As a French explorer, the great ship's captain and navigator Dumont d'Urville helped advance English colonization. D'Urville explored some uninhabited spot on Australia's Eastern coast. This told the English that they'd better hurry up and put a colony there before France did. D'Urville explored New Zealand's North Island. This told the English that they'd better hurry up and put a colony there before France did.
If only the French colonists had been half as competent as d'Urville, the Pacific would have sounded very different today.
Tags: book | colonization | Pacific