Olivier Bello
Arsenal Modelist

Boullongne, a Flute of the French East India Company, of 1758

A particularly representative exemple of the vessels of the French East India Company, Boullongne is the result of the design efforts of G. Cambry, a Royal Shipwright. The ship displaced 600 tons and bore the name of a man who was General Comptroller of Finances between 1757 and 1759 and the son of the King's first painter Jean de Boullongne (1654-1733).

Some interesting archival documents, including a set of launching documents, the crew muster for the first voyage, and the campaign armament and victualing inventory have been used to get the construction of a model of this vessel underway.

I want to thank Mr. J. Boudriot, the author of the monograph on the Boullongne, whose remarkable works have been published by Editions Ancre, for his kind permission to let me use some extracts from his plans.