An Account of the Corvette L'Uraine's Sojourn at the Mariana Islands

In 1819 a French scientific expedition, under the command of Louis Claude de Freycinet, spent nearly three months at Guam, the largest and southernmost island in the Mariana Archipelago. Although primarily concerned with collecting scientific data, Freycinet recorded a substantial body of ethnographic and historical information relating to both the islandżs indigenous Chamorro residents and to the newly arrived immigrants from the tiny islands and atolls of the Central Carolines. Much of this information came from Guamżs venerable Chamorro Vice Governor, Don Luis de Torres. Don Luis maintained a life-long interest in the history of his homeland and readily shared his considerable knowledge with Freycinet and other members of the French expedition. Of particular value are the descriptions of ancient Chamorro customs, now long forgotten, that derived from oral traditions passed on by Chamorro families from generation to generation for more than a century. Freycinetżs attention to detail and straightforward writing style, combined with the talents of translator Glynn Barratt, have produced an entertaining and highly informative narrative that undoubtedly will serve as an invaluable reference for every serious student of Marianas history.