BOUGAINVILLE, Louis Antoine de, a celebrated circumnavigator, was born in Paris in 1729. His father was a notary and one of the sheriffs of the city of Paris. The parents of young Bougainville wished him to practise as a lawyer, and, for this purpose, he was received advocate in the parliament of Paris; but his own inclination was averse to the profession, and he entered into the army in the corps of musketeers.

He associated much with Clairaut and D’Alembert, who happened to live in his neighbourhood; and from this intercourse he derived his knowledge of algebra and fluxions. At the age of twenty-five he published his treatise on the Integral Calculus, intended as a supplement and continuation of L'Hôpital’s treatise Des infiniment petits. Bougainville, in his preface, declares that all he has done in this work is to place in a systematic order the formulae of different mathematicians.

He was raised to the rank of major in the Picardy regiment. He went to London as secretary to the French embassy, and was chosen a member of the Royal Society. In 1756 he went to Canada as captain of dragoons, and having distinguished himself in the war against England, was rewarded with the cross of the order of St Louis.

After the peace, the French government having conceived the project of planting a colony on the Falkland Islands, Bougainville undertook to begin this establishment at his own expense. The Falkland Islands, to which Bougainville gave the name of Malouines (that is, St Malo Islands), are in 51° south latitude, and 10° of longitude to the east of the meridian of Cape Horn. Fish is abundant on their shores, and there is peat or turf for fuel, but no wood. Bougainville began the settlement by landing some families of French Canadians. The number of settlers was increased afterwards to 150.

This colony excited the jealousy of the Spanish government; and the government of France agreed that it should be given up to the Spaniards, the Spanish government undertaking to indemnify Bougainville for the expense he had been at in forming the establishment.

As a consolation to Bougainville for the loss of his colony he was appointed to command the frigate La Boudeuse of twenty-six eight pounders, and the transport EEtoile, to go on a voyage of discovery round the world. He took with him Commerçon as naturalist, and Verron as astronomer.

This was the first voyage round the world performed by the French. Since the first circumnavigation by Magellan under the Spanish government in 1519, and that of Drake under Queen Elizabeth in 1577, eleven other circumnavigations of the world had been performed, part of them by the Dutch and part by the English, and also several voyages of discovery had been made in the Pacific Oeean without circumnavigation.

The expedition commanded by Bougainville was at Buenos Ayres at the time of the seizure of the Jesuits of Paraguay. The missions on the river Araguay, in the province of Paraguay, contained a population of 300,000 Indians, divided into parishes, and governed solely by the Jesuit parish priests. No other Europeans but the Jesuits were admitted into the country, in order that the work of conversion might not be frustrated by bad example. The produce of the labour of the Indians was delivered into the hands of the Jesuits, who furnished them with food and clothing. For this purpose the Jesuits bad warehouses filled with European and American merchandise, and also a number of slaves. They had schools for instructing the Indians in musie, painting, and other arts. The Spanish government having determined on the suppression of the Jesuits, took every precaution to prevent their being informed of the intended measure; and they were arrested and sent to Europe without any attempt at resistance on their part.

Bougainville passed the Straits of Magellan, and anchored for a week at Otaheite, where the English navigator Wallis had touched eight months before. A young man of Otaheite joined the expedition, and was taken to Paris, where he staid thirteen months. On his way back to his native country he died of the small-pox.

The numerous rocks and other dangers made Bougainville turn off to the north-east, and prevented him from continuing a westerly course, so as to pass through the channel which separates New Holland from New Guinea. These two islands, in his general chart, are laid down as forming one, although he possessed some information of the existence of the channel. Two years after, namely in 1770, Captain Cook sailed through this channel, so dangerous by its eoral reefs.

The expedition having now crossed all the meridians of the Pacific Ocean, and suffering from the seurvy in consequence of Scarcity of food, came to anchor in the Gulf of Cajeli, a settlement of the Dutch East India Company in the agreeable island of Borou, one of the Moluccas. The governor liberally supplied the wants of the expedition. He lived splendidly in a house built in the Chinese style, and judiciously adapted to the warmth of the climate; his wife and daughters wore the Chinese dress. “Sa maison etoit la notre,” says Bougainville; “à toute heure on y [7:5:144]trouvoit à boire et à manger, et ce genre de politesse en vaut bien un autre pour qui surtout se ressentoit encore de la famine.” It was the beginning of September, and the expedition shortened their stay at Borou, in order to take advantage of the latter part of the easterly monsoon, which carried them to Batavia; from thence they proceeded to the Isle of France. Commerçon remained at the Isle of France that he might thence proceed to examine the botany of Madagascar, as did Verron for the purpose of observing the transit of Venus.

In 1769 the expedition arrived at St Malo, after a voyage of two years and four months, with the loss of only seven men out of upwards of 200.

Bougainville’s account of the voyage is written with simplicity, and in a temper which inclined him to view objects on the humorous side. His courage, the good humour with which he maintained subordination, and his attention to the health and comforts of the crew, are everywhere conspicuous.

The art of making astronomical observations at sea was not so much improved as it is now, and the methods for ascertaining the longitude especially were very defective. In consequence of this, Bougainville’s charts are erroneous, particularly in the longitudes. Neither did he remain long enough in any place to make particular surveys.

Bougainville’s life was an active one, so that little of it could be devoted’to study. On his return to France his time was passed in the company of the highest circles in Paris. He had the command of a ship under De Grasse and D’Estaing; and, in April 1781, when the French fleet was beaten, he rallied some of the beaten ships, and brought them into St Eustachio. After the peace, by which the independence of the United States of America was secured, Bougainville returned to Paris. The Academy of Sciences was at that time composed of pensioned members, and of associates who had no salary; Bougainville solicited and obtained the place of associate of the academy.

He had a project of making a voyage of discovery towards the north pole. As this did not meet with support from the French government, he sent his plan to Admiral Phipps; Phipps, however, followed a different course from that proposed by Bougainville, but he only got to the 80th degree of north latitude.

Recourse was had to Bougainville in order to repress the mutinous disposition of the sailors in the French navy before the breaking out of the Revolution; but his efforts were ineffectual. He had the rank of vice-admiral in 1791. In 1792 he escaped almost miraculously from the massacres of Paris, and went to live on his estate in Normandy. He was much attached to the government, which was then falling. He lived on his estate for some time; it was the only part of his fortune that the Revolution had left him. He was chosen a member of the Institute at its first formation, and, in consequence, returned to reside in Paris. He succeeded Borda as member of the Board of Longitude. In his old age, under the government of Bonaparte, he enjoyed the dignity of senator, and was created a count and member of the Legion of ,Honour.

He retained his good-humoured liveliness and his mental faculties to the last, and died in 1811, aged eighty-two. He was married, and had three sons who served in the French army. He was always eager to promote science; and he conducted himself during the Revolution in such a manner as to obtain the respect of all parties. His éloge is written by Delambre, in the Memoirs of the Institute. (b. b.) Bougainville’s Island, in the South Pacific Ocean, is high and mountainous, with extensive plains interposed, and is entirely covered with trees. It is inhabited, and is separated from the island of Bouka on the north. Long. 155. 20. E. Lat. 6. S.