1821. 



The British Museum. 



51 



zea! to trace the events, &c. relative 

 to the unfortunate Peyrouse and his 

 companions. He wrote to the minister 

 to hare the command of an Aviso, for 

 this purpose, but receiving no answer, 

 he formed the project of a private equip- 

 ment. His brother, an officer in tlie 

 regiment <le la Couroune^ agreed to .sUar(! 

 with him the expences and perils of 

 the expedition. 



Louis XVI. felt interested in the 

 success of this enterprise: to facilitate 

 tlie success of the two brothers, he 

 ordered two years advance to be paid 

 them and their brother officers, and 

 that for two years they should be 

 deemed in actual service. He granted 

 two audiences to Ar is tide, conversed 

 with him on the course he should take, 

 and re<iiiest«d of the brotJiers to bring 

 him an herbary for himself. 



The national assembly, Dec. 22d, 

 1791, passed a decree in favour of the 

 intended voyage, and ordered from the 

 ])ublic treasury, the sum of 10.000 

 francs to be paid to M. Duj)etit Tliouars. 



The brothers repaired (o Brest, and 

 agreed, in case of separation, to rejoin 

 or rendezvous in the Isle of France. — 

 In his voyage, Aristide finds two Portu- 

 guese sailors abandoned on Salt Island ; 

 they were naked, worn down with 

 fatigue, and ready to perish of hunger. 

 He takes them on board, and lands 

 them on the principal of the Cape de 

 Verd islands. A famine was desiilatiug 

 the island ; Aristide divides his pro- 

 visions with the inhabitants, and re- 

 ceives their benedictions, with those of 

 their bishop, on his re-embarking. 



Being obliged to touch at SI. Jago, 

 for water, his crew caught an infectious 

 disorder that carried off one third ; 

 to seek remedies, he put in at Fer- 

 nando, but though provided witli all 

 tile requisite papers, the whole crevv, 

 including (he captain (Aristide, a 

 knight of St. Louis) his officers, with 

 the volunteers andsailors,were arrested, 

 and the command of the vessel given 

 to an inexperienced youth. On the 

 passage to France, it was wrecked on 

 the coast of Fernambuco, and the effects 

 on board pillaged by the iuhabiiants. 



Aristide finding remomfrances ur- 

 availing to have nis papers renewed, 

 sells the vessel, pays the officers and 

 crew, and proceeds to North Ameiica, 

 wiili four of his cv^mpanious, in hopes 

 of realizing tlie project of some uorih- 

 ern discoveries. This was on the 20th 

 of August, 1793. 



For three years, he was a resident 

 in the United States, alternately a 

 husbandman and a traveller (once he 

 penetrated to the falls of Niagara) and 

 always a faithful delineator of men 

 and manners. 



A new order of things appearing 

 probable in France, Aristide returnea 

 to his country, and was reinstated in tha 

 navy, as his natural element. At 

 Toulon he embarked on board the 

 Tonuant, in the expedition to Egypt, 

 and had therein an old companion, M. 

 Dolomieu, who, as a naturalist, was to 

 visit the curiosities of Egypt. 



After the e isy conquest of Malta, 

 the squadron sailed for Alexandria, 

 and anchored in the I'oad of Aboukir. 

 In vain Admiral Brueys and Thouar.t 

 protested against this position. Bona- 

 parte, seconded by many of the officers, 

 preferred it. Aristide was adored by 

 his men, and prepared for a gallant 

 defen(;e. He fought on for 24 hours, 

 till his death, with a ship disabled and 

 not sufficiently manned. The English 

 captains, in admiration of his '.'alour, 

 called to him with their sjieakiug 

 trumpets: ' Surrender, brave Dupetit 

 Thouars,' hut in his dying moments, 

 he exhorted his crew not to yield, and 

 they fought 12 hours longer, after 

 having lost their worthy captain. 



This just, generous and courageous 

 man, in whom a hajipy assemblage of 

 qualities combined to forma good and 

 great sea officer, had not reached his 

 40tli year. Had his life been lengthened, 

 he would have rivalled the most re- 

 spectable names in the French navy. 

 Blencied with his heroic virtues, were 

 all the social attections, public, and 

 private, which endear a man to society, 

 and render him a shining ornament to 

 festive and domestic parties. 



THE BRITISH MUSEUM, 



Cons ii ting of Original Papers, Letters, and C'uriom MSS. in lliat National Depository. 

 Letter from AMESM. 0/ Scotland, to lord 



HURLEIOM. 



RIGHT trustie and wellbelovit, we grcit 

 you heartlie wcill. The strangxi- 

 Jlioue Tauli, bearer beirof, bcinj recom- 



mend it to our dcerest bedfellow, we have 

 upon his earnest suit grauted our letter of 

 recomendatiou to our dcerest suster the 

 qiieeue your inaistresse, who we desyre 

 to be 6a effectuall to him a& the fruiel tLair- 



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