Pierre Poivre (August 23rd 1719, Lyon - January 6th 1786, Lyon) is a Agronome French.
Life
Of a family of modest tradesmen, it enters in the brothers missionaries of Saint-Joseph to the Cross-Russet-red . After good studies, at 21 years, it leaves in China for évangéliser Guangzhou (Canton), Macao and Fai-Fo in Cochinchine without much success nor great conviction. It is returned to France by its superiors.But its taste of the adventure is strongest. It joined Asia on board a ship of the French Compagnie of the Eastern Indies. The ship is attacked by the British and a ball of gun carries the right hand to him. It is neat on the British vessel but it must be amputee of the arm. It is unloaded in Batavia (nowadays Djakarta) which is then an important center of the exploitation of spices in particular the Nutmeg and nails of Girofle which, by their scarcity, represents a fabulous richness jealously kept by the Dutchmen. It is then put at the head to acclimatize these species to the island of France.
It returns then to France to defend its idea near the French Compagnie of the Eastern Indies but following a shipwreck, it embarks on a Dutch ship which is attacked by an inhabitant of Saint Malo, the inhabitant of Saint Malo is him also attacked by a British. Pepper is then locked up with Guernesey. It arrives to France in 1748 to set out again the following year. He clandestinely manages to get seedlings of muscadiers and girofliers whom he entrusts to Jean Baptiste Christian Rocket-Aublet (1720-1778) directing of the garden of test of the island of France then sets out again towards the islands Moluques but does not manage to reach them and joined the Timor where he succeeds in getting muscadiers. On its return to Maurice, he discovers that its first plantations decayed. When the new seedlings die in their turn, an investigation reveals that it is Rocket-Aublet itself which sabotaged voluntarily work.
It is Poivre which persuades Philibert Commerson to explore the island of France. It also trains its nephew, Pierre Sonnerat, which becomes the assistant of Commerson.
Pepper then decides to return to France. In 1755, it returns to Lyon. Already correspondent of the Academy of Science near Antoine de Jussieu, it is received with the Academy of Science of Lyon and publishes his adventures the Voyages of a philosopher which have success. He marries Francoise Robin and is anobli by Louis XV.
In 1766 the company of the Indies, in bankruptcy, yields its colonies to the crown. Pepper is named intendant on the island of France where it creates one of most beautiful botanical gardens the: the garden of Grapefruits where it acclimatizes plants of the remote regions. It sends a new forwarding towards Moluques which then brings back sufficient muscadiers and girofliers to conclude an acclimatization. A forwarding will make it possible to still vary the seedlings. Pepper orders that the plantations are not limited to the island of France. They will be disseminated with the Seychelles, on the island Bourbon and even in French Guiana.
It leaves the island of France in 1772 to join its property of Fréta in Lyon where it dies in 1786.
Topicality
A commemorative plaque was revealed with the Castle of Freighted with Saint-Romain-with-Mount-of gold in 1994 by Association Pierre Poivre of Lyon, chaired by the writer Khal Torabully and Mrs Vernazobres.
A Poivre alley will be named in the Dombes in June 2007.
See too
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