Beside the accessions to our
geographical knowledge of Australasia which we derived from this voyage, it
is particularly valuable "on account of the illustrations of the natural
history of the different countries, and the accuracy with which the
astronomical observations were made." It is worthy of remark that the two
ships lost nearly half their men; whereas, British navigators have been out
as long, in a climate and circumstances as unfavourable to health, and have
scarcely lost a single man.
At the beginning of this century, the French government planned a voyage of
discovery, the chief object of which was to explore the seas of
Australasia. Those parts of New Holland which were entirely unknown, or but
imperfectly ascertained, were to be examined; the coast of New Guinea to be
surveyed, principally in the search of a strait which was supposed to
divide it into two parts; a passage by Endeavour Straits to the eastern
point of the Gulf of Carpentaria was to be attempted; and then the
expedition was to sail to Cape Northwest. Besides these objects in
Australasia, the Indian Ocean was to be navigated.
Two vessels, the Geographe and Naturaliste, sailed on this expedition in
October, 1800; but they did not by their discoveries add much that was
important to the geography of Australasia. They indeed have made known to
future navigators, reefs and shoals on the coast of New Holland; have fixed
more accurately, or for the first time, some latitudes and longitudes
belonging to this and other parts of Australasia, and have traced some
small rivers in New Holland.
