Louis Receuver

Jean François, Count of Lapérouse (also a Rear Admiral), commanded the world-spanning voyage at the behest of the reigning French King Louis in in 1785 as a French followup to the voyages of Captain Cook. The general scope of the mission was the Pacific, Asia, and Australia, with a secondary motive being to establish further trading contacts. However, the voyage ended up including such diverse locations as Chile, Russia, and Alaska--in addition to the general stipulations.4

They arrived at Botany Bay in 1788, sending off a report with the British ship Sirius and subsequently disappearing near the island of Vanikoro where shipwrecks were subsequently discovered.

The voyage had two ships, the Astrolabe (spelling varies) and the Boussole.4 The
As the purpose of the trip was scientific, Lapérouse brought a selection of scientists along, 17 to be specific.3 There were two priests along as well, Fathers Louis Receveur and Jean André Mongez.2 Both priests acted as scientists in addition to their religious duties. Receveur was a Franciscan Friar who had surprising experience in a variety of scientific fields despite his youth, twenty one or so at the start of the voyage. Prior to the journey, Receuver had

At the start of the voyage, Receuver was offered  a double paycheck, one for being a chaplain and the second for acting as a natural historian. He acted tireleslessly in his scientific role, observing the geological formations when unable to do anything else, and ascending mountains to expand his knowledge of the area.1 His attitude towards gathering data earned him praise from his commanders and meant he was frequently included on the expeditions to land.

All the scientists took every opportunity to gather information, but eventually the expedition as a whole ran into trouble in 1788, a dozen members killed by natives at the Samoan Island of Tutuila, including a senior scientist.1 2 3  Receuver probably survived this attack, but died within a fortnight after, possibly because of the injuries sustained.2 3


Works Referenced
Pere Louis Receuver http://laperouse.info/recreation/receveur/
Receuver Laperouse & the First Fleet
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/16956884
Receuver Monument https://laperouseheadland.com/receveur-monument/
The Voyage of La Perouse Round the World in the years 1785, 1786, 1787, and 1788,
1798 https://www.rmg.co.uk/discover/behind-the-scenes/blog/voyage-la-perouse-round-world-years-1785-1786-1787-and-1788-1798