Thomas Vasse
Encyclopedia
Thomas Timothée Vasse was a French
sailor who was lost in the surf on the south west coast of Australia
in 1801, and presumed drowned. From Vasse's name is taken the name the Vasse
for the land adjacent to where the incident occurred, and also a number of geographical features in the area including Vasse River
and Vasse Inlet.
Born in Dieppe and baptised Timothée Thomas Joseph Ambroise Vasse, Vasse was a helmsman second class on the Naturaliste
during the 1801–04 expedition of the Géographe
and Naturaliste under Nicolas Baudin
, which explored much of the south west coast of New Holland
(now Western Australia
). On 30 May 1801, the expedition anchored in a bay that they named Géographe Bay, and a party went ashore. On the evening of 8 June, during the onset of a wild storm, an attempt was made to return the landed party to the ships. One of the ships' boats was anchored beyond the surf, and ropes were used to haul people from the shore to the boat. Vasse, who was said to be a strong swimmer but was also said in some reports to have been drunk, was lost in the heavy surf and presumed drowned.
A number of stories subsequently emerged that claimed that Vasse had survived. Some time between 1804 and 1807, a rumour that Vasse had survived appeared in some Paris
newspapers. Vasse was reported to have been washed ashore, walked 300 miles south, and been picked up by an American
whaler
which took him as far as the English Channel
. He was then said to have been arrested by an English
ship, and incarcerated in an English jail. According to François Péron
, enquiries into the story concluded that it was a fabrication.
In 1838, George Fletcher Moore
questioned some of the local Indigenous Australians
and was told that Vasse had not drowned. Moore wrote in his diary:
Moore initially published this story in a letter to The Perth Gazette
.
In 1841, Georgiana Molloy
related a different story of Vasse's survival in a letter to Captain James Mangles, but gave no provenance for her version of events. She wrote:
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
sailor who was lost in the surf on the south west coast of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1801, and presumed drowned. From Vasse's name is taken the name the Vasse
Vasse, Western Australia
Vasse is a town in the South West region of Western Australia, west of the town of Busselton and southwest of Perth. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Busselton...
for the land adjacent to where the incident occurred, and also a number of geographical features in the area including Vasse River
Vasse River
The Vasse River is a river in the South West of Western Australia.The headwaters of the river rise in the Whicher Range below Chapman Hill and flows in the northerly direction until discharging into the Vasse Estuary near Busselton and then the Indian Ocean via Wonnerup Inlet and Geographe Bay.The...
and Vasse Inlet.
Born in Dieppe and baptised Timothée Thomas Joseph Ambroise Vasse, Vasse was a helmsman second class on the Naturaliste
French corvette Naturaliste
The Naturaliste was a Salamandre class bomb-corvette of the French Navy.She was launched in 1795 as La Menaçante. She was renamed to La Naturaliste in June 1800 and under Jacques Hamelin, she took part in the exploration of Australia of Nicolas Baudin.Following her return in 1802, she saw service...
during the 1801–04 expedition of the Géographe
French corvette Géographe
The Géographe was a 20-gun Serpente class corvette of the French Navy.She was named Uranie in 1797, and renamed Galatée in 1799, still on her building site, as her builder refused to launched her, as he had not been paid...
and Naturaliste under Nicolas Baudin
Nicolas Baudin
Nicolas-Thomas Baudin was a French explorer, cartographer, naturalist and hydrographer.Baudin was born a commoner in Saint-Martin-de-Ré on the Île de Ré. At the age of fifteen he joined the merchant navy, and at twenty joined the French East India Company...
, which explored much of the south west coast of New Holland
New Holland (Australia)
New Holland is a historic name for the island continent of Australia. The name was first applied to Australia in 1644 by the Dutch seafarer Abel Tasman as Nova Hollandia, naming it after the Dutch province of Holland, and remained in use for 180 years....
(now Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
). On 30 May 1801, the expedition anchored in a bay that they named Géographe Bay, and a party went ashore. On the evening of 8 June, during the onset of a wild storm, an attempt was made to return the landed party to the ships. One of the ships' boats was anchored beyond the surf, and ropes were used to haul people from the shore to the boat. Vasse, who was said to be a strong swimmer but was also said in some reports to have been drunk, was lost in the heavy surf and presumed drowned.
A number of stories subsequently emerged that claimed that Vasse had survived. Some time between 1804 and 1807, a rumour that Vasse had survived appeared in some Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
newspapers. Vasse was reported to have been washed ashore, walked 300 miles south, and been picked up by an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
whaler
Whaler
A whaler is a specialized ship, designed for whaling, the catching and/or processing of whales. The former included the whale catcher, a steam or diesel-driven vessel with a harpoon gun mounted at its bows. The latter included such vessels as the sail or steam-driven whaleship of the 16th to early...
which took him as far as the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
. He was then said to have been arrested by an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
ship, and incarcerated in an English jail. According to François Péron
François Péron
François Auguste Péron was a French naturalist and explorer. He is credited with the first use of the term anthropology.-Explorations:...
, enquiries into the story concluded that it was a fabrication.
In 1838, George Fletcher Moore
George Fletcher Moore
George Fletcher Moore was a prominent early settler in colonial Western Australia, and "one [of] the key figures in early Western Australia's ruling elite"...
questioned some of the local Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
and was told that Vasse had not drowned. Moore wrote in his diary:
- Some natives of that neighbourhood recollect him. They treated him kindly and fed him but he lingered on the seacoast looking for his vessel. He gradually became very thin from anxiety, exposure and poor diet. At last the natives were absent for a time on a hunting expedition and on their return they found him dead on the beach, his body much swollen.
Moore initially published this story in a letter to The Perth Gazette
The West Australian
The West Australian is the only locally-edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia, and is owned by ASX-listed Seven West Media . The West is published in tabloid format, as is the state's other major newspaper, The Sunday Times, a News Limited publication...
.
In 1841, Georgiana Molloy
Georgiana Molloy
Georgiana Molloy was an early settler in Western Australia, who is remembered as one of the first botanical collectors in the colony....
related a different story of Vasse's survival in a letter to Captain James Mangles, but gave no provenance for her version of events. She wrote:
- Dr Carr... has undertaken to reclaim the Bones of Mons. Vasse, the Gentm. from who this river takes its Name. Some society in Paris has offered a reward or present for them. These natives know where they are, in the vicinity of Cape Naturaliste, and are now employed getting them, or for what I know, have got them. This event happened about thirty years since; this unfortunate Gentm. came in shore to explore, was seized, strangled and the spear went in at the right side of the heart.