Edmond de Boissieu manuscript written on board La Favorite on the Laplace voyage, detailing Sydney society, ca. 1831

Edmond de Boissieu documented his stay in Sydney in detail and this previously unrecorded manuscript describes many domestic details of households such as Governor Darling’s, Chief Justice Forbes’ and, particularly, the Blaxland family’s. Boissieu also met (and passed judgement on) Alexander Macleay (afflicted with ‘great ugliness’), Francis Forbes' wife (‘one of the most pleasant women in Sydney’), Colonel Dumaresq, John Manning, John Kinchela, Francis Rossi, Richard Jones, Dr Fattorini and William Bland. 

Boissieu describes at length the various assets of many of the ladies of the colony (both married and eligible) and the events to which he is invited such as balls, dinners and outings. The manuscript may have been intended for publication, as Boissieu goes to some trouble to explain the English customs he encounters, as if to educate other young French officers who may be considering visiting or settling in the colony.
 
The manuscript is particularly notable for the detail furnished by Boissieu about his main hosts, the Blaxland family. He describes the Blaxland property at Newington, then goes into some detail about the women of the family, particularly the daughters – their marital status, physical and mental attributes and personalities.

Boissieu lists the gifts that are bestowed upon him by his hosts (and those he presents in return). Dr Fattorini presented him with a case of stuffed and mounted birds. On the day he left to rejoin the ship, Boissieu was presented with a male and female platypus and a "sabre en bois garnis d'os tranchoeurs", said to have come from Torres Strait.

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Edmond de Boissieu manuscript written on board La Favorite on the Laplace voyage, detailing Sydney society, ca. 1831

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