Mitteilungen des Österreichischen Staatsarchivs 35. (1982)

LY-TIO-FANE, Madeleine: Contacts between Schönbrunn and the Jardin du Roi at Isle de France (Mauritius) in the 18th Century. An Episode in the Career of Nicolas Thomas Baudin

Contacts between Schönbrunn and the Jardin du Roi 107 Before sailing from Malaga on the 1st October, Baudin wrote to Kageneck in dignified tones to protest that his conduct had never strayed from the path of honour and probity: ‘Je ferai de mon mieux pour remplir les intentions de Sa Majesté et (ä l’exception de faire la guerre ä ma patrie) eile n’aura point de sujet plus fidéle que moi. Si Votre Ex­cellence eut voulu s’en assurer eile auroit dü par un procédé noble et convenable ä sa dignité me montrer pendant mon séjour ä Madrid la copie de la lettre que lui a envoyé le perfide Andrian qui ne s’est pas contenté de ce seul trait de méchanceté ..*°). ‘J’ai fait constater par la justice toute la fausseté des accusations qu’on avoit fait contre moi et dönt j’avois connoicence’ [!] . . .* 61). ‘Je suis bien éloignié de me rapeler ce que annonce le proget [!] qu’on a envoyé á Votre Excellence, mais d’un autre coté je suis bien assuré de n’en avoir jamais fait qui ne soient [!] plain d’honneur et de probité, si toute fois on a rien changé ou ajouté ä mes expressions’62). Such assurances did not succeed to disarm his enemies, and the epilogue of this wretched episode was written by Bredemeyer who, instead of continuing the journey to Bengal as Cobenzl had ordered in June, disembarked at Mala­ga: “Baudin has scored a victory and escaped from justice . . .”63). As he proceeded on the long journey to the Cape, his mind must have been relieved of the earlier conflicts for the final gesture of reassurance came from the Minister of Marine Monge who declared that the French Republic would place no obstacle to a journey which was designed to serve the sciences. In spite of this, Isle de France as the destination of the journey was ruled out. It appears that Baudin’s original intention was to sail in the lat. 40° on leaving the Cape to attempt to reach the East Indies by the New Holland route. He is precise on the dates of his stay at the Cape, 2nd April to 23rd May 1793, and on the events at Bombay. Bad luck dogged the journey, and the conditions of war heightened the com­petition for crews: as his sailors had deserted in Malaga, so did they in India where they were recruited to serve on the English ships. He sailed for the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. Baudin is deliberately vague about the parts of Africa which he visited, but one can guess that he called at Mozambique. From there, he attempted to make his way back to the Cape of Good Hope, but the ship was wrecked in a terrible storm almost within sight of the port64). Scholl, in great disappoint­the seizure of ‘La Jardiniere’ on the 1st September): ibid. fol. 174r-175r, and extract from Baudin’s journal dated 4th September (enclosed in letter to Kageneck of the 8th September 1792): ibid. fol. 183rv. “) Baudin to Kageneck, undated, but probably written between the 29th Sep­tember and the 1st October: ibid. Konv. Berichte 1792 Oktober bis Dezember fol. 64rv. 61) Baudin to Kageneck, 29th September 1792: ibid. fol. 62rv. 62) Vide note 60. 63) Bredemeyer to Kageneck, 3rd October 1792: ibid. fol. 56rv. M) From an undated letter written by Baudin in his personal file: Archives Nationales Vincennes Marine CC7 126 no. 52 (vide note 49): ‘Parti d’ltalie le 20 avril de la mérne année pour se rendre au Cap de Bonne Espérance et ensuite vers les cótes de la Nouvelle Hollandé . . .’.

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