Auguste-Nicolas Vaillant
| Auguste-Nicolas Vaillant | |
|---|---|
| Born |
2 July 1793 Paris, France |
| Died | 1 November 1858 (aged 65) Paris, France |
| Nationality | French |
| Occupation | Naval officer |
| Known for | Circumnavigation of the globe |
Auguste-Nicolas Vaillant (2 July 1793 – 1 November 1858) was a French sailor who worked his way up through the ranks from common seaman to rear-admiral. In 1836–37 he captained a 21-month voyage round the globe in which the scientists made many useful botanical and zoological observations, later described in an 11-volume illustrated account. He was briefly Minister of Navy and Colonies in 1851 during the French Second Republic.
Auguste-Nicolas Vaillant was born in Paris, France on 2 July 1793. He joined the navy as a simple apprentice sailor. He sailed on the coast of Brittany and in the English Channel, which was blockaded by the English fleet during the Napoleonic Wars He was promoted to 2nd class cadet on 1 December 1810 and served on coastal vessels and on river and canal boats. He was promoted to 1st class cadet on 29 March 1813 and soon after was given command of the Texel. He vigorously suppressed a revolt of the Dutch crew. This brought him to the attention of Admiral Carel Hendrik Ver Huell, who made him first an infantry lieutenant then an artillery lieutenant in the forts of la Salle and l'Ecluse. Vaillant fought in the Channel and on the coast of Flanders on the brig Génie and the frigate Hermione. After the end of the wars, on 20 June 1816 he was discharged on suspicion of Bonapartism.
Vaillant was restored to his rank of sub-lieutenant (Enseigne de vaisseau) on 1 July 1818. That year he was sent on an exploratory expedition to French Guiana to investigate how it should be colonized. He explored the Maroni River, at that time virtually unknown to Europeans, and made a detailed map and description. He was made Lieutenant on 4 August 1824, and the next year was given command of the Estafette, which was employed in turn in the Levant, at Tunis, and on the coasts of Catalonia and Romagna. For his conduct in a storm in the Hellenic archipelago, and for a courageous expedition against the pirates of Andros, on 3 November 1827 he was awarded the cross of the Order of Saint Louis.
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