Lazare Picault
Lazare Picault (* 1700 in Toulon, † February 21, 1748 in Pamplemousses ) was a French navigator and explorer of the early explorers and Seychelles.
Life
Career as a sailor
Lazare Picault was born around 1700 in Toulon and was navigator. 1735, he left France to travel as third officer on the Apollon to India. Two years later he returned to France. In November 1739 he landed as second officer of the Thétis on the Isle de France. Lazare Picault worked as a navigator for the French East India Company, as Bertrand François Mahé him Admiral de La Bourdonnais commissioned to explore the sea route between India and the French colonies in the Mascarene Islands. Picault was given command of the tartane Elisabeth as well as escort ship the Charles.
Discovery of the Seychelles - The first trip
In August 1742 Elisabeth and the Charles and the command sailed from Picault of the Isle de France to the north into uncharted waters. Although they found the road of giant land tortoises inhabited islands, but not for drinking. After more than three months at sea, the desperation grew. Finally, the lookouts of Elizabeth on November 19, 1742 sighted a large, unknown island. As we got closer, it was found that it was several islands. Picault believed to have discovered the fabled islands Três Irmãos.
On the afternoon of November 21, the Elizabeth and her sister ship reached the main island. Although there is little time remained until sunset, Picault sent two reconnaissance teams ashore. They found plenty of fresh water, turtles and fish in rivers and in the sea, so that Picault the island first L' Ile d' Abondance called ( island of plenty ).
On the morning of 26 November Picault decided to leave for Rodrigues, where a job was waiting for him. On January 6, 1743 Picault reached instead the coast of Madagascar. He was so close to 1,000 nautical miles from its destination and had to realize that he had discovered a new, unknown group of islands, which should later be known as the Seychelles.
Exploration of the Seychelles - The second trip
On December 7, 1743 Picault broke again to the he had discovered archipelago on with the mission to explore these in more detail. On May 28, 1744 he arrived at the L' Ile d' Abondance, which he renamed in honor of his patron, Mahe Island. Before Picault set off in the direction of the Malabar Coast on June 15, he still visited the neighboring islands of La Digue, which he called Ile Rouge because of their reddish granite rocks, Praslin, which he described as Isle de Palmes because of the large palm forests and Fregate, which he so baptized because of the large number of frigates.
Return to the Isle de France and death
In July 1744 Picault returned to the Isle de France. Meanwhile, the impact of the Austrian Succession War, India and the Indian Ocean had been reached, so that no further expeditions to Mahe have been made. The Elizabeth sank in a sea battle against the English. On February 21, 1748 Lazare Picault died in Pamplemousses in Mauritius.
Effect
Although Lazare Picault almost certainly was not the first man who has seen and enter the Seychelles, he is regarded as the discoverer. According to him, are named in the Seychelles beaches, hotels and also the district Baie Lazare.