Home > Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne

During the War of the Austrian Succession, he commanded several ships and was a captain by 1745. In the Seven Years' War, he was engaged in various naval operations.

After the war, he again sailed on the East India routes and eventually settled in Port Louis on Mauritius, where he also was the harbormaster for some time.

When the French East India Company collapsed and was dissolved in 1769, and du Fresne was suddenly unemployed. He convinced Pierre Poivre , the civil administrator, to equip him with two ships and send him on a two-fold mission: first, he was to bring Ahu-toru , a Tahitian who had been brought to Paris and exposed there, but brought back only as far as Mauritius, back to Tahiti, and second, he was to search for the southern continent. Du Fresne was given two ships, the Mascarin and the Marquis de Castries. Ahu-toru died of smallpoxSmallpox (also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera is a highly contagious disease unique to humans caused by two virus variants called Variola major and Variola minor. major is the more deadly form, with a typical mortality of 20-40 percent o shortly after their departure from Port Louis.

On his expedition, he discovered first the Prince Edward IslandsThis article is about a small sub-antarctic island. A Canadian province is also called Prince Edward Island. The Prince Edwards Islands are two small islands in the sub- antarctic Indian Ocean that are politically part of South Africa. The two islands are and then the Crozet IslandsThe Crozet Islands ( French les Crozet are a sub- antarctic archipelago of small islands in the southern Indian Ocean, part of the French Southern Territories. Geography, geology, and climate The Crozet Islands are located between latitudes 45°95' and 46° before sailing towards AustraliaAustralia is the sixth-largest country in the world (geographically), the only one to occupy an entire continent, and the largest in the region of Australasia. Australia includes the island of Tasmania, which is an Australian State. Its neighbouring count. They spent a few days in TasmaniaTasmania State flag ( In detail) Coat of Arms ( Full size) Capital Hobart Governor William Cox (Acting Governor) Premier Paul Lennon Area — Land — Marine — Total 68 401 km² 22 357 km² 90 758 km² Population(Sep 2003) Density 478 400 6. 92/km² Time zone UTC before proceeding, and sighted New ZealandFor alternative meanings, see New Zealand (disambiguation). New Zealand is a country formed of two major islands and a number of smaller islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. A common Mori name for New Zealand is Aotearoa popularly translated as Land's Mount TaranakiMount Taranaki (formerly called Mount Egmont is a dormant stratovolcano located in the west of New Zealand's North Island. The 2518 metre high mountain is reasonably close to a perfect ash cone in shape. There is a secondary cone, Fantham's Peak, on the s on March 25March 25 is the 84th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (85th in leap years). There are 281 days remaining. Events 708 Constantine is consecrated Pope. 1306 Robert the Bruce becomes King of Scotland. 1409 The Council of Pisa opens. 1634 The first s, 1772. He named the mountain Pic Mascarin without knowing that James Cook had already named it "Mount Egmont" three years earlier.

Over the next month, they explored the islands, repaired their ships and treated their scurvy, first anchoring at Anchor Cove and later in the Bay of Islands. Apparently, their relations with the Maori were peaceful at first: they could communicate thanks to Tahitian vocabulary (a legacy of Ahu-toru's (mis-)adventure), and the Maori even held a ceremony for them. However, the French appear to have broken some taboo, probably fishing at a sacred place, and on July 12, 1772, du Fresne and twelve men of his crew were killed and eaten by the upset Maori. In retaliation, the French burnt down a village and killed some 250 Maoris before leaving on the next day.

The ship providing logistical support to the French Southern Territories of Île Amsterdam, Île Saint-Paul , Îles Crozet, and Îles Kerguelen is named the Marion Dufresne II.