Stella Matutina (or Dauphin)

[john sefton]

On his return to France with nothing to show for the voyage, Kerguelen was reduced in rank by the Council of War and condemned to imprisonment at Saumur Castle. A few months later he was liberated, received a public apology and both his rank and properties, which had been sequestrated, were returned to him by Government decree.
It is interesting to note that the Dauphin, the third ship of the expedition, was the name of the vessel under Wallis, the English mariner who discovered the islands named after him in 1767 - Wallis and Futuna Islands. The vessel has been depicted on a 33 F. stamp of the islands, but this is not a faithful picture of the vessel in which Capt. Wallis sailed from England on his voyage round the world (July 26, 1766) and returned to England (May 19, 1768). An examination of the stamp design reveals that the bowsprit of the vessel is pointing across the starboard bows abaft the foremast shrouds. The Wallis Archipelago, north east of Fiji, with an area of 40 square miles, was declared a French Protectorate in 1842, along with Futuna, South of the Wallis group.

The above narrative is by Ernest Argyle, Sea Breezes July 1961.

Stanley Gibbons says that the ship is STELLA MATUTINA.

Ships stamp Encyclopaedia has:

STELLA MATUTINA: Sailing ship built circa 1836. Presumed to be one of two ships, the other being SANCTA MARIA sent by the Marish Fathers from Lyon, France to Middle Oceania 1836.

Note; the designer has shown bowsprit outboard of foremast shrouds.

Navicula has:

In 1836 two ships were fitted out by the Marish Fathers in Lyon to make a voyage to the Middle Oceania.

SANTA MARIA under command of Msgr. Ponpalliers and the STELLA MATUTINA under command of Bishop Bataillon, and it is believed the later is depict on the stamp.

The Bishop himself is depict on the 1960 stamp 21F sg168.

She was also identified as HMS DOLPHIN despite inaccuracies in the design.

Watercraft Philately has about the same info as Navicula.

Wallis and Fortuna SG169

[aukepalmhof]

Wallis and Fatuna Islands 1971 21f on 33f sg208