TERRE NAPOLEON.
A HISTORY OF FRENCH EXPLORATIONS AND PROJECTS IN AUSTRALIA
BY
ERNEST SCOTT.
LE GÉOGRAPHE AND LE NATURALISTE
From the drawing in Freycinet's Atlas of 1807.
WITH EIGHT ILLUSTRATIONS AND MAPS.
SECOND EDITION.
METHUEN & CO., LTD.
36 ESSEX STREET W.C.
LONDON.
FIRST PUBLISHED JULY 7TH, 1910.
SECOND EDITION 1911.
MAP OF NEW HOLLAND (AUSTRALIA)
From Freycinet's Atlas of 1807.
PREFACE.
The main object of this book is to exhibit the facts relative to theexpedition despatched to Australia by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1800 to 1804,and to consider certain opinions which have been for many years currentregarding its purpose.
Until about five years ago the writer accepted without doubt theconclusions presented by leading authorities. One has to do that inregard to the vast mass of historical material, because, obviously,however much disposed one may be to form one's opinions on tested factsapart from the writings of historians, several lifetimes would not besufficient for a man to inquire for himself as to the truth of a barefraction of the conclusions with which research is concerned.
But it so happened that the writer was interested, for other reasons thanthose disclosed in the following pages, in ascertaining exactly what wasdone by the expedition commanded by Captain Nicolas Baudin on the coastswhich were labelled Terre Napoleon. On scrutinising the facts somewhatnarrowly, he was surprised to find that opinions accepted withunquestioning faith began to crumble away for lack of evidence to supportthem.
So much is stated by way of showing that the book has not been written toprove a conclusion formulated a priori, but with a sincere desire thatthe truth about the matter should be known. We read much in modern booksdevoted to the era of the Corsican about "the Napoleonic legend." Thereseems to be, just here, a little sporadic Napoleonic legend, to whichvitality has been given from quarters whence have come some heavy blowsat the larger one.
The plan adopted has been, after a preliminary sketch of the colonialsituation of Great Britain and France in the period under review, tobring upon the scene--the Terre Napoleon coasts--the discovery shipInvestigator, despatched by the British Government at about the same timeas Napoleon's vessels were engaged upon their task, and to describe themeeting of the two captains, Flinders and Baudin, in Encounter Bay. Next,the coasts denominated Terre Napoleon are traversed, and an estimate ismade of the original work done by Baudin, and of the serious omissionsfor which he was to blame. A second part of the subject is then enteredupon. The origin of the expedition is traced, and the ships are carefullyfollowed throughout their voyage, with a view to elicit whether therewas, as alleged, a political purpose apart from the scientific work forwhich the enterprise was undertaken at the instance of the Institute ofFrance.
The two main points which the book handles are: (1) whether Napoleon'sobject was to acquire territory in Australia and to found "a secondfatherland" for the French there; and (2) whether it is true, as so oftenasserted, that the French plagiarised Flinders' charts for the purpose ofconstructing their own. On both these points conclusions are reachedwhich are at variance with those commonly presented; but the