Baudin, Nicolas Thomas (1754 - 1803)

Born in France, Nicolas Baudin was a cartographic surveyor and a naturalist. He began his career as a mercantile marine before joining the navy in 1774.

In 1800, Baudin was selected to led a French cartographic survey of the coast of Australia and conduct other scientific investigations there.

The expedition set out from Le Havre on 19 October 1800 aboard the vessels Le Geographe and Le Naturaliste. Although the members of the crew spent a pleasant six months in Sydney during 1802, word reached Governor King soon after their departure that it was the French crew's intent to annex Van Dieman's Land. H.M.S. Cumberland was sent in pursuit and reasserted British sovereignty by overtaking the vessels at King Island. Although Baudin himself wanted to examine the island for purely scientific reasons, the same could not be said for his ambitious young officers.

Upon settlement of this dispute, the ship Le Naturaliste was sent back to France with all the natural history specimens, while Baudin sailed on to Timor and beyond. Just east of Port Essington, the ship ran low on both water and stores at the same time that Baudin became ill. Le Geographe made it to Mauritius where, on 16 September 1803, Nicolas Baudin died. In March of 1804 Le Geographe completed her voyage by returning to France.

The complete account of the expedition was written in three volumes between 1807 and 1816 and the rough draft of some of this material is a part of the collection. Due to the death of Nicolas Baudin in Mauritius before the end of the expedition, the official account was written by F. H. Peron and Louis de Freycinet.

On 8 April 1802, Baudin met British explorer, Matthew Flinders, at Encounter Bay. Both were exploring the southern coast from opposite directions and exchanged cautious details about each other's expeditions.

Baudin returned with maps, drawings and plant and animal samples but died of tuberculosis during the return voyage.

[Brief Biography compiled by Robin Hammond, January/February 2004]

• Marchant, Leslie R. and Reynolds, J.H., 'Baudin, Nicolas Thomas (1754 - 1803)', in Australian Dictionary of Biography - Online Edition, Australian National University, 2006, http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A010067b.htm. [ Details... ]