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The First Fleet
DEATH OF FRENCH ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST FROM La PEROUSE
EXPEDITION AT BOTANY BAY
Reverend Pere [Father] Receveur - French Catholic Priest on
the Voyage to Discovery by Francois de La Perouse – First Roman Catholic Priest
buried in Australia
The La
Perouse expedition included two priests, Abbe’ Jean-Andre Monges and Abbe’
Claude-Francois Louis Receveur. The following accounts of the death of Father
Receveur, who was the first Roman Catholic Priest to die in Australia, are
extracted from the 1788 Journal of Lieutenant King, which
deal with the voyage of discovery of
Monsieur Francois de La Perouse to Botany Bay, and are published in the
Historical Records of New South Wales, Volume 2, page 547.
The two ships under the command of Francois de La Perouse, the
Astrolabe [L’Astrolabe] and
Boussole [Bousole] [Bussole] were
fitted out with the greatest liberality. Monsieur de La Perouse informed
Lieutenant King that King Louis XVI told La Perouse to get whatever he wanted
[for the expedition]. Besides the astronomer, Monsieur Dagelet, he was provided
with a botanist called de La Martinniere, also a draughtsman.
An Abbe’ [Roman Catholic priest], Louis Receveur was also in the
expedition as a collector of natural curiosities, appeared a man of letters and
genius. The Abbe’ had under his care a great number of philosophical
instruments, and the astronomer had also every instrument necessary.
Each ship also had three timekeepers, which are hung on gimbals
[contrivance for keeping a suspended object] made by ‘Berthand’, and goes with a
short pendulum; they are rather complicated, as an allowance is to be made for
the degree of heat, for which a small thermometer is kept in each of the boxes.
They also had the dipping needle which was with Captain Cook, lent to them by
the Board of Longitude.
Death of
Reverend Louis Receveur
Reverend Receveur, Franciscan Priest, was the Chaplain aboard the
Astrolabe. He was injured in Samoa,
six weeks before reaching Botany Bay. He died on 17 February 1788, while the
French expedition was in Botany Bay.
Abbe’ Jean-Andre Monges was the Chaplain of the other French ship. Either
he or Abbe’ Receveur would have celebrated the first Roman Catholic Mass in
Australia.
On 10 March 1788, the two French ships sailed from Botany Bay. After the
departure of the French ships, members of the English First Fleet found the
grave of the Abbe’ Louis Receveur, who died a short time before the French ships
sailed. He was buried not far from the spot where their tents were erected at
the foot of a tree, on which were nailed two pieces of boards with an
inscription.
When Governor Phillip heard that the boards had been
torn down by the natives, he caused the inscription to be engraved on a plate of
copper, which was put up in place of the boards.
Grave of Pere Receveur at La Perouse. The Latin inscription reads:
"Here lies L. Receveur French Priest of
Friars Minor, Scientist in the Voyage Around the World under the leadership of
de Laperouse, died
February 17th, 1788"
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