As a young second-class midshipman of eighteen Hyacinthe de Bougainville participated in the 1800-02 Baudin expedition to Australia.[2]
Hyacinthe de Bougainville sailed around the world from 1824 to 1826 onboard Thétis and Espérance,[1] sent by the Minister of the Navy and the Colonies, the duc de Clermont-Tonnerre.[3] His main mission was a diplomatic one to reconnect with China, and Cochinchine (Vietnam).On those aspect, it was a failure, the Empereur of Cochinchine refused to meet with him, being afraid of the British reaction. In Australia, he obtained authorisation to build a monument for Laperouse, on a piece of land given by Sir Brisbane. He came back to France, very sad and demotivated, knowing that the British will dominate Oceania and South Pacific for generations, France arriving too late.[4]
On 12 January 1825, Hyacinthe de Bougainville led an embassy to Vietnam with Captain Courson de la Ville-Hélio, arriving in Da Nang, with the warships Thétis and Espérance.[5] Although they had numerous presents for the Emperor, and a 28 January 1824 letter from Louis XVIII, the ambassadors could not obtain an audience from Minh Mạng.[6] Hyacinthe de Bougainville infiltrated Father Regéreau from the Thétis when it was anchored in Da Nang, triggering edicts of persecution against Christianity by Minh Mạng.[7]
^Horner, F. The French Reconnaissance: Baudin in Australia 1801—1803, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1987 ISBN0-522-84339-5.
^Colin L. Dyer, The French Explorers and the Aboriginal Australians 1772-1839 p.12 [1]
^« Daring French Explorations,1714-1854,Trailblazing adventures around the world.Featuring Bougainville,Laperouse,Dumont d’Urville, and more » Hubert Sagnières, Edward Dyuker, Flammarion, 2023, ISBN978-2-08-042845-5
^Oscar Chapuis, A History of Vietnam: From Hong Bang to Tu Duc p. 190.