Memoires du Capitaine Peron sur ses voyages. Volume I

Maker Captain Pierre F Peron

Date1824

Object number00037544

NameBook

MediumPaper, ink, cardboard

DimensionsOverall: 200 x 133 x 25 mm, 0.38 kg

ClassificationsBooks and journals

Credit LineANMM Collection Purchased with USA Bicentennial Gift funds

Terms

DescriptionA book by Captain Pierre Francois Peron titled 'Memoires du Capitaine Peron sur ses Voyages', Volume 1 [Memories of Captain Peron on his Travels]. Published by Brisso-Thivars Publishers, Paris. HistoryNot to be confused with Francois Peron who accompanied Baudin on his voyage to Australia in 1800. Captain Pierre Francois Peron was a French mariner who travelled widely and suffered numerous mishaps in his seafaring life. The direst of these was being marooned for an estimated 40 months on New Amsterdam Island or St Pauls Island. He and three others had been left to collect sealskins but the ship never returned to pick them up due to the death of its captain. Although ships stopped at the island, it was not until many months later that Peron was rescued by the passing English ship CERES. He then travelled to Tasmania and Sydney, leaving the approximately 2500 accumulated seal skins behind. Whilst in Sydney Peron found that the store of seal skins he left behind had been collected by the American trading ship OTTER. He joined his ship and became friendly with its captain, Ebenezer Dorr ("Dawes"). Peron travelled extensively to Canada, California, Hawaii, Sumatra and China. He finally made his way back to France, 19 years after his departure. SignificanceCapitan Peron lived a life of great adventure and often hardship. In this volume Peron records his impressions of Tasmania and his journey up the east coast of Australia at a time when European colonisation had yet to completely transform the landscape.