Talk:Étienne Perier (governor)/Archive 2

Trying again: French navy (1702–1714)

Attempting to address Belyny's concerns, here is a revision of the section, which I would call "French navy (1702–1714)":

When he was 15, Perier began a military career at sea. French naval power at the time was invested primarily in a fleet of coursairs, and Perier served on several ships escorting convoys in the English Channel and the North Sea until August 8, 1704, when he joined a company of gardes-marine.

During the War of Spanish Succession, he saw action and was wounded in several engagements, including the capture of the HMS Falmouth in 1704 and the HMS Hampton Court and HMS Grafton in 1707. In 1708, he sailed with Claude de Forbin to Scotland as part of the failed French invasion of Britian.

File:Siège du Quesnoy en 1712.jpg

Siege of Le Quesnoy in June 1712.

In 1711, Perier was taken captive as a prisoner of war and released on the condition he no longer serve at sea. To comply with the terms of his parole, he served on land in the Marine Artillery Corps in Valenciennes, France. In June 1712, during the Holy Roman Empire's siege of Le Quesnoy, Perier took part in the city's defense. He was injured by a parapet brick during the siege, and was captured again when the Austrians overran the city.

References

With the above, specific page numbers in Haudrère for 1) Perier's involvement with the capture of HMS Falmouth and 2) His capture and parole in 1711 would be appreciated.

In addition, what would be helpful to me is if someone has a concern with the text, instead of saying we can't say something or that it's wrong, suggest alternative text. If there is something that is unclear, ask a question. If you're asked a question, try to provide a clear answer. If you feel a source is unreliable, especially for something that should be easy to affirm, then provide a better alternative.

—Carter (talk) 11:01, 22 June 2021 (UTC)

Trying Again: Company of the Indies (1714–1726)

After the Wars of the Spanish Succession wound to an end in 1714, Perier returned to sea to combat pirates off the coast of Senegal for the Compagnie du Sénégal, which later was merged with the Company of the Indies.

In 1720, Perier served under his younger brother, Antoine Alexis, in the capture of Arguin, an island off the coast of Mauritania, in 1721. The Dutch retook the island a year later, but lost it again to French troops, including Perier and his brother, in 1724. After recovering Arguin, the Company troops captured a battery and a fort at Portendick further down the Mauritanian coast before returning to France.

While serving the Company, Perier also protected Company ships in the Pacific off the coasts of Chile and Peru, as well as spent six months on the Malabar Coast, guarding the recently established fort at Mahé, India, which was under threat from local rulers.

References

I believe all the other involved editors have provided input on this section, except for Belyny. —Carter (talk) 11:21, 22 June 2021 (UTC)

Belyny's proposal of amendments

Thanks Carter for your serious and documented work. I’m sorry I didn’t have time to respond faster (work, family life)

A few remarks :

• We can't write "military career" for a privateer who is not a soldier.
• I think we should distinguish the different stages of his career.
• I have a problem using mainly Taillemite as a source. I can't read the book to see what exactly he says. Did you read the book? Can you copy the sentences using as references?

(Responding here because that seems cleaner) Thank you, Belyny,

1) The line between corsair/privateer and military seems less firm than the one you're drawing, at least as best I can tell for France at the time, when ships were acting both under direct orders in service of the king (more like traditional navy) and more independently (more like traditional privateers, as I understand the word in English). The sources appear to be describing him as serving in the "French navy" (lowercase n) even if he wasn't in the French Navy (uppercase N). That said, would you accept "martial career" to describe the period?

2) I disagree with breaking things apart too much. It makes the page more cluttered and adds little value to have multiple headings with just one or two sentences. Putting it all under one big "Carrer" section has a similar problem in that it also makes it harder to see the major life points. The broad sections I see are Early life, Martial career (1702–1714), Company service (1714–1726), Governor of Louisiana (1726–1733), subsection for Natchez Revolt and Response, Return to France, Personal life, References.

3) I don't don't have a copy of Taillemite. As it stands that he is heavily used on both en-wiki and fr-wiki, and has been in place there for a while. I'd rather not reinvestigate every line of it and unless there's a reason to doubt the source's veracity, I'm okay keeping it. If you have a better or alternative source for one or more statements, by all means suggest it.

—Carter (talk) 19:24, 22 June 2021 (UTC)

My proposoal of amendments:

Carrier

Privateer 1702-1711

When he was 15, Perier began a career at sea. French naval power at the time was invested primarily in a fleet of coursairs, and Perier served on several ships escorting convoys in the English Channel and the North Sea. On August 1704, he joined a company of gardes-marine., but he returned the same year as ensign on privateer frigates (Haudrère). He sailed with Claude de Forbin to Scotland as part of the failed French invasion of Britian. and Duguay-Trouin (Haudrère) He took part in the capture of several ships. He was wounded by a shrapnel in 1704 and wounded in the arm by a gunfire in 1707 (Haudrère). He was taken captive as a prisoner of war and released on the condition he no longer serve at sea.

In the Marine Artillery Corps 1711-1713

In 1711, He served on land in the Marine Artillery Corps in Valenciennes, France. In June 1712, during the Holy Roman Empire's siege of Le Quesnoy, he took part in the city's defense and was injured by a parapet brick. He was captured when the Austrians overran the city.

Navy officer at the service of the Compagnie du Sénégal 1714-1719

..........

Navy officer at the service of the Compagnie des Indes 1720-1726

..........

Governor of Louisiana 1726-1733

...........

Regards, --Belyny (talk) 18:54, 22 June 2021 (UTC)

Discussion (1)

As stated above, Belyny, I don't think breaking the service to the Company(ies) into separate sections is worth doing. The Compagnie du Sénégal service is a single sentence. Similarly, the shift in service from gardes-marine to troupes de marine artillery appears to be connected to his parole in 1711: one flows to the next cleanly and succinctly. It also would mean putting a single line (three short sentences) into its own heading.

Regarding your rewrite here:

On August 1704, he joined a company of gardes-marine., but he returned the same year as ensign on privateer frigates (Haudrère). He sailed with Claude de Forbin to Scotland as part of the failed French invasion of Britian. and Duguay-Trouin (Haudrère) He took part in the capture of several ships. He was wounded by a shrapnel in 1704 and wounded in the arm by a gunfire in 1707 (Haudrère).

References

1) Is there a reason you've disassociated his actions from the War of the Spanish Secession?

2) I also feel it is better to keep things in chronological order (which would put the Scotland adventure after sailing with Duguay-Trouin.

3) Is there a reason you feel his wounds (apparently not life-changing) belong in the article more than mention of some of the British ships he participated in the capture of? The links to those engagements/ships seem of more value to the reader than noting that he was wounded by shrapnel.

—Carter (talk) 19:41, 22 June 2021 (UTC)

Hi Carter,
I understand your desire to have a readable structure and I agree with that. However, I think some sub-paragrahs are sometime useful for understanding the chronology or understanding the reasons for the facts.
For exemple: even the Compagnie du Sénégal was absorbeb in 1719 by the French East India Company, the first one was very involved in African slaves trade Henri Martin, The age of louis XIV page 489. and could explain some behavior of Perier later in louisiana. Also sailing for the Compagnie du Sénégal and later for the French East India Company during a lot of years was a determining factor for the choice of Perier as governor (he had no experience at all of colonies).

• If your prefer, the title of the sub-paragraph could be : "At the service of the Compagnie du Sénégal and the French East India Company 1714 - 1726"

• My idea was not to disassociate his actions during the War of the Spanish Succession. Maybe a made a chronological error. I don’t mind you change it.

• I don't know if his appointment as garde marine in 1704 ("false garde marine" writes Haudrère) was connected to his appointment as gunner from 1711 to 1713, I don't find any satisfactory sources about that. So i'ts better to not write that.

• For the order ("which would put the Scotland adventure after sailing with Duguay-Trouin") : it is a error of my part, I don’t mind you change it.

• For more details of some of the British ships he participated in the capture of : I don't know what exactly Taillemite writes and I don't find a lot of content about that on other sources about Perier. I am wary of the emphasis of some biography when its not confirmed by other sources. So I think for now it is better to be careful about that. It could be completed after.

• I agree that 2 (minor?) wounds are not decisive in his life. A that time, injuries in service records were exaggerated (a shrapnel in 1704 a brick in 1707...) I agree to note mention that.

I propose : (I let you fill the blank following our discussion)

Navy carrier

Privateer and in the French Marine Artillery corps 1702 - 1713

.......

.......

At the service of the Company of Sénégal and the French East India Company 1714 - 1726

..........

..........

Governor of Louisiana 1726-1733

Sub-pararaph 1

...........

Sub-paragraph 2

...........

Sub-paragraph 3

...........

(we will discuss of the structure of this paragraph later)

Let me know (but take your time, you make a very consencious work but real life is also important) 😃 Thanks. --Belyny (talk) 23:24, 22 June 2021 (UTC)

Discussion (2)

(Replying here because it's cleaner) Hi Belyny, generally section headings are much more succinct than your proposals: "Martial career (1704–1714)" and "In Company service (1714–1726)" with the actual text spelling out what's involved would be accurate and more concise. Also, per MOS:OVERSECTION, sections and subsections should be more than a short paragraph or single sentence. Your point about the context of the Compagnie du Sénégal vis-à-vis slavery likely influenced Perier (as did being a man of his time and status), but that is stated in the text. It's not necessary to put the company name in the section heading to achieve that goal.

Revising the sentences discussed above, I'd propose:

During the War of Spanish Succession, he participated in the capture of several British ships and was wounded in several engagements while serving under René Duguay-Trouin and Claude de Forbin, including sailing to Scotland as part of the failed French invasion of Britian.

References

I'm not seeing from you concerns about the actual text regarding his Company service (and the other editors previously in the discussion signed off on it), so in the interest of removing a huge amount of cut-and-past public domain text from the main article, I will go ahead and move all the Company information over at this point. (I've added a sentence about the Senegal Company's role in the slave trade.) If you have concerns with this, we can bring it back to the talk page.

As for Taillemite, seeing how widely cited he is by naval historians and in academic sources, I think we can continue to use it if another source isn't available.

—Carter (talk) 13:57, 23 June 2021 (UTC)

Hi Carter,,
I’m a little confused with your last amendments directly on the article, I think it's better to modify after a consensus on a clear version on Talk page as we have done until now.

• The section In the French navy (1702-1720) should be In the French navy (1702-1714)
• I don't think it is relevant to have the subsections First fights and Siege of Le Quesnoy (1712) do you agree to remove this?
• I do not agree with the title In Company service (1714–1726) What company? I really think that the names of "Company of Sénégal and "" the French East India Company" must be in the title. If a guy work for Microsoft and after for Apple the two names must be quoted on a section about this time of his professional life. I think "At the service of the Company of Sénégal and the French East India Company 1714 - 1726" is more accurate, but if you want make it shorter I agree for Company of Sénégal and French East India Company 1714 - 1726.

For Taillemite, I am not questioning the author, but the way the source is reported. I have a problem using a lot a source without being able to know exactly the content. Regards, --Belyny (talk) 18:01, 23 June 2021 (UTC)

Sorry Belyny, I thought you were okay with the Company text (but not the heading). That is all I modified (except for some housekeeping details and changing the heading level structure; it should be arranged so that his time as governor is a major heading, not a secondary one). I removed "royal" from the first section based on your prior expressed concerns, but did not yet modify the text because we're still talking about it here. I agree with simplifying the first section as proposed, and can go ahead and make that live if you're good with the proposed sentence above (the only part of what I'd proposed way up the page that was still in flux).

I'm also trying to move this forward because the main article is such a mess and because of how attempts to show proposed section headings have been done on the talk page it's become a bit difficult to track the conversation.

Regarding "Company" as the heading. Your comparison to Microsoft and Apple isn't really parallel; these were chartered monopolies that merged while he was employed by them and what he did at each of them wasn't really distinct or different. The two companies are also spelled out clearly and in full in the text immediately below the heading. Putting the full name of both companies in the subheading is too unwieldy, so this is the best solution I can see. Maybe it would be clearer if we used the French Compagnies if the capital C Companies isn't making it obvious (although en-wiki only use the French-language name for one of them).

For Taillemite, as I've said, I'm fine replacing that source when there's a better one, but I don't think we have to abandon its use.

Two questions:

1) Are you okay with the proposed change to the one bit in question for the first section (as shown on the talk page)? If so I can update the main article with it all.

2) Beyond the section heading for 1714–1726, are you okay with the rest of the text?

—Carter (talk) 18:31, 23 June 2021 (UTC)

Hi Carter,

I’m lost, so I copy below your last proposal (modified in the article) with a proposed correction.

Also : It is possible to not make to a new line for each sentence but make a paragraph? Have a good night, --Belyny (talk) 22:44, 23 June 2021 (UTC)

In the French navy (1702-1720 1714)

=== First fights ===.
He joined the royal French Navy as a volunteer in 1702, at the age of 15.

He sailed on ships escorting convoys in the English Channel and the North Sea until August 8, 1704, when he joined a company of marine guards. He embarked on the Prince-Eugène and the Protée in Saint-Pol de Hécourt's squadron, took part in several battles and was wounded in the left hip during an engagement that led to the capture of two English vessels, the Farmouth and the Foix. He then served under Forbin and Duguay-Trouin, alongside François-Cornil Bart. [useless]

In 1706 on the Protée, in Forbin's squadron, he assisted in the capture of the ships the City of Hambourg, the Pélerin, the Grafton and the Hampton-Court. ["Statement of services of Mr. de Perier, Lieutenant General of the Naval Armies (Documents kept in Paris, in the archives of the Navy" is not a acceptable source]

In 1707, he boarded the Ruby and was shot in the right arm.

In 1708, he embarked again in the squadron commanded by Forbin to bring a corps of troops to Scotland.

Taken prisoner of war in 1711, he was released on condition that he would not serve at sea. He served on land, as a marine gunner in Valenciennes.

==== Siege of Le Quesnoy (1712) ====</ref>
[Delete pic "'Siege of Le Quesnoy in June 1712"]: useless ("The purpose of an image is to increase readers' understanding of the article's subject matter... The relevant aspect of the image should be clear and central".)
In June 1712, during the War of the Spanish Succession, he took part in the defense of the city during the siege of Le Quesnoy [in 2 words] as a marine gunner. During the bombardment, siège Perier was hit by a parapet brick. He was made prisoner he was part of the prisoners of war after the capture of the city [not specifically him because he was an unknown marine gunner]

In Company service (1714–1726) Company of Sénégal and French East India Company 1714 - 1726

After the Wars of the Spanish Succession wound to an end in 1714, Perier returned to sea to combat pirates off the coast of Senegal for the Compagnie du Sénégal, which held a monopoly on the trade of enslaved people from West Africa. After 1718, it merged with several other French trading monopolies into the Company of the Indies.

In 1720, Perier served under his younger brother, Antoine Alexis, in the capture of Arguin, an island off the coast of Mauritania, in 1721. The Dutch retook the island a year later, but lost it again to French troops, including Perier and his brother, in 1724. After recovering Arguin, the Company troops captured a battery and a fort at Portendick further down the Mauritanian coast before returning to France.

While serving the Company, Perier also protected Company ships in the Pacific off the coasts of Chile and Peru, as well as spent six months on the Malabar Coast, guarding the recently established fort at Mahé, India, which was under threat from local rulers.

References

Reply

Hi Belyny, First, on the talk page, please "demote" section and subsections by a level in things like proposals so the thread here stays together (I've gone back and done that above). Even better would be to not use section breaks (fake them with bold text or some other styling) and use {{blockquote}} or something to set off proposed text. And use {{Reflist-talk}} to get the references to appear with the text in question.

With what you posted, the first section isn't the proposal; it's the old text. My proposal, in full, is:

Martial service (1704–1714)

When he was 15, Perier began a military career at sea. French naval power at the time was invested primarily in a fleet of coursairs, and Perier served on several ships escorting convoys in the English Channel and the North Sea until August 8, 1704, when he joined a company of gardes-marine.

During the War of Spanish Succession, he participated in the capture of several British ships and was wounded in several engagements while serving under René Duguay-Trouin and Claude de Forbin, including sailing to Scotland as part of the failed French invasion of Britian.

In 1711, Perier was taken captive as a prisoner of war and released on the condition he no longer serve at sea. To comply with the terms of his parole, he served on land in the Marine Artillery Corps in Valenciennes, France. In June 1712, during the Holy Roman Empire's siege of Le Quesnoy, Perier took part in the city's defense. He was injured by a parapet brick during the siege, and was captured again when the Austrians overran the city.

References

Regarding the above, in your text you seem to accept In the French navy (1704–1714) as a section head. I believe that's better than Martial service (1704—1714) and would support using it. Also, if you have a more specific page number for the 1711 capture and parole, please provide it.

The Company section currently on the main page is the updated text. I don't see any change from you beyond the heading. Is that correct? Again, your proposed section head for the Company section is unnecessarily long and unwieldy. The headings need to help organize the content, but they don't have to replace the content. I'm suggesting instead In Compagnie service (1714–1726) as a possible compromise. Hopefully using the French word will avoid confusion about a generic "company" and the specific companies are listed clearly in the text.

—Carter (talk) 23:46, 23 June 2021 (UTC)

Hi Carter,

• I agree with the title In the French navy (1704–1714)
• I agree on your proposal subject to the following amendments in bold):

"When he was 15, Perier began a military career at sea. French naval power at the time was invested primarily in a fleet of coursairs, and Perier served on several ships escorting convoys in the English Channel and the North Sea (he was wounded by a shell spinter in 1704) [Haudrère p 92]. On August 1704, he joined a company of gardes-marine."

• [Delete pic "'Siege of Le Quesnoy in June 1712"] useless

"During the War of Spanish Succession, he participated in the capture of several British ships and was wounded in the right arm in 1707in several engagement He served under René Duguay-Trouin and Claude de Forbin, including sailing to Scotland as part of the failed French invasion of Britian."

"In 1711, Perier was taken captive as a prisoner of war and released on the condition he no longer serve at sea. To comply with the terms of his parole [not found this sentence]. In 1711, He served on land in the Marine Artillery Corps in Valenciennes, France. In June 1712, during the Holy Roman Empire's siege of Le Quesnoy, Perier took part in the city's defense. He was injured by a parapet brick during the siege, and was captured again when the Austrians overran the city."

• Title of section: I do not agree on "In Company service (1714–1726)"
  

What Company? At this time there were many French chartered companies. I "think Company of Sénégal and Company of Indies 1714 - 1726" is more accurate. To move forward, I really apppreciate we can find consensus on this proposal or another proposal on which we both agree.

• Content of section : I agree on your proposal :

"After the Wars of the Spanish Succession wound to an end in 1714, Perier returned to sea to combat pirates off the coast of Senegal for the Compagnie du Sénégal, which held a monopoly on the trade of enslaved people from West Africa. After 1718, it merged with several other French trading monopolies into the Company of the Indies."

"In 1720, Perier served under his younger brother, Antoine Alexis, in the capture of Arguin, an island off the coast of Mauritania, in 1721. The Dutch retook the island a year later, but lost it again to French troops, including Perier and his brother, in 1724. After recovering Arguin, the Company troops captured a battery and a fort at Portendick further down the Mauritanian coast before returning to France."

"While serving the Company, Perier also protected Company ships in the Pacific off the coasts of Chile and Peru, as well as spent six months on the Malabar Coast, guarding the recently established fort at Mahé, India, which was under threat from local rulers."

--Belyny (talk) 02:27, 24 June 2021 (UTC)

References

Belyny:

I'm not sure why you're back to enumerating wounds after saying that wasn't important. I've adopt most of your changes, eliminating references (both my general and your specific) to wounds. Please understand that part of what drives that decision is an attempt to ensure clear, readable prose.

When he was 15, Perier began a military career at sea. French naval power at the time was invested primarily in a fleet of coursairs and Perier served on several ships escorting convoys in the English Channel and the North Sea (he was wounded by a shell spinter in 1704) [Haudrère p 92]. On until August 1704 when he joined a company of gardes-marine.

During the War of Spanish Succession, he participated in the capture of several British ships and was wounded in the right arm in 1707 He served under while serving under René Duguay-Trouin and Claude de Forbin, including sailing to Scotland as part of the failed French invasion of Britian.

In 1711, Perier was taken captive as a prisoner of war and released on the condition he no longer serve at sea. In 1711 He next served on land in the Marine Artillery Corps in Valenciennes, France. In June 1712, during the Holy Roman Empire's siege of Le Quesnoy, Perier took part in the city's defense. He was injured by a parapet brick during the siege, and was captured again when the Austrians overran the city.

References

Regarding the next section, I have suggested multiple alternatives in search of a compromise. You are fixated on an option that is too long to be an acceptable section heading. It may be more accurate, but it is unnecessarily precise for the article. Again, a section heading should indicate the text of the section; it need not be comprehensive in that. This is in alignment with the MOS. Your question "What company?" is answered in the section's text; it is not unreasonable to expect someone to read the full article.

Again, I would suggest as a middle ground of saying something like In service to the Compagnies (1714–1726) or even In service to les Compagnies (1714–1726). The plural makes it clear it's more than one; the use of the French compagnies indicates it is a specific group of companies not some sort of generic corporate warrior. If you have another option (beyond saying that you will not change your mind), please suggest it.

—Carter (talk) 10:36, 24 June 2021 (UTC)

Hi Carter,

• I thought you wanted to keep the wounds. Personnaly I think it is an uninteresting detail in his biography (Haudrère put " " to mark the exaggeration given at this time (for service records?) to these 2 minor injuries). I agree with your last version.
• For the title : I appreciate your work and approach to find consensus but I do not share your analysis on this point and I think it is better not to say that others "are fixated" (each might think the same of the other..) I really don’t agree with you proposal, but in order to make things go forward (and because I’m sure you’ll do as I do if this happens on another point)😉, I accept your proposal In service to the Compagnies (1714–1726).

So, we find consensus, you can make the change in the article.

• I have a question : what is the reliable source that makes it possible to assert that this is a portrait of Perier and not a a "fictional portrait" (by who?) because in fact it seems a copy of a portait of Pierre de Rigaud de Vaudreuil.
• For the sake of comprehension and respect for the approach to find consensus, I ask everyone not to make any changes or removes (as I do) without any consensus.

In the next day I have a lot of work in real life, also, now that we have a consensus on this point, if you don't mind, I propose to continue on Monday. Thanks --Belyny (talk) 17:26, 24 June 2021 (UTC)

Thank you, Belyny. I've made the changes to the main article. Regarding the portrait, your question would be better asked in Commons where the portrait was uploaded. I agree that major changes shouldn't be made, but some housekeeping on the main article is acceptable and the large removal of the company orders was something that was necessary and would have been done anyway. I don't oppose to that, but (as you can see in the conversation below) I asked that other large sections not be removed. —Carter (talk) 17:50, 24 June 2021 (UTC)