The early years of Sydney were witnessed by seven expeditions of French
exploration between 1788 and 1831. These expeditions spent, in total, over a
year in the new town of Sydney meeting most of its leading citizens and visiting
its expanding environs.
The French explorers, including Lapérouse, Freycinet and Bougainville, were
received and entertained by Sydney's dignitaries, including governors King,
Macquarie, Brisbane and Darling and the high-profile Macarthur family.
Their revealing accounts present intimate details of the everyday lives at
all levels of society, from the governors' parties to 'the sickening spectacle'
(as Bougainville saw it) of convicts on the treadmills in Sydney's penitentiary.
'The French Explorers and Sydney' contains previously unpublished
translations of European experiences in the early colonial period. The journals
and records of these French explorers and scientists offer surprising cultural
insights and engaging outsiders' perspective on the new colony and its
residents.
Contents:
Introduction: Sever French expeditions, en route for Sydney
1. Sydney's first days: Jean-Francois de Galaup de Lapérouse, 1788
2. Sydney as a teenager: Nicolas Baudin, 1802
3. Sydney comes of age: Louis de Freycinet, 1819
4. Sydney at maturity: Louis-Isidore Duperrey, 1824
5. Sydney at maturity: Hyacinthe de Bougainville, 1825
6. Sydney at maturity: Jules S-C Dumont d'Urville, 1826
7. Sydney establisged: Cyrille Laplace, 1831
Notes
Bibliography
Index
