Voyages of Louis-Antoine Véron (Principia Moderni IV Map Game)



The voyages of Captain Louis-Antoine Véron (17 November 1681 - 14 February 1726) refer to a series of three scientific and exploratory expeditions, from between 1718 to 1726, to the Pacific Ocean and the surrounding regions, including Australia, the Arcadian Northwest, and parts of Asia. Véron, initially a captain in the French navy, would become one of Europe's most famous explorers, establishing contact between Europe and numerous islands, nations, and territories, such as the Kingdom of Hawaii and the island of Tahiti. He is also famous for being an early explorer of the Australian coast line and the northern Pacific, as well as making the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand.

Véron's first voyage would be jointly sponsored by the Kingdom of France and the French Academy of Sciences, and would lead to the discovery of Hawaii in 1719, beginning a cooperative relationship between the French government and the Kingdom of Hawaii in the years to come. The second voyage would primarily focus on the search for the postulated Terra Australis Incognita, or "unknown southern land", and would lead to charting of the Australian coast, as well as New Zealand and other islands in the south Pacific.

During his third voyage Véron would chart the coast of Arcadia, Aleutia, and the Bering Sea, however on his return voyage Véron would be attacked and killed while attempting to kidnap the native chief of Kauai, the last kingdom in the Hawaiian Islands independent of the Kingdom of Hawaii. He left a legacy of scientific and geographical knowledge which would influence his successors well into the twentieth century, and would be memorialized in the names of numerous territories across the Pacific, named in his honor.

Over the course of three voyages Véron would sail thousands of miles, across largely uncharted areas of the globe. He mapped lands from New Zealand to Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean in greater detail and on a scale not previously achieved. As he progressed on his voyages of discovery he surveyed and named many different features, and recorded islands and coastlines on European maps for the first time. He displayed a combination of seamanship, superior surveying and cartographic skills, physical courage, and an ability to lead men in adverse conditions.

Background
By the early eighteenth century the Kingdom of Hawaii had already expanded beyond the Hawaiian Islands, arriving in Tahiti and other major islands in Polynesia. This expansion would ultimately lead to contact with European explorers and traders, who came into contact with Tahiti before discovering Hawaii proper. By this time one of the preeminent European powers in the Pacific Ocean was the Kingdom of France, who controlled vast territories in the east, in Laurentia, as well as in Southeast Asia and western Oceania, most notably the French East Indies. The gradual increase in trade across the Pacific, as well as the trade of spices to the west and trade with China to the north, led to the need for larger trade ships (Manila Galleons), which would be capable of making longer journeys, while also maximizing cargo capacity. French traders began buying porcelain, ivory, lacquerware, and other goods to be sold in Laurentia and Arcadia, traveling across the Pacific.

The trans Pacific trade ultimately led to French traders sporadically coming into contact with various Polynesian islands, which they occasionally stopped at to trade for supplies, marking the beginning of contact, unofficially, for various nations. It is believed that during one such voyage from New France to the East Indies, around the year 1718, that traders first landed on Tahiti, which the French at the time called "New Cythera", after being warmly welcomed by the locals. Although this stop became the most famous along the route, numerous other islands were either spotted or briefly explored, including the Hawaiian territory of Moena, and other parts of Hema Pae 'Aina. The sporadic discovery of islands in the region eventually convinced the king to commission a proper expedition to chart the region and claim land for France. This expedition would come together in part after constant petitioning from the French Academy of Sciences, who called for the French government to fund a scientific voyage to the Pacific in order to record information about its wildlife and people. The king accepted and appointed Louis-Antoine Véron as the captain of this joint expedition, which departed in late 1718.

First Voyage
The expedition led by Captain Louis-Antoine Véron would be the first major expedition by a European power to reach the Kingdom of Hawaii. The expedition began with the rounding the southern tip of Laurentia toward the island of "New Cythera", where the expedition spend a few weeks resupplying, repairing, and trading with the locals, while also attempting to learn about their culture and language. French botanists and artists recorded information about much of the fauna and flora of the region, while Véron personally wrote in his journal accounts of human sacrifice, dancing, and other customs, while (incorrectly) estimating the population of Tahiti and the neighboring islands to be about 200,000. The French took note of the local trade of the region, noticing that a great deal of people and goods were moving north, and they followed the locals in this direction toward the island of Moena. Véron met with the local chief Kamanawa, who to his surprise was equipped with a French sword and other modern tools. Even more surprisingly, the Frenchman Daniel Bangalter, who also styled himself a chief, introduced himself to the captain and served as a translator.

In exchange for the supplies and information the expedition needed, Bangalter negotiated for some amenities that he desired, as well as some guns and weapons for the Hawaiians. He ultimately revealde that his captain, Pierre Baret had sailed with the natives on a brig back to their homeland, "Hawaii", directly to the north. Intrigued, Véron's expedition sailed north, before reaching the titular island. He explored around the island clockwise, before returning to the southern coast and making landfall near a city on the coast, where the lost French ship was spotted. Véron met with the king of the islands and Pierre Baret, exchanging gifts and trading. Baret detailed to the curious Véron how he was elevated to one of the highest positions in the Hawaiian court, was given wives and riches, and in exchange had been attempting to teach the king French. He claimed the king was interested in unifying the islands, and wanted more of the guns that the French had brought, which Baret had been attempting to teach them how to use.

Intrigued by the prospect of these natives using guns, Véron agreed to help Baret for a time, simply for his own curiosity's sake, and to document what happened for the French government. For the next few weeks French soldiers spent time parading with groups of native warriors, teaching them about shooting and handling guns, and other techniques. Treated as guests, the French crew were all given Hawaiian women and treated to the highest honors, with a few of the men even deserting to stay with the locals. At least one officer agreed to stay with Baret and continue training the locals, who Véron believed would become French subjects in due time. Eventually the expedition departed, charting the other islands of Hawaii mostly without incident. They traveled to the southwest, eventually reaching the French East Indies.

Louis-Antoine Véron returned to France and published his findings regarding Hawaii and the rest of Polynesia, fascinating the public and government alike. As a result Véron was promoted and by the end of 1720 was placed at the head of an even larger expedition. The French government supplied the captain with several ships, a large stockpile of arms and supplies, seeds and old world planets, and several specialists, including a linguist, botanists, and some missionaries, which the captain sought to bring to Hawaii. The second voyage continued similarly to the first, stopping first at Tahiti before continuing north to Hawaii. Véron was once again welcomed by the king and treated as a special guest. With the king's permission the French began exploring and studying the islands, recording more information about the wildlife and customs of the region.

Véron would propose a trade pact with the Hawaiians, in the hopes that a formal agreement would someday later aid a French claim to the region, as well as establish relations with a potentially crucial ally. As part of the deal Véron offered the Hawaiians his cache of weaponry, including rifles, swords, ammunition, and a few cannons. He also would begin construction of two forts, one on the southern tip of Hawaii near the kingdom's capital, and another outside the growing city of Honolulu, to guard two of the nation's most important harbors, as well as establish a French presence and location for future residency. Ultimately, however, Véron placed the forts in the possession of the native Hawaiians. Ultimately Kamehameha I would accept the agreement, laying the foundation for modernization within the nation.

The linguist brought by Véron, Gaspard Ribault, would attempt to record the native language, while also inadvertently creating a written form of the language. He worked with the king and several other officials, teaching them French in the process. The seeds and plants brought by the Frenchmen were planted across the island, and took kindly to the Hawaiian climate. After spending several months on the island Véron eventually departed taking with him a great deal of knowledge, and also a Polynesian navigator to aid him. He began the next phase of his expedition; the exploration of the alleged southern continent. Following the favorable currents and winds heading to the west, Véron reached Wake Island and headed south through the Marshall Islands. His Hawaiian navigator led him to Majuro where there was already a Hawaiian camp, and they resupplied there. He continued west and slightly south, reaching Papua New Guinea, where he made contact with the Angu-Zia Union, before continuing south to follow the coast. At the Torres Strait the expedition turned south and discovered a much larger island; the continent of Australia, which they would follow south all the way to its southern tip. From here he would turn east, exploring another set of islands off Australia's coast (New Zealand), however, the locals were found to be much more hostile, and after circling around the islands he continued to Tahiti to resupply, before heading east back to civilization in early 1721.