By BC Cook
For Variety
THERE is a legend from the French Revolution that when King Louis XVI was taken to the guillotine, his last words before losing his head were, “Is there any news about Laperouse?”
Who was Laperouse, and why was he the last thing on the mind of the king who lost his kingdom? Actually, it is not as far fetched as it may sound. Nearly everyone in Europe became obsessed with the whereabouts of the great explorer.
After the enormously successful voyages of James Cook of England many countries wanted a closer look at the Pacific. Trade, exploration, even conquest factored among the possibilities. King Louis hoped to outdo Cook’s feat so the French government sent Laperouse on a voyage to explore the Pacific in greater detail than ever before.
Laperouse and his crew left France in 1785, rounded Cape Horn and sailed up the Pacific coast of South America. They visited Chile, Easter Island and Hawaii, they explored Alaska and British Columbia and established ties with several native tribes, something even Cook did not do there. He also stopped by California, visiting the Spanish there and charting San Francisco Bay.
The next leg of his voyage took him across the ocean to Macau in China, where he sold furs purchased from Alaskan natives. After a stop in the Philippines he sailed to Korea, Japan and Russia, establishing contact with thousands of people in hundreds of towns.
The southern leg of the journey promised just as much excitement as the northern. Laperouse visited Samoa and Tonga, then sailed to Australia, where he and his crew mapped Sydney and got along well with the English colonists there. Extremely well, in fact, because Bastille Day is celebrated in Australia down to this day.
Then tragedy struck. After leaving Australia, Laperouse’s party was never heard from again. The two ships under his command attempted to sail east toward Polynesia but never got there. Searchers went out but nothing was found. It was during this mysterious time that King Louis uttered his famous last words.
Thanks to several expeditions to find the remains of Laperouse and his ships, we now know the full story. The two vessels stayed together and wrecked on the reef of Vanikoro. One ship was completely destroyed while the other was salvaged for parts. Some of the crew were massacred by local islanders, while others pieced together a small sailboat from the wreckage and attempted to get help but were never seen again. The rest died on the island over time.
Had Laperouse completed his mission it would be heralded as one of the greatest voyages of exploration of all time. His name would probably come before other famous explorers such as Cook and Magellan, yet he is hardly known outside of France.
By the way, one young man tried to join Laperouse but was turned down, so he sought a career in the army instead. Had he gone, he too would have perished with Laperouse. That frustrated seaman was Napoleon Bonaparte.
Dr. BC Cook taught history for 30 years and is a director and Pacific historian at Sealark Exploration (sealarkexploration.org). He currently lives in Hawaii.
