They welcomed the French expedition but did not provide him with guides.
"Then why did it let that French expedition remove a number of artifacts?"
Also in 1772, the second French expedition, of two ships, were separated by a storm.
The island was explored by a French scientific expedition towards the end of the 19th century.
However, the fortress' resistance had cost 25 men, killed or wounded in the French expedition.
Cook made two more visits between 1773 and 1777, and there were further French expeditions.
While the British set up the first initial post, they were driven out by a French expedition in 1754.
Then eastwards a new site was also excavated by another generation of French expeditions in the 1960s.
French archeological expeditions have found a necropolis close to it.
He took part in a French expedition against king John of England.