Prise de l’Ours Kamtschatka dans la baie d’Avatsha.

Rare lithograph of Avacha Bay, Russia base for the Russian fleet, from the official account by Abel du Petit-Thouars, Voyage Autour du Monde sur La Venus 1836-1839.

The Venus had anchored off Honolulu on 8/7/37, having sailed from Calao to check on the existence of the island of St Paul, shown on some old charts which Dupetit-Thouars decided did not exist. At Honolulu, like other visiting French, he became immediately embroiled in the missionary controversy. The French stayed in the Hawiian Islands for two weeks before setting sail for the ‘Kruzenstern Reef’. On 31/7/37 Dupetit-Thouars arrived in the region of ‘Kruzenstern Reef’, but after careful measurements decided that it did not exist.

Then on 25/8/37 Cape Povorotnyy, to the south of Petropavlovsk in Kamachatka (Russia), was sighted, and on 31/8/37, after fog had concealed the coast for five days, the Venus entered Avacha Bay. There the French were warmly welcomed by Governor Shakov, who placed a house at Dupetit-Thouars disposal for an observatory and organised hunting trips for the officers.