Baudin expedition to Australia
French expedition to map the coast of Australia
The Baudin expedition (French: Expédition Baudin) of 1800 to 1803 was a French expedition to map the coast of New Holland (now Australia). It was approved by Napoléon Bonaparte and Nicolas Baudin was selected as its leader. It started with two ships, Géographe, captained by Baudin, and Naturaliste, captained by Jacques Hamelin, and was accompanied by nine zoologists and botanists, including Jean-Baptiste Leschenault de la Tour, François Péron and Charles-Alexandre Lesueur, as well as the geographer Pierre Faure. The expedition was considered a great success, as it produced the Freycinet Map of 1811, the first full map of Australia, and discovered more than 2500 new species.
History
Expedition
Napoléon Bonaparte, as First Consul, formally approved the expedition "to the coasts of New Holland", after receiving a delegation consisting of Baudin and eminent members of the Institut National des Sciences et Arts on 25 March 1800. The explicit purpose of the voyage was to be "observation and research relating to Geography and Natural History."
The Baudin expedition departed Le Havre, France, on 19 October 1800. Because of delays in receiving his instructions and problems encountered in Isle de France (now Mauritius) they did not reach Cape Leeuwin on the south-west corner of the continent until May 1801. Upon rounding Cape Naturaliste, they entered Geographe Bay. During their exploration here they lost a longboat and a sailor, Assistant Helmsman Timothée Vasse. They then sailed north, but the ships became separated and did not meet again until they reached Timor.
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