François de Peynier, vicomte de Souillac was born on 2 July 1732 in

Périgord Périgord ( , ; ; or ) is a natural region and former province of France, which corresponds roughly to the current Dordogne department, now forming the northern part of the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It is divided into f ...

. He was Governor of Isle Bourbon (now

Réunion Réunion (; ; ; known as before 1848) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France. Part of the Mascarene Islands, it is located approximately east of the isl ...

), Governor General of the Mascarene Islands and Pondichéry.

Biography

Souillac joined the Navy as a Garde-Marine on 24 September 1744. He was promoted to Ensign in 1749, Lieutenant in 1757, and to Captain in 1772. From 1775, he was military commander of Isle Bourbon (now

La Réunion LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smi ...

). On 15 October 1776, Souillac wrote an ordinance founding the "Quartier du Repos de Laleu". On 8 March 1777, he issue another decree attempting to make hunting for the runaway slaves more humane. Souillac served in the

War of American Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

under Suffren. On 1 May 1779 he became Governor General by interim of the islands of

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

and Bourbon. On 30 January 1780 he was confirmed in that position. Souillac was promoted to

Chef d'escadre ''Chef d'escadre'' (; literally " squadron commander") was a rank in the French Navy during the Ancien Régime and until the French Revolution. The rank was changed to '' contre-amiral'' by a law passed on 15 May 1791. History The first chef ...

in 1784. He left the Indian Ocean in 1787 and died in 1803.

Legacy

Today a village of

is named after him. There is a street named after him in

Pondicherry Pondicherry, officially known as Puducherry, is the Capital city, capital and most populous city of the Puducherry (union territory), Union Territory of Puducherry in India. The city is in the Puducherry district on the southeast coast of Indi ...

. A small beach in the Port Glaud district of Mahé, Seychelles is named "Anse Souillac" after him.

Titles

Notes, citations, and references

Notes Citations References * Governors of Réunion Governors of French India {{Réunion-bio-stub