But, It
Being Determined To Denominate The Land Between Wilson's Promontory And
Cape Adieu "Terre Napoleon," Westernport Might Well Have Been Counted As
The Port Of The Beginning Of The Exploration Of The Territory, And, As
Such, It Would Truly Have Been The Port Du Debut.
Freycinet, writing in
1824, acknowledged that Peron, "having written before the charts were
finished, made some mistakes relative to
Geography."* (* Preface to the
second edition of the Voyage de Decouvertes (1824) 1 page 16.) It is
possible that this was one of his errors; and it would be an easy one for
a man to make who was not familiar with the coast. But assuredly there
was no mere error on Freycinet's part.
What, then, are we to make of the statements of Peron and Freycinet?
The latter officer tells us, in one of his prefaces, that the French
Government was dissatisfied with the work of the expedition, and was at
first disposed to refuse to publish any record of it. Sir Joseph Banks,
closely in touch with movements relative to scientific work, had news of
the displeasure of Napoleon's ministers, and wrote to Flinders, then a
prisoner: "M. Baudin's voyage has not been published. I do not hear that
his countrymen are well satisfied with his proceedings" (June 1805).
Finally it was determined to issue a history of the expedition; but to
have published any charts without showing Port Phillip would have been to
make failure look ridiculous. By this time Freycinet, who was preparing
the charts, knew of the existence of the port.
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