Dillon, Peter, 1785-1847.

Narrative and successful result of a voyage in the South Seas performed by order of the government of British India, to ascertain the actual fate of La Perouse's expedition interspersed with accounts of the religion, manners, customs and cannibal practices of the South Sea islanders / by the Chevalier Capt. P. Dillon. (London : Hurst, Chance and Co., 1829)

Dillon was an Irish sandalwood trader between the islands of the South Seas and China. In 1826 he was offered a French sword on the island of Tucopia in the Santa Cruz group in the Solomons. After his return to England the government equipped a vessel and sent him to find information on the fate of La Perouse. He was accompanied by a French government official. In September 1827, he found more relics at Tucopia, then on the island of Mannicolo (or Vanikoro) found the wreckage of the vessels. Apparently the vessels had been driven on to the reef in a storm and most of the sailors were killed by the natives. Some of the crew survived and later managed to build a boat from the wreckage and sail away, presumably to perish at sea.

The coloured frontispiece of vol. 2 shows the “Natives of La Perouse’s Island or Mannicolo”. The frontispiece to vol. 1 illustrates an earlier incident on Dillon’s career in the south seas, “Massacre at the Feejee Islands in Sept. 1813. Dreadful situation of Capt. Dillon and two other survivors.” At that time Dillon was serving on the Hunter, under Captain Robson. Robson was helping one of the Fijian chiefs in his wars with another tribe. However, the Fijians turned on the sailors, killing about fifty of them. Dillon and his two companions managed to escape to the Elizabeth, the Hunter’s sister ship.

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