Voyage aux iles de la Mer du Sud, en 1827 et 1828, et la relation de la decouverte du sort de La Perouse, volume 2

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Voyage aux iles de la Mer du Sud, en 1827 et 1828, et la relation de la decouverte du sort de La Perouse, volume 2

Author Peter Dillon (1788 - 1847)

Date1830

Object number00007540

NameBook

MediumInk on paper

DimensionsOverall: 216 x 142 x 312 mm, 0.4 kg
Display Dimensions: 216 x 144 x 28 mm

ClassificationsBooks and journals

Credit LineANMM Collection

Terms

DescriptionA book titled 'Voyage aux iles de la Mer du Sud, en 1827 et 1828, et al relation de la decouverte du sort de La Perouse' ('Voyage to the South Seas in 1827 and 1828 with an account of the discovery of the fate of La Perouse, by Captain Peter Dillon') , by Captain Peter Dillon. Volume 2. HistoryPeter Dillon was born in Martinique in 1788 but grew up in Ireland. He joined the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and served at the battle of Trafalgar. In 1806 he sailed to the East Indies and then the Pacific, where in 1813, while serving as Third Officer aboard the merchant ship HUNTER, he narrowly escaped a lethal attack by Fijians. In 1814 he moved to Calcutta and concentrated his efforts on developing trade between India and Australia. In 1822 he bought the brig CALDER and traded extensively throughout the Pacific Islands. It was during these activities that Dillon resolved the mystery surrounding the fate of the La Perouse expedition when he recovered relics at Vanikoro after noticing objects of French manufactur on neighbouring Tikopia. He was later awarded the Legion d' Honneur by the French government.SignificanceDillon's two volume work finally resolved one of the great mysteries of European exploration in the Pacific - the disappearance of the La Perouse expedition.