Francois Peron, French naturalist and explorer, c 1810.

Engraving by Lambert after a drawing by Charles Alexandre Lesueur, fifteen years after the death of his friend. Francois Peron (1775-1810) was natural historian and anthropologist on Nicolas Baudin's (1754-1804) treacherous expedition to the South Seas (1800-04). Peron made hydrographic surveys, took meteorological readings, and collected zoological specimens. Upon his return, he wrote a personal account of the expedition, which criticised Baudin and contributed to the disgrace of the captain's reputation.