Freycinet, Louis Claude Desaulses de

Freycinet, Louis Claude Desaulses de (lwē klōd dəsōls` də frāsēnā`), 1779–1842, French marine officer. He was assigned (1800) to a French exploring expedition in Australian waters; after his return to Paris (1805) he edited the maps and reports of the journey. In 1817, accompanied by Arago and other scientists, he sailed in command of the Uranie and the Physicienne to make observations in geography, ethnology, astronomy, and meteorology and to collect specimens of flora and fauna. After visiting Australia and the Marianas, Hawaii, and other Pacific islands, Freycinet lost his ship off the Falkland Islands. The expedition records and collections were saved, and Freycinet returned to Paris in 1820. He edited the scientific findings and the narrative of the journey, which appeared as Voyage autour du monde (13 vol., 1824–44).