Curio

State Library of New South Wales
Journal particulier de Rose pour Caroline Rose de Freycinet Journal (September 1817- October 1820)

Journal particulier de Rose pour Caroline Rose de Freycinet Journal (September 1817- October 1820)

SAFE / MLMSS 9158 vol 1 

Rose de Freycinet was the young wife of French naval officer Louis de Freycinet.  In 1817 Freycinet was given command of a Pacific scientific and exploring expedition, as captain of the Uranie. The Uranie expedition was one of the major expeditions into the Pacific in the early 19th century. The expedition sailed, via the Cape of Good Hope, to Shark Bay, in Western Australia, before sailing to Timor, Indonesia, the Caroline Islands, and Guam. The expedition then sailed across to Hawaii, and then south to Sydney where they stayed for a month in November 1819. They spent time exploring the townships of Sydney and Parramatta, with some expedition members travelling as far afield as Bathurst. The expedition left Sydney Cove on Christmas Day, 1819 but on the 14th of February 1820 the Uranie struck rocks in the Falklands Islands and the ship was damaged beyond repair. A three-month wait followed, and finally, they secured a passage to Rio de Janeiro, and reached Le Havre on 13 November 1820.

Rose kept two records of the expedition. One was her journal, which she wrote expressly for her dear friend Caroline de Nanteuil, the other was a series of letters written to her mother during the voyage.

On his arrival in Sydney, Freycinet was amazed at the transformation  that had occurred since his last visit in 1803 with Baudin.  Rose also describes the buildings of the colony, describing the Hyde Park Barracks as ‘very fine monuments’.


The Freycinets were universally welcomed by local society and greatly enjoyed the company of Governor Macquarie and his wife Elizabeth who by all accounts were the perfect hosts. 

In the 1830s a cholera epidemic swept through Paris. Rose nursed Louis through the illness only to succumb to it herself. She died in Paris in 1832 at 38 years of age. 

This original manuscript diary was kept by Rose de Freycinet during the voyage of the Uranie. It was written for her close friend Caroline de Nanteuil. The journal begins: “C’est pour toi seule amiable et chère amie que je veux écrire ce journal…” (“It is for you alone my beloved friend that I plan to keep this journal…”)