A few years ago, in 2009 and 2010, I worked as a professor of French culture in Russia at the Ural Polyethnic Institute in Ekaterinburg, Russia.  In my free time I conducted research on the first French people who went to Ekaterinburg,¹ and I found an interesting person: Louis Delisle de la Croyère. 

Louis was born into a family of 18th century scholars in Paris.  His father was an historian who gave private lessons to all of the children of the Parisian nobility.  Louis’ brother Guillaume was a geographer, brother Simon-Claude was a historian, and brother Joseph-Nicolas was an astronomer.  Louis, after an unfortunate duel, had to leave France.  He joined the army, and served as a sergeant in Canada for 18 years before returning to France after his father’s death.  He then trained in astronomy to accompany his brother Joseph-Nicolas to Russia to the Imperial Academy of Sciences, which had been recently created by Peter the Great.  Louis participated in the Great Northern Expedition² as an astronomer, and was one of the first Europeans to see the North American coasts of present-day Alaska.  He died of scurvy on the last day of navigation on the return to Petropavlovsk in Kamchatka, on 10 October, 1741, where he was buried. 

1741 also saw the birth of Charles Clerke, who went on to command Discovery during Cook’s Third Voyage.  After Cook’s death, Clerke transferred to Resolution, and took command of the expedition until his own death at sea on 22 August, 1779.  He was buried in Petropavlovsk on 30 August.  In 1805 a monument in memory of these two European travellers was built under the orders of the Russian Admiral Adam Johann von Krusenstern, and the remains of the two explorers were reunited at its foot.  This monument no longer exists, but an engraving of it appears in the Atlas that accompanied the published account of Krusenstern’s voyage.  Interestingly, the Russian version of the caption for the engraving says it is “Tomb of Captain Charles Clerke and Louis Delisle de la Croyère”, but in the German and English translation only the name Charles Clerke is mentioned. 

The monument was visited by many travellers, but fell into ruin during the 19th century.  Clerke's memory lives on, reinforced in 1914 by the inauguration of a new monument erected by “The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty of Great Britain and Ireland”.  Unfortunately, the name of Louis Delisle de la Croyère has fallen into oblivion.

As part of my research, I looked at the website of The National Archives, Kew, London.  Here, I found a report on the inauguration of the 1914 monument,³ of which a transcription appears below.  The report was written by Captain Frederick Armand Powlett in the cruiser HMS Newcastle, part of the British Fleet of the China Station.⁴  She had arrived at Petropavlosk on 16 July, 1914, from Hakodate, Japan, and departed on 20 July for Hakodate.  During her stay at Petropavlosk, a “Monument Party” went ashore on 17 and 18 July, and on the next day, “Landed Firing Party & Ship’s Company for... memorial service to Capt Clerke RN”.⁵ 

Eric Deschamps

References

1. Also known as Yekaterinburg.  From 1924 to 1991, it was called Sverdlovsk.
2. During Vitus Bering’s First Kamchatka Expedition (1725–1730), he pushed north through the strait later named after him, but did not see the Alaskan coast, so could not be sure that the American and Russian continents were not joined.  Bering’s Second Kamchatka Expedition (1733–1743) is also known as the Great Northern Expedition.
3. Reference ADM/1/8411/34.  Held at The National Archives (TNA), Kew. 
4. “Frederick Armand Powlett” on the Dreadnought Project website. 
   http://dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php/Frederick_Armand_Powlett
5. “Royal Navy Log Books of the World War 1 Era: HMS Newcastle – December 1913 to September 1919” on the Naval-History.Net website. 
   https://www.naval-history.net/OWShips-WW1-06-HMS_Newcastle.htm

(Lat. 42° 55' N.

H.M.S Newcastle » at Sea

(Long. 146° 37' E.

22 July 1914.

Sir,

I have the honour to make the following report as to the erection of the monument to the late Captain Clerke at Petropavlosk and also some notes on other matters, and enclose herewith photographs of the monument taken by your orders.

2.  All local tradition points to the site selected as the original place of burial, it fits in with La Pérouse and Kitson’s accounts, and also in digging the foundations fragment of wood and brick were found.  It is close to the main street of the town, in the next enclosure to the church, and overlooks the end of the inner harbour.  The monument stands out clearly with a background of maple trees.  Every possible assistance was afforded us in the work of erecting.

3.  The Vice Governor informed me that it is intended to construct something in the way of a small formal garden round the monument.

4.  The monument was inaugurated on Sunday, 19 July, by the Vice Governor, M. Chaplinsky; the Governor of Kamchatka being absent on a tour of inspection in the north.  A brief ceremony was performed in conjunction with Russian sailors.

5.  Commander Diggle was in charge of erecting the monument and under him were Mr Olding, Gunner, and Mr Sanderson, Carpenter.  He has reported to me that the good work of these two officers alone made it possible for the work to be completed in a shorter time than anticipated.

6.  The other monuments of interest which are all in an excellent state of repair and obviously carefully looked after are

(1).  A large wooden cross over the grave of Commodore Price on a point of land in Tarinskaya Bay; this has been recently erected, I suppose, by the Russians, it bears a Russian inscription and is perhaps in place of an original.  It bears the date 1914.

(2).  A memorial to Behring, dated 1740, in the church yard.

(3).  A memorial to La Pérouse, dated 1787, on the hill on the west side of the inner harbour.

(4).  A mausoleum with three crosses, known as “Monument des Frères”, to the memory of British, French and Russians killed in action 24 August 1854.  This is on the slope of the hill to the north of the town which is know[n] as the “Sacred Hill”, no trees being permitted to be cut.

(5).  A memorial to 1854 on the spit separating the inner and outer harbours, called the Slava monument after the ship of that name.

7.  I would particularly bring to your notice the cordially of our reception.  Headed by the Vice Governor and organized by M. Somoff, Chief of the Chancellerie, and his wife, the inhabitants decorated the town and entertainments of all kinds were provided for both Officers and men.

8.  Present in the port were the Jackut, Senior Officer of the Behring Sea Station, also the Taïmyr and Vaygatch, an exploring expedition commanded by Commander Vilkitsky, I.R.N.,  A.D.C. to the Czar, in the Taïmyr, which arrived 24 hours after us.  They are endeavouring to pass to the north of Siberia to Europe.  Their northern expeditions are not apparently chosen with the care ours are, regular and abstemious habits evidently not being considered a first necessity.  This is particularly the case in the Taïmyr, the Officers of the Vaygatch being a much better class.

9.  There is wireless communication, Poulsen system, with Nicolaesk, Okhetzk, Naiakansk, Anadir, and a station opposite Port Clarence.  This is said by the Russians to work excellently.

10.  A Government dairy farm has lately been established and in connection with it, trials are being made of corn and vetegables suitable for the climate.  The first crop of rye has been grown this year and the manager, an enthusiast, believes that it will start a new industry.  There are large numbers of sugar maple trees that no organized use is made of.

11.  I was advised at Hakodate to steer a course at least 30 miles clear of the Kuriles and so not only avoid fog but what little traffic there is.  I went 50 miles out and though we were quite half the passage in fog, in the clear spaces one could see that the heaviest fog lay in shore.

12.  The chart issued by the American Weather Bureau proved extremely accurate.

13.  A depth of 5000 fathoms was obtained by the Taïmyr sixty miles east of La Bousssole Channel.

14.  Some indraught was experienced at the southern end of the Kuriles, but otherwise D.R. and Obs. coincided.

15.  The communications with Petropavlosk are much more frequent than mentioned in the sailing directions, about 12 steamers visiting the port in 8 months.

I have the honour to be,

Sir,

Your obedient Servant,

F.A. Powlett [signature]

Captain

Originally published in Cook's Log, page 18, volume 48, number 2 (2025).