18th C Indian Ocean Voyages

The Voyage of the Paix (1767-1768)

The Paix was a sailing vessel owned by the French East India Company. It was previously called the Penthièvre before it was captured by the British in May 1756, right at the start of the Seven Years' War. It returned to the French East India Company and was renamed the Paix in December 1762, just as the war was coming to an end (hence the ship's new name). It had 20 cannons, a crew of 167, and a cargo capacity of 800 tonnes. Under the command of François Brulesne, the Paix travelled from Lorient to Anjouan (Comoros), South Asia and the Mascarene Islands before returning to Europe between April 1767 and December 1768.

Joséph Tréguier here reappears on the French East India Company records after disappearing for several years. He was on this entire voyage. He is listed as a 19-year-old sailor earning a wage of 19 livres—no longer just a cabin boy, having already spent more than five years of his life at sea. He is described as having brown hair and small stature.

The ship left Lorient around 3 April 1767. Nearly four months later it arrived at Anjouan in the Comoro Islands, northwest of Madagascar. It stayed here for a week before carrying on to Puducherry. The ship travelled in a circuit in the Bay of Bengal, crossing south-east to Achem on Sumatra, then recrossing to Mazulipatam (about 600km up the coast from Puducherry), then and worked its way back down the coast to Puducherry where it stayed for about five weeks. The ship left Puducherry on 3 March 1768 after almost six months in the Bay of Bengal.

Along the return voyage they made a month-long stop at both Île de France and Île Bourbon, and also briefly stopped at Groix. The ship was back at Lorient by 26 December 1768.

Now having completed his first voyage as a full-fledged sailor, Tréguier returned to Europe a more experienced seafarer, and could expect greater remuneration for his labour. Never again would he receive less than 20 livres per month on a voyage. Having earned approximately 380 livres over the duration of the voyage, Tréguier could afford to spend several months at home. By July 1769 he was back on the high seas.

 

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