Rare Love Letters from the La Pérouse Expedition to be Auctioned in Paris

Letters from scientist Jean-André Mongez, who participated in the La Pérouse expedition commissioned by King Louis XVI and disappeared without a trace after 1788, have emerged. The collection of letters written to Louise Victoire Le Cloustier, found hidden inside a 19th-century book of engravings, will be put up for sale by the Daguerre auction house at the Hôtel Drouot in Paris on November 17, 2026.

The collection, discovered by auctioneer Benoît Derouineau, is estimated to be worth between 30,000 and 50,000 euros. The letters contain personal clues about the hardships of the expedition and scientist Mongez's emotional state.

The La Pérouse expedition, commissioned by King Louis XVI to rival the discoveries of Captain James Cook, was carried out with two ships named La Boussole and L’Astrolabe. These ships disappeared after leaving Botany Bay in 1788.