Louisbourg in Antongil Bay, which provided a dismal
picture. Benyowski was killed about ten years later and the settlement folded. Its exact
location is not now known.
The Consolante and Iphigenie departed from Madagascar on 5 October but were
soon separated. The Consolante reached Ile de Bourbon and waited for La Pérouse's
ship. By late November, the Iphigenie had still not appeared and it was believed to
have sunk. Letters were being drafted with this news when the old, coastal-trading vessel
was sighted on 23 November. It had been necessary to have the pumps working all the 48 days
of the crossing as the ship leaked at all points.
Ternay had been replaced as Governor by Brillane and was ready to depart. The official
handover ceremony took place on 2 December and Ternay and La Pérouse sailed from Port Louis
in the Belle-Poule on the 16th. La Pérouse had anticipated this departure by
selling his Curepipe property earlier in the year. Jean-François had also taken his
farewells of Eleonore. What he may or may not have known was that Eleonore would follow him
two weeks later in a merchant ship bound for Nantes where her mother then lived.
Back in France
1777
On 7 May 1777, La Pérouse and Ternay landed back in France at Lorient. They immediately
made their way to Paris and Versailles. For La Pérouse, this was a new experience as he had
not visited the capital before and had certainly never been presented at Court. It proved
a profitable time for Jean-François in that he was promoted to Lieutenant and was made a
Chevalier of the Order of St. Louis. However, he only regarded these honours as his due
and even wrote to the Minister pointing out that he would have received them earlier had
he remained in France. As a result, he also received a pension of 300 livres in July.
The colonies of Britain in North America had rebelled against Britain, and other countries
were about to be drawn into the war. Ternay and La Pérouse saw opportunities for France to
regain some, if not all, their possessions in the Indian Ocean and beyond. They formed a
plan and met with Charles-Pierre Claret de Fleurieu, the Director of Ports and Arsenals in
the Ministry of Marine. Fleurieu was a powerful and influential person who would later be
a friend to La Pérouse but, at this time, he informed Ternay and La Pérouse that France must
concentrate its efforts in the North Atlantic Ocean.
Jean-François next visited his family in Albi where he had to meet his father and discuss
Eleonore and related matters. La Pérouse was already 36 and finding a wife and producing an
heir was, by now, a matter of concern. Over the next few months, La Pérouse divided his time
between Paris, Versailles and Brest on naval business. However, he also found time to
visit Eleonore and her mother in Nantes. Soon after, Eleonore moved to live in Paris.
1778
1778 began with British raids on French shipping, prompting France to sign a pact with the
American colonies on 3 February. La Pérouse was sent back to sea in charge of the
Serin, a corvette of 14 guns, on convoy duty to Bordeaux and back from Brest. The
ship was in terrible condition and had trouble keeping contact with the convoy. He then
spent some time patrolling off Ouessant, around to the Channel Islands, and across to
Falmouth in Cornwall, before gratefully leaving the Serin on 15 May.
Eleonore had moved again and was back in Nantes when La Pérouse visited her during a month
ashore.
American War of Independence
The Belle-Poule was attacked by HMS Arethusa, an act which prompted the
French to officially declare war on Britain. La Pérouse was sent to St. Malo where his next
command was being finished. This was the Amazone, a frigate of 26 guns. It was not
ready and La Pérouse, therefore, missed the Battle of Ouessant that was fought on 27 July
with much loss of life and little resolution. The Amazone sailed from St. Malo in
August, together with its sister ship, the frigate, Gentille, commanded by his
friend, Mengaud de la Hague, and a cutter, Guepe. The ships sailed into the North
Sea and round the British Isles during the course of which they captured twelve British
ships. It was noticeable though that the Royal Navy was absent.
In late 1778, plans were under way for a French action in the Indian Ocean under the
command of the Comte d'Orves, with Ternay captaining the Annibal, a new Ship of the
line of 74 guns. However, plans changed at the end of 1778 and d'Orves sailed without
Ternay or La Pérouse.
1779
On 25 February, La Pérouse, in the Amazone, and Mengaud de la Hague, in the
Gentille, were waiting at Brest ready to lead another convoy to the Indian Ocean
when they received fresh orders cancelling the convoy. La Pérouse was to join the squadron
of Toussaint-Guillaume de La Motte-Picquet and sail to the West Indies. Ternay had been
injured and Mengaud was given different orders so La Pérouse was without his friends when
the squadron sailed on 1 May 1779.
They reached Fort-Royal (Fort de France) in Martinique on 27 June and joined the force
under the command of the Charles-Henri, Comte d'Estaing. He sailed south immediately and
began an attack on the island of Grenada on 1 July. After two days assault, the island
surrendered. A British fleet, under Admiral Lord Byron, appeared on 6 July and a battle
off Grenada ensued with the French having slightly the upper hand at the end. D'Estaing
took his fleet back to Martinique and Byron retreated to St. Kitts. On the 18th, d'Estaing
moved on to Guadeloupe before appearing off St. Kitts on 24 July. Byron though would not
be drawn and stayed in harbour so that d'Estaing sailed on to Cap Francais in Santo
Domingo.
Spain had now entered the war on the side of the American colonies and France against
Britain. Word was received in Cap Francais that British forces had captured Savannah in
Georgia so d'Estaing decided to go there to recapture the town. The French left Santo
Domingo on 16 August and reached the mouth of the Savannah River where d'Estaing began
landing his troops in early September.
La Pérouse was not part of the force ashore and, instead, patrolled offshore. On the 9th
and 10th of September, he chased and captured a British frigate, the Ariel, which
he towed into Charleston, South Carolina. It took some time to move the French army into
position to attack Savannah and the siege only started on 9 October. No progress was made
by the 20th. D'Estaing was wounded and the siege was lifted.
La Pérouse helped the Sagittaire take back the captured Experiment with its
rich cargo of silver to Cadiz. Before Cadiz though, the Amazone captured its own
prize, the Tiger, a British corsair, and all four ships sailed into Cadiz on 15
December 1779.
1780
La Pérouse remained in Cadiz for a few weeks before sailing to France, reaching Lorient on
28 February 1780. Ternay was now recovered and he had received instructions to transport
an army of 5,000 men under Jean-Baptiste, Comte de Rochambeau to North America. Ternay
asked for La Pérouse and then sent him to Versailles to discuss the logistics of the
operation with Claret de Fleurieu. It was a hectic time for La Pérouse as he travelled
between Versailles, Brest, Lorient and Nantes making arrangements for the fleet's
departure.
He was able to spend a short time with Eleonore in Nantes. He learned of the drowning of
his friend Mengaud when his ship, the Charmante, had struck rocks and sunk near
Brest. During a visit to Albi, La Pérouse purchased a house in the centre of the town in
the Rue de l'Ecole Mage.
Ternay was now in command of the Duc-de-Bourgogne, a Ship of the line of 80 guns.
The squadron had twelve other ships, including that of La Pérouse, and they were escorting
28 transport ships. On 2 May, the fleet departed Brest heading for America. The crossing
would be very slow, its speed dictated by the slowest transport vessels. The role of the
Amazone was to herd the vessels along in the manner of a sheepdog. The slowness of
the crossing and the numbers on board rendered the ships very unhealthy, and disease and
scurvy were rampant.
There were encounters with enemy ships on several occasions, especially near Bermuda. On
10 June the Amazone sank a cutter after taking over its cargo of cod. Ten days
later, six ships were sighted but Ternay decided not to fight but to sail on. This upset
his fellow naval officers, keen for a fight and reward, but pleased Rochambeau who wanted
to reach America. Finally, on 9 July, after a crossing of 70 days, the fleet sighted
Land's End in Rhode Island and, soon, the army was landed at Newport.
As not enough soldiers had been transported and many were sick from the crossing, La Pérouse
was dispatched back to France to request for reinforcements. He took with him Colonel
Rochambeau, the son of the Comte, to add weight to the request. The Amazone sailed
on 28 October and managed to evade Admiral Rodney's blockade of the coast, before heading
for France. The ship reached Brest on 6 December and the two envoys made straight for
Versailles, where they found a new Minister of Marine in office. Charles de la Croix,
Marquis de Castries, who had connections to Albi, had taken over. Castries listened
favourably and promised reinforcements and supplies. La Pérouse was back at Brest within a
fortnight carrying promises and 1,500,000 livres to pay their way in North America. The
Amazone was in need of repair so La Pérouse sailed on 25 December 1780 in a brand new
frigate of 26 guns, the Astree.
1781
Despite it being a new ship, the Astree sailed poorly and La Pérouse endured a slow
crossing to Boston. He arrived on 27 February 1781 to learn that his good friend Ternay
had died of typhoid in December. 1780 had been a bad year for La Pérouse with two of his
closest friends, Mengaud and Ternay, dying.
La Pérouse had, for some time, harboured an idea whereby he would lead an attack on British
forts in Hudson Bay and, had Ternay lived, he may had the opportunity to carry it out.
Given the icy conditions, timing was paramount and it was necessary to leave about March
or April. However, Ternay was dead and Charles-Rene Sochet, Chevalier Destouches, his
temporary successor, instructed La Pérouse to take the Astree out and patrol off the
Massachusetts coast instead. He had also been promised the Sagittaire, a Ship of the
line of 50 guns, when it arrived at Boston. However, when it did arrive on 4 June it was
in a terrible condition with most of its crew ill. La Pérouse remained on the
Astree.
Admiral de Barras arrived to succeed Ternay and sent La Pérouse to escort a convoy from
Boston to Martha's Vineyard. Then, on 1 July, Barras dispatched La Pérouse to patrol near
the mouth of the St. Lawrence River. A second frigate, the Hermione, commanded by
Louis-Rene Le Vassor, Comte de La Touche-Treville, accompanied him. On 21 July, they
sighted a small British convoy near Aspy Bay at the north of Cape Breton Island. A short
battle with the frigates and corvette escorting the convoy followed and the French
scattered the British, capturing the Jack in the process. Needing repairs, the
French returned to Boston with their prizes, which also included the Thorn, a
corvette and three merchant ships. They reached Boston on 17 August, ahead of British
ships now searching for La Pérouse.
The Astree needed a refit so that La Pérouse was in Boston when the French inflicted
the decisive victory over the British at Chesapeake Heads. Instead, he went to assist the
Magicienne when that ship was being attacked off Massachusetts. Unfortunately, he
was too late but news of this attempt and his earlier actions off Aspy Bay reached France.
La Pérouse received news from de Castries shortly after that he had been promoted to
Post-Captain.
De Grasse, the successful leader of the French fleet at Chesapeake Heads took the fleet
south to Martinique in the West Indies. In November, he sent word to Boston that La Pérouse
should form a convoy of transports and escort them to Martinique. La Pérouse co-opted the
Resolue, a frigate commanded by his friend, Fleuriot de Langle, into the escort.
Storms delayed their departure until 7 December 1781, when they sailed south.
1782
The journey south was without incident and La Pérouse joined de Grasse on 13 January 1782
in the successful attack of St. Kitts. Admiral Hood appeared with the British fleet but
the two fleets skirted each other without engaging in a proper battle. At the end of
February, de Grasse led the French, including La Pérouse, south to Martinique, capturing
Nevis and Montserrat on the way.
Battle of Iles des Saintes.
The French had plans to attack Jamaica and were assembling troops, transport vessels and
their fleet at Martinique ready for this campaign. At the beginning of April, they were
ready to sail but the British fleet was hovering, ready to attack. De Grasse formed a plan
whereby a diversion would be created, thus allowing the transports to slip out under cover
of darkness. La Pérouse, in the Astree, was part of the diversion seeking to lure
the British to the St. Lucia Channel. However, de Grasse was delayed and La Pérouse was
forced back to port. The transports left Martinique on 9 April and made for Guadeloupe
while the French fleet remained at sea off the Iles des Saintes. The British fleet
continued its close observations.
Two French ships of the line, the Zele and the Jason, collided on the 11th,
leaving the Zele in trouble and in danger of being captured. A battle was now very
imminent and La Pérouse was charged with rescuing the Zele. At 4.00am on 12 April,
the Astree started its efforts to attach tow ropes on the Zele but, as this
was being finally achieved, the battle started. La Pérouse took the Zele into
Basseterre on Guadeloupe and returned, only to be an observer as the British fleet
crushed the French. The Ville-de-Paris, the French flagship, with de Grasse on
board, was an early casualty and was captured. The battle known as the Battle of the Iles
de Saintes, after some small islands south of Guadeloupe, was a resounding victory for the
British.
The surviving French retreated to Guadeloupe while Admiral Rodney took the British, also
somewhat battered, to Antigua. La Pérouse was given the task of following the British to
determine their destination and, when this was established, the French hurriedly left
Guadeloupe, bound for Santo Domingo. On 18 April, they were south of Puerto Rico and on
the 20th, they had reached the Canal de la Mona between Puerto Rico and Santo Domingo, when
a British fleet was sighted. La Pérouse was sent ahead to Cap Francais.
On 23 April, he encountered the other remnants of the French fleet and learnt the full
story of Iles de Saintes and its implications. He met Vaudreuil, who was now in command
given that de Grasse had been captured. From Vaudreuil he learned that the Jamaica campaign
was now cancelled and, more interestingly for La Pérouse, he was given permission to lead
his expedition to attack Hudson Bay.
Hudson Bay campaign.
Vaudreuil made the Sceptre, a Ship of the line of 74 guns, available to La Pérouse
for his campaign to Hudson Bay. The Sceptre was to have two companion vessels.
La Pérouse's old ship, the Astree, was placed under the command of Fleuriot de Langle
while the other ship was the Engageant, a frigate of 26 guns, commanded by the
Marquis de La Jaille. Sailing on the Astree was de Vienne, the young cousin of
Bougainville. The planning and preparation was carried out in total secrecy so that the
British would not be alerted. No winter clothing was provided lest it gave the British an
indication of the intended destination.
On 31 May 1782, the three ships left Santo Domingo and sailed north, avoiding all ports of
call. By 3 July, they were off Labrador, cold, in thick fog, with icebergs around them.
The fog made it very difficult to keep the ships together. They entered Hudson Strait on
18 July as the fog lifted but the ice was thicker and packed around the ships. Three days
later, the ice broke up and men went ashore on Baffin Island, where they met Eskimos with
whom they traded for furs and warm clothing. Sailing on, they entered Hudson Bay and
headed southwest.
Fort Prince of Wales at the mouth of the Churchill River was reached on 8 August. The fort
had very few defenders and the commander, Samuel Hearne, surrendered without shots being
fired. The British had never expected an attack and had believed the fort's isolation was
its best defence. Hearne was famous for having made the first expedition down the
Coppermine River to the Arctic Ocean. He and La Pérouse were soon on very good terms.
Having evacuated the Fort and appropriated its contents (furs, etc), La Pérouse gave orders
for its destruction. The French moved southeast to a second fort, Fort York at the mouths
of the Nelson and Hayes Rivers. They took Hearns and his small ship, the Severn,
with them. The fort proved difficult to approach but it also surrendered without much
resistance, on the 22nd. Fort York was also evacuated and destroyed, but La Pérouse left
food and ammunition for men who had fled inland. The French ships, by now, were in poor
condition with large numbers of men sick with scurvy.
The four ships sailed north from Fort York on 2 September, with a British pilot showing
the way. They re-entered Hudson Strait on the 6th and reached Resolution Island four days
later. The convoy split up here. Hearns and the Severn sailed for Stromness in
Orkney while Fleuriot de Langle took the Astree to Brest. The Sceptre and the
Engageant stayed together and headed for warmer waters and Cadiz in southern Spain.
On 13 October 1782, La Pérouse brought the two ships into Cadiz harbour. Nearly 100 men had
died on the three ships, many others had been ill, and the conditions had been so unpleasant
that La Pérouse was ready to admit that the destruction of the forts hardly justified the
campaign. He, though, was ready for more action and wanted to join Guichen in attacking
Gibraltar. However, the war was ending and the attack was called off.
Marriage and Family life in France
1783
The war was ending and La Pérouse was ready to sort out his personal life. In his absence,
his family had arranged for him to marry the daughter of another, well-respected Albi
family, the Vesians. Mademoiselle de Vesian was unknown to Jean-François and over 20 years
his younger. From Cadiz, La Pérouse, still in love with Eleonore, wrote to the Vesian family
detailing why he would not be a good match for their daughter. He would, of course, marry
her if that was her wish but added several veiled comments, indicating the reluctance on
his part.
La Pérouse took the Sceptre back to France, arriving in Brest in April 1783. On the
16th, he left his ship and travelled to Paris where he met Fleurieu and discussed plans for
the future. He learned he had received a reward of 800 livres a year for his Hudson Bay
actions. He was also granted three month's leave.
Eleonore had already moved to Paris and was living, as a boarder, in the Convent
St.-Antoine but Jean-François' mother told him not to have any contact with her while his
future was determined. He wrote more letters to the Vesians and then sent word to Eleonore,
giving her the opportunity to call off their relationship. She replied that Jean-François
was under no obligation to her and could do as he chose, but for her there was no one else
and she would enter the Convent as a nun.
La Pérouse went to her immediately and pledged his love. He wrote to his family and to the
Vesians to inform them that he would marry Eleonore. The marriage took place in the Church
of Sainte-Marguerite, close by the Convent, on 8 July 1783.
After an appropriate wait of a few weeks, La Pérouse took his bride south in August to meet
his family in Albi. By now, the family had accepted the situation and Eleonore was welcomed.
A second ceremony, a nuptial mass, was held in Albi Cathedral for the benefit of family and
friends. Even La Pérouse's father, Victor-Joseph, 74 year's old and infirm, had been won
over. It was still necessary to seek approval from the Navy and La Pérouse sent word to the
Minister, de Castries. On 25 August, de Castries quickly replied offering his
congratulations. It is probable that this correspondence was purely for the record and that
Castries already knew and approved of the marriage.
La Pérouse's leave ended and he returned to Lorient where he became involved in the Council
of War inquiring into the Battle of Iles des Saintes, three years earlier. De Grasse had
been blamed for the loss but he, in turn, had blamed others, especially Louis-Antoine de
Bougainville. La Pérouse learned he had become implicated in the blame and sought leave to
defend himself but this was refused. The inquiry eventually exonerated de Grasse but he
was banished to his estates. Nothing more came of the La Pérouse accusations.
m.1605
m.1704
m.1740
m.8 July 1783
m.1740