BOUGAINVILLE (LOUIS ANTOINE DE), a ce lebrated 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 inclina tion 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 Fluxion. At the age of twenty-five he published his treatise on the Integral Calculus, intended as a supplement and continuation of L'Ho pital'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 u Member of the Royal Society. In 1756, he went to Canada as Captain of dragoons, and having distinguished him self in the war against England, was rewarded by 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 expence. The Falk land 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 me ridian 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 land ing 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 Spa nish government undertaking to Indemnify Bougain ville for the expence 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 26 eight pounders, and the transport L'Etoile, to go on a voyage of discovery round the world. He took with him Commereon as Naturalist, and Verron as Astronomer.
This was the first voyage round the world per formed by the French. Sinci the first circumnavi gation 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 dis covery had been made in the Pacific Ocean, 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 S00,000 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 con versiop might not be frustrated by bad example. The produce of the labour of the Indians was de livered into the hands of the Jesuits, who furnished them with food and clothing. For this purpose the Jesuits had warehouses filled with European and American merchandise, and.alao a number of slaves. They had schools for instructing the Indians in mu sic, painting, and, other arts. The Spanish govern ment 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.