TitleBook, Journal Historique du Voyage de M.de LessepAbout this objectJournal Historique du Voyage de M.de Lesseps, seconde partie, Paris, de L'Imprimerie Royale 1790.
This is a volume of the work of Ferdinand de Lesseps who was a member of the Laperouse expedition until the expedition arrived in Kamtchatka. At the request of Laperouse, de Lesseps left the expedition to journey alone from Kamchatka to France in order to return to Paris journals and charts from the voyage given to him by Laperouse.
This volume describes the journey of de Lesseps from Kamchatka to France, at the request of Laperouse. De Lesseps was born in Hamburg in January 1766, the son of the city's French Consul General. During his childhood his father was transferred to St Petersburg and by the age of 10 Barthelmy could speak three languages, including Russian. After being educated at a Jesuit school in Versailles, de Lesseps was made French vice consul at Kronstadt, where he soon won the attention of the French ambassador, by successfully quelling a mutiny on the French warship l'Uranie. Rewarded by being sent to Franch with dispatches, de Lesseps arrived in Versaiiles just as La Perouse was making final arrangements for his voyage around the world. Laperouse took an immediate liking to the young man, and thinking his knowledge of Russian might prove useful on his voyage, Laperouse asked de Lesseps to accompany him. The 19 year old de Lesseps jumped at the chance, and the La Perouse expedition sailed from Brest on August 1, 1785, with de Lesseps on board. The main objective was to explore the Pacific, survey unfamiliar coasts and check Captain Cook's claim that there was no North-West Passage.
Gift of the University of NSW 1988Object No.2014.41SourceLa Perouse MuseumCredit lineGift of the University of NSW 1988ThemesEuropean arrivals
