Peter Dillon facts for kids

Peter Dillon (born June 15, 1788 – died February 9, 1847) was a brave ship captain and explorer. He was also a writer. Peter Dillon made a very important discovery in 1826-1827. He found out what happened to the lost ships of the La Pérouse expedition. Their disappearance had been a mystery for many years.

Early Adventures

Peter Dillon was born in Martinique. His father, also named Peter, was an Irish immigrant. We don't know much about Peter's early life. He said he joined the Royal Navy and fought in the famous Battle of Trafalgar. Later, he left the navy. He traveled to Calcutta when he was young. There, he became a trader in the exciting South Seas.

In 1813, he sailed to Fiji on a ship called the Hunter. He was the third mate on this trip. They were looking for valuable sandalwood. While in Fiji, there were some fights between the Europeans and the Fijian people. Many people were hurt or lost their lives. Dillon wrote about these events in his book, Narrative and Successful Result of a Voyage to the South Seas. This book came out in 1829.

During his time as a trader, two of his ships were unfortunately wrecked. One ship, the Phatisalam, was wrecked on July 9, 1821. Another ship, the Calder, was wrecked on June 10, 1825.

Finding La Pérouse's Lost Ships

In 1826, Peter Dillon was the captain of a ship called the St. Patrick. He was trying to get to Fiji. But he accidentally found himself at Tikopia. This is one of the Santa Cruz Islands. There, he saw that many of the local people had European items. These included sword parts, teacups, knives, and glass beads. The Tikopians told him these items came from two ships. The ships had been wrecked years ago on a nearby island called Vanikoro.

Dillon was sure he had found the wreckage of the French ships. These were La Boussole and L'Astrolabe. They belonged to the La Pérouse expedition. These ships had vanished in the Pacific after visiting Botany Bay in 1788. Their fate had been a huge mystery for almost 40 years!

Dillon sailed to Calcutta to share his amazing discovery. He wanted support for an expedition to Vanikoro. The British government in India, led by Lord Amherst, helped him. They gave him command of the British East India Company's survey ship, Research. In January 1827, Dillon set sail for Vanikoro. After a long and difficult journey, he reached Vanikoro in September 1827. While there, he found many items from the wrecked ships. This included a ship's bell made in France.

He also tried to learn more about the French explorers. He spoke with the older people living on the island. According to Dillon's book, Narrative and Successful Result, he learned a lot. Both ships had been wrecked on the reefs during a big storm. Some survivors built a new boat from the wreckage. They sailed away in it. Two other survivors stayed on the island but had since passed away.

Dillon eventually traveled to France. There, he met Barthélemy de Lesseps. He was the only living person who had been part of the La Pérouse expedition. De Lesseps had worked as a Russian interpreter for the expedition. He had left the group in Petropavlovsk, Siberia. He then traveled overland back to Europe. De Lesseps looked at the items Dillon brought back. He confirmed they were from the French ships.

In 1829, Dillon published his book, Narrative and Successful Result. The French government honored him greatly. They gave him a knighthood and a pension. For the rest of his life, he hoped for more recognition. He died in Paris on February 9, 1847.