Case W1
- European Voyages to Pacific after Cook 1
Julien Marie Crozet. Nouveau Voyage a la Mer du Sud, Commence sous les Ordres de M. Marion ... Paris: Barrois l'aine, 1783.
This French book is the first published account of the voyage of Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne (1724-1772), edited by Alexis Rochon (1741-1817) from the papers of Julien Marie Crozet (1728-82?). Du Fresne’s was the second French expedition to visit New Zealand, following that of de Surville in 1769. Crozet’s narrative includes careful observation on Māori life and customs.
In May 1772, du Fresne anchored his ships in the Bay of Islands, where the crew spent five weeks exploring and repairing the ships. In June, du Fresne was killed along with 25 members of a fishing party which had ventured ashore. French reprisals resulted in the deaths of an estimated 250 Māori.
It is likely that the lengthy sojourn of the French exacerbated tensions between rival iwi, and that the crew violated tapu by fishing at what is now Manawaora Bay.
Julien Marie Crozet. Nouveau Voyage a la Mer du Sud, Commence sous les Ordres de M. Marion ... Paris: Barrois l'aine, 1783.
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Jacques-Julien Houtou de La Billardière. An Account of a Voyage in Search of La Perouse … Vol. II. Second edition. London: Printed for B. Uphill, 1802.
Antoine Raymond Joseph de Bruni, chevalier d'Entrecasteaux (1737-1793) is best known for his 1791-93 exploration of the Pacific in search of the lost expedition of Jean-François de Galaup, comte de La Pérouse (1741-1788).
D’Entrecasteaux was the first to chart the Kermadec Islands, naming them after the captain of the Espérance, Huon de Kermadec. He did not land in New Zealand but passed through its waters in March 1793 on course for Tonga. D’Entrecasteaux died of illness near New Guinea within a few months. His voyage was successful scientifically and for its contributions to ethnography but found no authentic information about the fate of La Pérouse.
On display is the English translation of the original French account of the voyage by Jacques-Julien Houtou de La Billardière (1755-1834), the naturalist for the expedition.
Jacques-Julien Houtou de La Billardière. An Account of a Voyage in Search of La Perouse … Vol. II. Second edition. London: Printed for B. Uphill, 1802.
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