Baudin expedition of 1800 to 1802
Encyclopedia
The Baudin expedition of 1800 to 1803 was a French
expedition to map the coast of Australia
. Nicolas Baudin
was selected as leader in October 1800. The expedition started with two ships, Géographe
, captained by Baudin, and Naturaliste
captained by Jacques Hamelin, and was accompanied by nine zoologists and botanists, including Jean Baptiste Leschenault de la Tour
, François Péron
and Charles-Alexandre Lesueur.
In May 1801, the expedition reached Australia, being the first to explore and map the western coast, and a part of the southern coast.
A lot of Western Australian places still have French names today: Baudin Beach, Peron Peninsula, Faure Island.
In April 1802 they encountered the British
ship Investigator captained by Matthew Flinders
, also engaged in charting the coastline, in Encounter Bay
in what is now South Australia
. The expedition later stopped at the British colony of Sydney
for supplies.
From Sydney, the Frenchs headed to Tasmania
, before continuing north to Timor
. On their way home the ships stopped in Mauritius
, where Baudin died of tuberculosis
. The expedition finally came back in France in 1804.
The French had peaceful relationships with all Aboriginal peoples they met. They notably produced precious ethnological studies of Tasmanian Natives, who disappeared quickly after British colonization in 19th century.
An inscription was left by members of Géographe
on Kangaroo Island
, Australia
, in 1803.
: Nicolas Thomas Baudin
(1754–1803) (Géographe) and Jacques Félix Emmanuel Hamelin (1768–1839) (Naturaliste).
Surgeon-Physician
and Naturalist
: Pierre François Keraudren
(1769–1858) (Le Géographe)(Preparations not on board)
Naturalist
s: Jean Baptiste Leschenault de la Tour
(1773–1826), René Maugé de Cely, Stanislas Levillain (1774–1801), François Péron
(1775–1810), Jean Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent
(left expedition at Mauritius
), Désiré Dumont, André Michaux
(1746–1803
Artist
: Charles-Alexandre Lesueur (1778–1846) assisted by Nicolas-Martin Petit (1777–1804).
Astronomer
s: Pierre-François Bernier (1779–1803) and Frédéric de Bissy (1768–1803).
Cartographers: Charles-Pierre Boullanger
Mineralogists: Louis Depuch, Joseph Charles Bailly
Sailor
s: Hyacinthe de Bougainville
, midshipman
second-class, and François-Antoine Boniface Heirisson, midshipman
(zoology) and Jardin des Plantes
(botany). Live plants, animals and birds were also sent to Empress Josephine Bonaparte
's gardens at Château de Malmaison
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
expedition to map the coast of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Nicolas Baudin
Nicolas Baudin
Nicolas-Thomas Baudin was a French explorer, cartographer, naturalist and hydrographer.Baudin was born a commoner in Saint-Martin-de-Ré on the Île de Ré. At the age of fifteen he joined the merchant navy, and at twenty joined the French East India Company...
was selected as leader in October 1800. The expedition started with two ships, Géographe
French corvette Géographe
The Géographe was a 20-gun Serpente class corvette of the French Navy.She was named Uranie in 1797, and renamed Galatée in 1799, still on her building site, as her builder refused to launched her, as he had not been paid...
, captained by Baudin, and Naturaliste
French corvette Naturaliste
The Naturaliste was a Salamandre class bomb-corvette of the French Navy.She was launched in 1795 as La Menaçante. She was renamed to La Naturaliste in June 1800 and under Jacques Hamelin, she took part in the exploration of Australia of Nicolas Baudin.Following her return in 1802, she saw service...
captained by Jacques Hamelin, and was accompanied by nine zoologists and botanists, including Jean Baptiste Leschenault de la Tour
Jean Baptiste Leschenault de la Tour
Jean Baptiste Louis Claude Theodore Leschenault de la Tour was a French botanist and ornithologist.Leschenault de la Tour was chief botanist on Nicolas Baudin's expedition to Australia between 1800 and 1803...
, François Péron
François Péron
François Auguste Péron was a French naturalist and explorer. He is credited with the first use of the term anthropology.-Explorations:...
and Charles-Alexandre Lesueur.
In May 1801, the expedition reached Australia, being the first to explore and map the western coast, and a part of the southern coast.
A lot of Western Australian places still have French names today: Baudin Beach, Peron Peninsula, Faure Island.
In April 1802 they encountered the British
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
ship Investigator captained by Matthew Flinders
Matthew Flinders
Captain Matthew Flinders RN was one of the most successful navigators and cartographers of his age. In a career that spanned just over twenty years, he sailed with Captain William Bligh, circumnavigated Australia and encouraged the use of that name for the continent, which had previously been...
, also engaged in charting the coastline, in Encounter Bay
Encounter Bay
Encounter Bay is located on the south central coast of South Australia, some 100 km south of Adelaide, South Australia. It is named after the encounter on 8 April 1802 between Matthew Flinders and Nicolas Baudin, both of whom were charting the Australian coastline for their respective countries...
in what is now South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. The expedition later stopped at the British colony of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
for supplies.
From Sydney, the Frenchs headed to Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, before continuing north to Timor
Timor
Timor is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, north of the Timor Sea. It is divided between the independent state of East Timor, and West Timor, belonging to the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara. The island's surface is 30,777 square kilometres...
. On their way home the ships stopped in Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
, where Baudin died of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
. The expedition finally came back in France in 1804.
The French had peaceful relationships with all Aboriginal peoples they met. They notably produced precious ethnological studies of Tasmanian Natives, who disappeared quickly after British colonization in 19th century.
An inscription was left by members of Géographe
French corvette Géographe
The Géographe was a 20-gun Serpente class corvette of the French Navy.She was named Uranie in 1797, and renamed Galatée in 1799, still on her building site, as her builder refused to launched her, as he had not been paid...
on Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island is Australia's third-largest island after Tasmania and Melville Island. It is southwest of Adelaide at the entrance of Gulf St Vincent. Its closest point to the mainland is off Cape Jervis, on the tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula in the state of South Australia. The island is long...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, in 1803.
Crew
CaptainsCaptain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
: Nicolas Thomas Baudin
Nicolas Baudin
Nicolas-Thomas Baudin was a French explorer, cartographer, naturalist and hydrographer.Baudin was born a commoner in Saint-Martin-de-Ré on the Île de Ré. At the age of fifteen he joined the merchant navy, and at twenty joined the French East India Company...
(1754–1803) (Géographe) and Jacques Félix Emmanuel Hamelin (1768–1839) (Naturaliste).
Surgeon-Physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and Naturalist
Naturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
: Pierre François Keraudren
Pierre François Keraudren
Pierre François Keraudren was a scientist and physician in the French Navy.His name has been honoured in several ways:* Keraudren Island is located west of Australia at ....
(1769–1858) (Le Géographe)(Preparations not on board)
Naturalist
Naturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
s: Jean Baptiste Leschenault de la Tour
Jean Baptiste Leschenault de la Tour
Jean Baptiste Louis Claude Theodore Leschenault de la Tour was a French botanist and ornithologist.Leschenault de la Tour was chief botanist on Nicolas Baudin's expedition to Australia between 1800 and 1803...
(1773–1826), René Maugé de Cely, Stanislas Levillain (1774–1801), François Péron
François Péron
François Auguste Péron was a French naturalist and explorer. He is credited with the first use of the term anthropology.-Explorations:...
(1775–1810), Jean Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent
Jean Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent
Jean Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent was a French naturalist. He was born at Agen...
(left expedition at Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
), Désiré Dumont, André Michaux
André Michaux
André Michaux was a French botanist and explorer.-Biography:Michaux was born in Satory, now part of Versailles, Yvelines. After the death of his wife within a year of their marriage he took up the study of botany and was a student of Bernard de Jussieu...
(1746–1803
Artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
: Charles-Alexandre Lesueur (1778–1846) assisted by Nicolas-Martin Petit (1777–1804).
Astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
s: Pierre-François Bernier (1779–1803) and Frédéric de Bissy (1768–1803).
Cartographers: Charles-Pierre Boullanger
Charles-Pierre Boullanger
Charles-Pierre Boullanger was a French geographer who served on Nicolas Baudin’s scientific expedition to the South Seas from 1800 to 1803. He was a midshipman cartographer and hydrographic engineer on the survey vessel Le Géographe with the sister ship Naturaliste...
Mineralogists: Louis Depuch, Joseph Charles Bailly
Sailor
Sailor
A sailor, mariner, or seaman is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses...
s: Hyacinthe de Bougainville
Hyacinthe de Bougainville
Hyacinthe Yves Philippe Potentien, baron de Bougainville was a French naval officer. He was the son of Louis-Antoine de Bougainville...
, midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
second-class, and François-Antoine Boniface Heirisson, midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
Publications
- François PéronFrançois PéronFrançois Auguste Péron was a French naturalist and explorer. He is credited with the first use of the term anthropology.-Explorations:...
Voyage de découverte aux terres australes (three volumes, Paris, 1807–1816) - Louis Jean Pierre VieillotLouis Jean Pierre VieillotLouis Jean Pierre Vieillot was a French ornithologist.Vieillot described a large number of birds for the first time, especially those he encountered during the time he spent in the West Indies and North America, and 26 genera established by him are still in use...
(1748–1831) New bird species described in Nouveau dictionnaire d'histoire naturelle (1816–1819) - Jacques LabillardièreJacques LabillardièreJacques-Julien Houtou de Labillardière was a French naturalist noted for his descriptions of the flora of Australia. Labillardière was a member of a voyage in search of the La Pérouse expedition...
Novae Hollandiae Plantarum SpecimenNovae Hollandiae Plantarum SpecimenNovae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen is a two volume work describing the flora of Australia. The author was the French botanist Jacques Labillardière, who visited the region in 1792 with the d'Entrecasteaux expedition...
(1804–1806)
Collections
Over 200,000 specimens from the expedition were deposited in Muséum national d'histoire naturelleMuséum national d'histoire naturelle
The Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle is the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, France.- History :The museum was formally founded on 10 June 1793, during the French Revolution...
(zoology) and Jardin des Plantes
Jardin des Plantes
The Jardin des Plantes is the main botanical garden in France. It is one of seven departments of the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle. It is situated in the 5ème arrondissement, Paris, on the left bank of the river Seine and covers 28 hectares .- Garden plan :The grounds of the Jardin des...
(botany). Live plants, animals and birds were also sent to Empress Josephine Bonaparte
Joséphine de Beauharnais
Joséphine de Beauharnais was the first wife of Napoléon Bonaparte, and thus the first Empress of the French. Her first husband Alexandre de Beauharnais had been guillotined during the Reign of Terror, and she had been imprisoned in the Carmes prison until her release five days after Alexandre's...
's gardens at Château de Malmaison
Château de Malmaison
The Château de Malmaison is a country house in the city of Rueil-Malmaison about 12 km from Paris.It was formerly the residence of Joséphine de Beauharnais, and with the Tuileries, was from 1800 to 1802 the headquarters of the French government.-History:Joséphine de Beauharnais bought the...
.