Robert de Lamanon
Jean Honoré Robert of Paul de Lamanon , known as Robert de Lamanon (December 6th 1752, Living room-of-Provence - December 11th 1787, Tutuila, Island of Maouna, Samoa), member of the Forwarding of Lapérouse (1785 - December 11th 1787)
It belonged to the family of the lords of Lamanon, anoblie in 1572. Born from Jean François of Paul de Lamanon and Anne de Baldony (from Aix of birth), he knew the fame as a Botaniste, Physicien and Météorologue. Its passion led it to take part in several forwardings, whose last was fatal for him.
Biography
It had two sisters and an older brother, Auguste Paul de Lamanon (1748 - 1820). Auguste was intended by his father for the Navy, becomes Garde of the marine with Toulon, then officer. He resigned of the Navy to dead of his father to devote itself to the study of sciences and the letters.Robert left the orders and undertook with his brother a tour through the French Europe and provinces. They brought back these mineral voyages and plants, documents, manuscripts, objets d'art, etc They improved their studies with Paris, and met there the most famous scientists of the time: Laplace, Jussieu, D' Alembert, the brothers Monge, Volney, Malesherbes, and Condorcet, secretary of the Academy of Science.
Auguste devoted himself to arts and letters, while Robert specialized in physics and chemistry. In 1780, the two brothers regained Living room-of-Provence, where they constituted a museum natural history, a collection of works of art and a library.
Auguste became first mayor-consul of Living room in 1782. Robert only set out again for many study trips. He was named member of the Royal Academy of sciences of Turin. He published in the Journal of Physics of the abbot Jean-Andre Mongez (whom he was going to find in the Expédition of Perugia) several memories of paleontology, of which one started an argument with Buffon.
The August 20th 1783, Condorcet made it admit with the Academy of Science like corresponding member. Returned in Salon, of which it was in its turn become first mayor-consul, it accepted from Condorcet an invitation to be joined the scientists designated for the forwarding directed by Perugia.
The last voyage
In 1785, Perugia was charged by the king Louis XVI with a voyage with discovered around the world. It started from Brest on August 1st with the frigates the Boussole and the Astrolabe. On his board, Robert de Lamanon had taken place.
See also: Forwarding of Perugia
After having skirted the coasts of the Brazil, the frigates passed the Cape Horn in January 1786. It was then tour a two last years to foam the Pacific Ocean. On board, the life was organized after a fashion and of the observers reported that frictions transfer the day among the passengers. In January 1787, a certain number of them, carried out by Robert de Lamanon, entered in conflict with Perugia about the honors which the explorer received and refused to return to his colleagues, during the stopovers, with Macao in particular. The scientific susceptibility of some was ruffled. Perugia not being man to accept the revolt, the insurrectionists were shut down during one day whole. After a fashion, and in spite of morose environment, forwarding continued. From mid-December 1787, forwarding concentrated on the archipelagoes of the islands Samoa and Tonga.
December 9th, 1787
As an island had been located in the Tonga archipelago, the island of Maouna, the explorers tried to approach some, in order to make the location of it. An indigenous port had been located and Paul-Antoine-Marie Fleuriot de Langle, captain of the Astrolabe, unloaded there in the afternoon of December 9th. It accepted warm welcome there. Many inhabitants of the island had embarked on boats and observed the powerful French frigates which wet in their water. De Langle, once returned on board, decided that the place was not sufficiently sure to leave the bateaux.there
December 10th, 1787
The next morning, Perugia carried out an excursion of discovered in the island. Several villagers followed it and accommodated it with enthusiasm, going until inviting it on their premises. Thereafter, the explorer rented the natural beauties which it observed at the time of this walk. He turned over then on the Astrolabe and noticed that an indigenous chief and seven of his men were on board. He offered several présents.to them In same time, two officers, of Langle, Breton captain, and Thomas Sutton de Clonard, an Irish lieutenant, informed Perugia of their intention to go to seek water the following day in bay of Aasu, because of the risk of Scorbut on board. Perugia was opposed to it formally and an argument burst. Finally, it was agreed that from Langle the island would go of course the following day. In the night, a storm éclata.
December 11th, 1787
The next morning, at eleven hours, of Langle took with him sixty and one men gathered in four launches. Among them appeared Robert de Lamanon. The approach of the island was rather difficult because of the bad weather of the last night. Finally, one posed the foot on the beach and one undertook to collect water in barrels. Suddenly, of the stones were thrown by the natives. “Mr. de Langle had time only to draw its two rifle shots; it was reversed, and fell unfortunately on the side port side of the launch, where more than two hundred Indians massacred it on the field with blows of bludgeon and stones. When he had died, they attached it by one of its arms to a thole pin, so undoubtedly benefitting more surely from its skins. ” the French counteracted, killing, seems it thirty-nine natives. Twelve French had died. Robert de Lamanon found death in this tragedy événement.Informed of the drama, Perugia preferred to cease its commercial relations with the inhabitants of the island and set sail towards Tonga.
A memorial in remembering
A memorial was set up on the spot in 1883. It carries the words: “Died for Science and the Fatherland”.
Internal bonds
- List of the members of the crew of Lapérouse
External bonds
- its genealogy on the site geneanet of samlap