Resumen de L'expédition de Lapérouse. Dix lettres présentées par Philippe Henwood
On 1st August 1785 the two frigates, the Boussole and the Astrolabe, under the command of J.-Fr. Galaup de Lapérouse and P. -A. Fleuriot de Langle left Brest for a long voyage of exploration, prepared and organised with exceptional care. Captain Fleuriot de Langle took an important part in the final preparations (equipment, recruiting the crew), as can be seen from the letters between Count Hector, commander of Brest and the Naval Ministry. There are in addition ten letters, reproduced in this article, from Fleuriot de Langle to his mother and sister, dating from 8th July 1785 (three weeks before sailing) to 27th September 1787 (less than three months before his death in Samoa). They are mostly unpublished and provide interesting details about the voyage, as well as throwing light on their author's attractive personality.
