More La Perouse Relics

Six coral-encrusted anchors and other relics from what is believed to the wreck of La Perouse’s ship “Astrolabe” were recovered from a ?mikoro reef and arrived back in Noumea on the French Naval patrol sel “Tiare”, on July 1. Above is one of the anchors. (See story page ).

THE WRECKAGE of the vessel was located last year by M.

Pierre Anthonioz, who also saw eral anchors embedded in coral i recovered one of them. (PIM, April, 1958). The present relics were discovered by M. Haroun Tazieff, a canologist, and a team of divers, with the help of Tiare’s winches, er than the anchors, cannon s, chain, ballast and a Russian n dated 1724, were recovered.

Perouse called at a Siberian t before crossing the Pacific). > is not clear whether the ;anologist and the divers went Vanikoro on Tiare or not. One )rt indicates that this party has i around Vanikoro for some months looking for wrecks. The P Government, to which vam ) and its reefs belong, does not ear to know what is going on e; officially it knows nothing it the French expedition—or if it does, is not saying anything, eantime, the relics were re ed in Noumea with full military honours and one minute's silence the members of La Perouse’s expedition who, of course, perished years ago. The French High Commissioner and the Admiral imanding Pacific Navy Forces ; there to welcome arrived. The relics will ultim

ately go to the French Navy Museum.

La Perouse is now part of history, and belongs to the Pacific as well as to the French; it might be an idea, therefore, if some of the British in the Solomons could work up sufficient enthusiasm to collect a couple of Vanikoro relics for a British museum.

of the anchors recovered by the latest expedition to the wreck of La Perouse's ship, photo graphed aboard the "Tiare" in Noumea in July, by "PIM" correspondent Fred Dunn.

Indonesians

Happy

All 37 of the Indo nesian stowaways who were refused entrance to Holland last year, and were sent on to Dutch New Guinea in stead, have now found work in the Dutch territory, despite their earlier troubles there, which caused some anxiety for the authorities (PIM Dec., 1958). This Indonesian is working as a scooter technician in a Dutch firm in Hollandia.