Jean-Fran鏾is de Galoup; Comte de La P閞ouse (August 23; 1741-1788) was a French explorer and naval officer. In 1785; the King of France commissioned La Perouse to head an expedition to explore the Pacific Ocean; to investigate whaling and fur prospects; and to establish French claims in this area. La P閞ouse had admired the explorer James Cook; and wanted to continue his work.

La Perouse was assigned two 500-ton ships called the Astrolabe and the Boussole. His crew of 114 included sailors; scientists; a physicist; three draftsmen; three naturalists; clergymen; and a mathematician. They left France in August; 1785.

La Perouse mapped the west coast of North America in 1786; and visited Easter Island and Hawaii. His ships reached the west coast of Alaska in 1786 and did extensive mapping of the North American west coast from Alaska to Monterey; California.

Next La P閞ouse landed at Botany Bay (Port Jackson); Australia; before heading for the Solomon Islands. La P閞ouse took the opportunity to send his journals; some charts and also some letters back to Europe with a British naval ship. He wrote that he expected to be back in France by June 1789; however neither he; nor any of his men; were seen again. Fortunately the valuable written documents that he dispatched with the Sirius from the in-progress expedition were returned to Paris; where they were published posthumously.

Both of La Perouse's ships were lost in a storm close to the Solomons in 1788. No survivors were ever found.