East of the entrance to the tiny bay housing Port Louis, on a hill overlooking French Bay, the Spanish built a fort after Bougainville ceded them rights to the Falkland Islands (Malouines). We spent the day exploring the site of the French colony, where over a hundred settlers resided from 1764 to 1767. The memory is preserved there, diligently upheld by Peter Gilding, the current owner of the farm where Port Louis stands today. Though little remains, Peter knows the farm and its history well.
Sitting on the fort's parapet overlooking a sea swelled by gusts of wind, Peter gestures towards the horizon: Do you see, Hubert, out there, west of Long Island, where the Boussole and the Étoile were anchored from 1764 to 1767? That's also the very spot where the Erebus and the Terror wintered for six months in 1842. And farther on, beyond Long Island, you can see Uranie Beach, with my friend Paul Watson's farm. It's a century of French maritime history that we're beholding! »
– Hubert Sagnières, Field notes May 11, 2024, Falkland Islands
1 Cover: "Plan of the bay and port located to the East of the Falkland Islands," a sketch by Don Pernetty who accompanied Bougainville during the first voyage in 1764. Note that North is at the bottom, not the top. Pernetty, Dom. History of a Voyage to the Falkland Islands, Made in 1763 & 1764; with Observations on the Strait of Magellan, and on the Patagonians. Sailland & Nyon, Delalain, Paris, 1770, Plate 9.
Flight around the World with the PC-12 “Spirit of St-Exupéry” - 2024 Port Louis, Falkland Islands
Louis-Antoine de Bougainville :
« […] Until recent times, the Falkland Islands were only imperfectly known. However, their advantageous position, serving as a stopover for ships bound for the South Sea and as a stepping stone for the discovery of southern lands, had caught the attention of navigators from all nations. At the beginning of the year 1763, the French court resolved to establish a settlement in these islands. I proposed to the ministry to undertake this venture at my own expense, and with the support of Messrs. de Nerville and d'Arboulin, one my first cousin and the other my uncle, I immediately had the Eagle, armed with twenty guns, and the Sphinx, armed with twelve, constructed and equipped in Saint-Malo under the supervision of Mr. Duclos Guyot, now my second in command. I embarked several Acadian families, a hardworking and intelligent group of people, who should be dear to France for the unwavering loyalty demonstrated by its honest and fortunate citizens. (2) »
2 Bougainville, Louis-Antoine. Voyage Around the World, by the King's Frigate La Boudeuse, and the Flute L'Étoile; in 1766, 1767, 1768, and 1769, Saillant & Nyon, Paris, 1771, pp. 36-37.
« On September 15, 1763, I set sail from Saint-Malo: Mr. de Nerville embarked with me on the Aigle. After two stops, one at Santa Catarina Island on the coast of Brazil, and the other at Montevideo, where we obtained many horses and cattle, we landed on the Sebald Islands on January 31, 1764. I initially headed for a large indentation formed by the coast of the Falkland Islands between its northwest point and the Sebald Islands; however, not finding a good anchorage there, I navigated along the northern coast. Upon reaching the eastern end of the islands, I entered on February 3 into a large bay that seemed suitable for establishing a first settlement, which I named Port Louis. (3) »
![Engraving extracted from the account of Dom Pernetty, chaplain and naturalist embarked with Bougainville aboard the first ship that left Saint-Malo to establish the colony. The engraving depicts French Bay, the small bay of Port Louis, as well as the ships at anchor. Pernetty, Dom. "View of the Baye of the East of the largest of the Falkland Islands (Malouines) and its habitation”. History of a Voyage to the Falkland Islands [...], Sailland & Nyon, Delalain, Paris, 1770, Plate 9. Hubert Sagnières Collection.](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f9b7e4_35921c7cab724b579be4d5a72b335a65~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_980,h_660,al_c,q_90,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/f9b7e4_35921c7cab724b579be4d5a72b335a65~mv2.png)
3 Ibid., p. 37.
In 1764, the English, having also recognized the strategic importance of these islands, established a garrison on the eastern island of the Falklands, at Port Egmont. They were later dislodged by the Spanish in 1774. This means that, during the entire time when the French occupied the east of the island, they were unaware that the west was also occupied by the English.
French Bay, now known as Berkeley Sound, is a place steeped in French maritime history, with two major events intertwining there with over 50 years apart. Port Louis saw the birth of Bougainville's colony between 1764 and 1767, while Uranie Beach bore witness to the shipwreck of the Freycinet expedition in 1820. Both sites lie mere kilometers from each other, at the end of the bay! Moreover, it is the only common place where the first two women to circumnavigate the globe lived both for several months: Jeanne Barret in 1767 and Rose de Freycinet in 1820, two great explorers!
Our stopover in the Falkland Islands was thus a major exploration ground in our journey around the world aboard the Pilatus "Spirit of St Exupéry," tracing the footsteps of the great explorations documented in my book, Daring French Explorations (4).
But landing in the Falkland Islands in May, at the beginning of the southern winter, is no easy feat! It took us several months of preparation, numerous contacts, a lot of perseverance, and a certain amount of luck to finally obtain all the necessary authorizations (5).
4 Sagnières Hubert. Daring French Explorations,1714-1854, Trailblazing adventures around the world. Featuring Bougainville, Laperouse, Dumont d’Urville, and more., Foreword by Edward Duyker, Flammarion, 2024, ISBN 978-2-08-042845-5.
5 To learn more, see the field notes from May 12, 2024, regarding the Uranie shipwreck.
Port Louis is an hour and a half away from Stanley, the capital of the Falkland Islands. The weather is beautiful this morning, meaning the sun is gracing us with its presence, and the winds are only at 50 km/h. Peter Gilding greets us in his Land Rover, remarking that we are quite fortunate indeed, as they haven't seen the sun for three weeks!
Peter has owned the farm since 1997. At that time, Port Louis was owned by thirteen indifferent owners, but fortunately, Peter developed a deep attachment to the site. Today, his farm spans 40,000 hectares, extending from Volunteer Point to the Watson farm (home to Uranie Beach). In the Land Rover, we spend the first three hours exploring the colony sites and make the same observation as Bougainville in 1764: there are no trees, thus no lumber to build anything.
"The same illusion that had led Hawkins, Woodes Rogers, and others to believe that these islands were covered in wood also affected my travel companions and me. We were surprised, upon disembarking, to find that what we had taken for wood while sailing along the coast was nothing more than thick clusters of tall, closely spaced rushes. As they dry, their base takes on the color of dead grass up to about a fathom in height, and from there emerges a tuft of rushes of a beautiful green that crowns this base. Consequently, from a distance, the combined stems resemble a wood of moderate height. These rushes only grow along the seashore and on small islands; the mountains of the mainland are, in some places, entirely covered in heather, which from afar can easily be mistaken for thickets. (6) "
Peter takes us on a 4x4 journey across the moorland, allowing us to retrace the steps of Bougainville. There are no established paths, but the Land Rover navigates smoothly over the peat in this hilly and sometimes damp terrain. Bougainville described this plateau north of the small bay just days after landing:
"The various expeditions I immediately ordered and undertook myself on the island, where we all slept under the stars and lived off hunting, did not lead to the discovery of any kind of wood or any evidence that a ship had landed before us. I only found, in abundance, excellent peat that could serve as a substitute for wood, both for heating and for the forge; and I traversed vast plains, intersected everywhere by small rivers with perfect water. Nature, however, offered only fishing and several kinds of terrestrial and aquatic game for sustenance. Indeed, this game was abundant and easy to catch. It was a singular sight to see upon our arrival all the animals, previously the sole inhabitants of the island, approach us without fear and exhibit no movements other than those inspired by curiosity upon seeing an unknown object. Birds allowed themselves to be caught by hand; some even came to perch on people who were standing still. It is true that man does not inherently possess a character of ferocity that would make him recognizable to weak animals as the being who feeds on their blood through instinct alone. This trust did not last long: they soon learned to be wary of their cruel enemy. (7)"
Peter's house, dating back to 1850, is one of the oldest on the island, and according to him, even in South America. It is located 100 meters north of the fort built by Bougainville. Peter has been living there alone since his wife passed away. He has six daughters who live in Stanley, including one, Petra, who is also interested in the history of Port Louis.
6 Bougainville, Louis-Antoine. Voyage Around the World, by the King's Frigate La Boudeuse, and the Flute L'Étoile; in 1766, 1767, 1768, and 1769, Saillant & Nyon, Paris, 1771, p. 37.
7 Ibid., p. 38.
« On March 17th, I determined the location of the new colony, one league from the bottom of the bay on the north coast, at a small harbor that only communicates with the bay through a very narrow channel. The colony was initially composed of only twenty-nine people, including five women and three children. We immediately set to work building huts covered with rushes for them and constructing a warehouse large enough to contain the provisions, clothing, and supplies of all kinds that I left them for two years. These tasks were carried out by the sailors, and the staff of the two ships undertook to build a fort of earth and turf capable of holding fourteen cannon. I worked at the head of this workshop, and I admired to what extent extraordinary circumstances elevate men and double their strength. The zeal of these officers did not diminish for a single moment during the fifteen days of this arduous work, which began with the dawn and was only interrupted by night. The fort was constructed quite solidly, the cannon were mounted, and in the center of this little citadel, we erected an obelisk twenty feet high. The king's effigy adorned one of its faces, and under its foundations, we buried some coins with a medal, on one side of which was engraved the date of the enterprise, and on the other side, the figure of the king with the inscription: Tibi serviat ultima Thule (8).
Such was the inscription engraved on this medal:
ESTABLISHMENT OF THE FALKLAND ISLANDS, LOCATED AT 51 DEG. 30 MIN. LAT. SOUTH AND 61 DEG. 50 MIN. LONG. WEST. FROM PARIS, BY THE FRIGATE L’AIGLE, CAPTAIN P. DUCLOS GUYOT, FIRE-SHIP CAPTAIN, AND THE CORVETTE LE SPHINX, CAPT. F. CHÉNARD DE LA GIRAUDAIS, LIEUT. OF FRIGATE, ARMED BY LOUIS-ANTOINE DE BOUGAINVILLE, COLONEL OF INFANTRY, SHIP CAPTAIN, HEAD OF THE EXPEDITION, G.DE NERVILLE, CAPTAIN OF INFANTRY, AND P. D’ARBOULIN, GENERAL ADMINISTRATOR OF POSTS OF FRANCE: CONSTRUCTION OF A FORT AND AN OBELISK DECORATED WITH A MEDALLION OF HIS MAJESTY LOUIS XV. BASED ON THE PLANS OF A.L’HUILLIER, GEOGRAPHIC ENGINEER OF THE CAMPS AND ARMIES, SERVING IN THE EXPEDI- TION; UNDER THE MINISTRY OF É. DE CHOISEUL, DUKE OF STAINVILLE. IN FEBRUARY 1764.
with these words as an inscription: Conamur tenues grandia (9) (10). »
Peter, well-versed in this part of history, has no idea what became of the inscription. He points out where he believes the obelisk was built in 1764, but there is no trace of it now.
8 "May Thule, at the world's end, be subject to your laws," from the Roman poet Virgil, Thule is the mythical island first mentioned by the Greek explorer Pytheas in the 4th century BCE. Virgil, Georgics, I, 29.
9 "May we, though small, achieve great deeds".
10 Bougainville, Louis-Antoine. Voyage Around the World, by the King's Frigate La Boudeuse, and the Flute L'Étoile; in 1766, 1767, 1768, and 1769, Saillant & Nyon, Paris, 1771, p 39.
After this initial tour of the property, Peter offers us a hot coffee. I take the opportunity to present him with a copy of my book, HD copies of all our engravings of Port Louis and the Falklands, and, of course, a medal from our own world tour! We learn that two notable visitors recently preceded us: Princess Anne, sister of King Charles III, and the author Michael Palin.
Peter then leaves us to explore his lands freely while he heads to Stanley. We will spend the afternoon and evening traversing the grounds of the old French colony.
“On April 5, 1764, I solemnly took possession of the islands in the name of the king, and on the 8th, I set sail for France. (11)”
The act of possession was ratified by Louis XV on September 12, 1764, asserting that the islands had been discovered by sailors from Saint-Malo, and that they had given them their name: Malouines. Bougainville made several voyages: four ships transported the settlers, Acadians, and French, between Saint-Malo and Port Louis, so that by the end of 1767, there were almost 200 inhabitants in the colony. It is essential to understand the topography of the site to imagine where these settlers had built their homes, with what materials, and how they lived!
11 Ibid., p. 40.
The colony requiring a large quantity of timber, Bougainville made numerous trips to Tierra del Fuego in Chile to bring back the materials necessary for the construction of houses and buildings.
Sitting on the rocks, on the beach of the bay, we reread Bougainville's descriptions of the first months of the colony's establishment:
« I hurried to disembark the new settlers and all kinds of provisions destined for the colony, to fetch water and milk. After a journey by land to explore the strait that separates the two main Falkland Islands, I set sail on February 2 to retrieve a cargo of assorted wood from the Strait of Magellan. On the 21st, I anchored in a small bay to which the sailors have since given my name, and the very next day, we began cutting woods of various kinds, squaring the largest pieces, tracing different paths in the forest to bring them to the seashore, and preparing them for embarkation and stowage. We also lifted and loaded on board, with all the precautions we could imagine, more than ten thousand tree saplings of various ages. It was indeed intriguing to attempt plantations in our islands. These various tasks occupied us for twenty days, and I can say that except for Sundays dedicated to rest, not a single moment was wasted nor a person idle. The weather favored us, as it was unusually fine for these parts. On the evening of March 15, I set sail from the bay, exited the strait on the 24th, and on the 29th, I anchored in the port of the Falkland Islands, where I was received with great joy, having opened up a navigation route that had become necessary for the maintenance of the colony. Upon my departure from the Falkland Islands on April 27 following, it consisted of eighty persons, including a staff paid by the king.(12)»
12 Ibid., p. 41.
The name has stood the test of time: neither the Spanish nor the English have changed the toponym of Port Louis! Today, among the buildings on the site, there are Peter's main house, the various houses of his daughters, and the large building where sheep shearing takes place.
In 1766, Bougainville takes stock of the colony of which he is rightfully proud:
“The settlement was beginning to take shape. The commander and the administrator lived in comfortable houses built of stone; the rest of the inhabitants occupied houses with walls made of turf. There were three stores, both for public supplies and private goods; the woods from the strait had been used to frame these various buildings and to construct two schooners suitable for coastal reconnaissance. The Aigle returned to France from this last voyage, loaded with oil and skins of seals tanned in the country. Various cultivation experiments had also been attempted, without despairing of success, as most of the seeds imported from Europe had readily acclimated; the increase in livestock was certain, and the number of inhabitants stood at around one hundred and fifty. (13)”
It's now up to us to reclaim these lands for a few hours, as we raise the tricolor flag for a moment.
13 Ibid., p. 47.
We leave Peter's house and walk northeast where the French colony had developed. Not surprisingly, there is nothing visible here either: just moorland and peat, with occasional flatter areas of different color, indicating the likely positions of dwelling remnants.
Peter informs us that three months ago, an Australian expedition conducted surveys of the site using a drone as part of the preparations for a book on Port Louis scheduled for release in the summer of 2024. While we were unable to obtain a copy of these surveys, we had a glimpse of the detailed ground contours captured by the drone, which indeed offer clearer visibility from an aerial perspective!
Leaving the site of the fort and the houses, we head westward where, approximately 1.5 km away, lies the cemetery, the sole remnant of the colony! It has also been used by the English since their takeover. Today, Peter is the one tending to it.
Continuing further west, we reach the freshwater point that served as the water supply for the entire colony, then for the Spanish, and finally for the English!
We make our way back towards the small bay of Port Louis, walking along the French Bay. In the distance, further to the south, we can see the Uranie Beach. It's low tide, and indeed, the mouth of the bay is very narrow, allowing only small boats to enter. The ships remaining offshore were then protected from the winds by Long Island. The beach at this spot is covered with delicious mussels and cockles.
Before completing the full tour of the small bay and reaching the Spanish fort, we explore the moorland to trace the stay of James Clark Ross and Francis Crozier, captains of the Erebus and Terror. After the discovery of Antarctica in 1840 by the French expedition of Dumont d'Urville, the British equipped these two ships to continue mapping the Antarctic continent. This major expedition for the British, preceding that of Franklin, lasted four years. It included a stay of several months here in the French Bay when the ice forced the ships to take shelter for the winter. The magnetic observation point established during this stay is still visible and well marked on the moorland. A memorial stone has been erected there, now adorned with a recent plaque.
Peter explains to us that the original plaque was stolen many years ago, only to be anonymously returned to him eventually. As a result, he now keeps the original one in a safe place!
Since 1842, the Royal Navy has continued to take measurements there every five years! During their stay in Port Louis, the English sailors also took tidal measurements. Peter, a climate skeptic, jokes that since 1842, sea levels haven't risen.
A full tour of the bay, at the level of the peat bogs, reveals the extent of the moorlands and pastures around Port Louis. Many sheep, but unfortunately, no more "Bougainville cows." Ten years ago, descendants of the animals that the French sailor had brought from Montevideo to feed the colony could still be found here! Sadly, Peter had to cull them a few years ago when they were affected by mad cow disease.
We make our way towards the eastern end of the estuary where the Spanish fort is located. The weather remains beautiful, night slowly falls bringing cold with it, but the winds show no signs of relenting! From our vantage point, we overlook the Bay of the French and the northwest of Long Island, where the Aigle, then the Etoile, and finally the Boussole, ships of Bougainville, dropped their anchors between 1764 and 1767. This is where the Erebus and Terror did the same in 1842, before their final voyage to the Arctic during the tragic Franklin expedition of 1845.
For now, our thoughts return to Louis de Bougainville, who would later be compelled by King Louis XV to return the Falkland Islands to the Spanish. This task he carried out with great dignity, before embarking on his own world tour completed in 1769.
!["Map of the “Malouines” Islands named by the English Falkland Islands. A - Location of the French settlement now occupied by the Spaniards." From Bougainville, Louis-Antoine. Voyage autour du monde [...], Saillant & Nyon, Paris, 1771, plate 3. Note the mention in the top left: "Points B are those suspected to be where the English are settled."](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f9b7e4_ded37d3e407345fbb3b78cdfe56e49b1~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_980,h_651,al_c,q_90,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/f9b7e4_ded37d3e407345fbb3b78cdfe56e49b1~mv2.png)
"On April 1, 1767, I handed over our settlement to the Spaniards, who took possession by hoisting the Spanish flag, which the land and the ships saluted with twenty-one gunshots at sunrise and sunset. I read to the French inhabitants of this budding colony a letter from the king, in which His Majesty allowed them to stay under the rule of the Catholic king. Some families took advantage of this permission; the rest, along with the staff, were embarked on the Spanish frigates, which set sail for Montevideo on the morning of the 27th. As for me, I was forced to stay in the Falkland Islands waiting for the Etoile, without which I could not continue my journey. (14)"
!["Ruins of the French settlement in the Falkland Islands according to Dumont d'Urville, C1835. Voyage autour du monde" [...] published under the direction of Mr. Dumont D'Urville. Volume 2, Pictorial Atlas, L. Tenre, Paris, plate IXVII. Collection Hubert Sagnières.](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f9b7e4_78d0c86c674b42d0923bc56eafddb3d5~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_980,h_521,al_c,q_90,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/f9b7e4_78d0c86c674b42d0923bc56eafddb3d5~mv2.png)
14 Bougainville, Louis-Antoine. Voyage Around the World, by the King's Frigate La Boudeuse, and the Flute L'Étoile; in 1766, 1767, 1768, and 1769, Saillant & Nyon, Paris, 1771, p 59.
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