The Frenchmen Jules Dumont D’Urville and Rene Lesson visit the New South Wales

2nd January 1824

Around this day, 2nd January 1824, Frenchman Jules Dumont D’Urville 1, botanist and Rene P Lesson 2 , naturalist visited the colony.

W.G. McMinn, in his book Allan Cunningham Botanist and Explorer, wrote:

Cunningham entertained the naturalist, R.P. Lesson, and the explorer, Dumont d’Urville, of the vessel La Coquille which was then in port, but he was prevented from accompanying them on excursions by the work of preparing for another long journey, to the southern limits of contemporary knowledge of New South Wales. 3

Robert Heward wrote:

Mr Cunningham tendered to the scientific gentlemen attached to that vessel, the advantages he possessed of a long acquaintance with the country, for the means of forwarding their various pursuits during their stay in the colony and he always spoke with great pleasure of the acquaintance he thus formed with MM. Dumont D’Urville and Lesson, the first an officer (and a botanist), the latter the naturalist of the expedition. 4

  1. Find out more about Dumont D’Urville at Wikipedia[↩]
  2. Find out more about Rene Lesson at Wikipedia[↩]
  3. Source: W.G. McMinn Allan Cunningham page 61[↩]
  4. Source: Robert Heward’s Biographical Sketch of Allan Cunningham, Part 3 page 292[↩]