In 1791 Admiral Bruny d'Entrecasteaux sailed with two ships from France to search for his compatriot, the explorer La Pérouse, who was missing in the Pacific.
Although d'Entrecasteaux failed to discover the fate of La Pérouse, and perished in the attempt, his voyage was more than a mere rescue mission. Between 1791 and 1793 the expedition made a number of significant geographical discoveries, including the Derwent estuary and the D'Entrecasteaux Channel between Bruny Island and mainland Tasmania, and Esperance Bay and the Archipelago of the Recherche in Western Australia.
D'Entrecasteaux's voyage also yielded significant natural history collections and ethnographic observations, including some of the earliest recorded observations of the Aboriginal people of Tasmania and south-Western Australia, and detailed accounts of the islands and peoples of the Pacific, including New Zealand, Tonga, New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands and New Guinea.
D'Entrecasteaux died off the coast of New Guinea in July 1793. His papers were taken back to France by E.P.E. de Rossel, who transcribed d'Entrecasteaux's journal, and incorporated it into the official account of the voyage which was published in 1808.
De Rossel's transcription of the journal has never been previously translated into English, though it remains an important historical source of early European contact with Australia and the Pacific, and its subject continues to attract the interest of readers. This first translation incorporates a substantial introductory essay and explanatory notes by Dr Edward Duyker, whose reputation as a scholar in this area has been established.
First published in 2001 as a hardcover edition, and having been through a few printings, this popular title is now available for the first time as a softcover edition.
Contents:
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. The Atlantic
2. Cape of Good Hope
3. Traversing the Indian Ocean
4. Van Diemen's Land
5. The Coral Labyrinths
6. Disappointment in the Admiralties
7. Amboina
8. Moluccas to Western Australia
9. Esperence Bay
10. Coasting Terre de Nuyts
11. Return to Van Diemen's Land
12. To New Zealand and the Friendly Islands
13. Sojourn in Tongatabou
14. Observations in Tongatabou
15. To New Caledonia
16. Observations on New Caledonia
17. From Balade to Santa Cruz
18. The Solomon Islands
19. The Final Surveys
Afterword
Glossary of French Terms, Titles and Ranks
Glossary of Nautical Terms
Appendix 1. Decree of the National Assembly Relating to the Expedition in Search of M. de La Pérouse, 9 February 1791
Appendix 2. King's Memorandum
Appendix 3. Letter from M. Fleurieu, Minister of Marine, to Sieur d'Entrecasteaux
Endnotes
Bibliography
Index
