TAHITI. Étienne SABOURIN (1813-1868?) ship's lieutenant. L.A.S., Taïti October 20, 1861, to Louis-Eugène Gaultier de La Richerie, Commandant particulier de Taïti; 3pages in-4. Account of a long crossing to Tahiti, with many incidents. Sabourin commanded the sailing vessel La Dorade. Leaving Rochefort on July 5, 1860, he headed for Gorée, arriving on the 22nd of the same month. With repairs to be carried out, she stayed there until September 29, before setting sail again for the Cape of Good Hope. However, a strong gale broke a jib and a mizzen yard, forcing him to stay in Rio de Janeiro until October 17. He recounts what happened next: "I had a very nice crossing to Van Diemen's land, but from there to Sydney, I was always thwarted by headwinds and calms. I arrived in Sydney on December 27 and left on January 6, 1861 for New Caledonia, where I arrived on January 26 [...]. Having broken a second jib yard on the crossing from Sydney to New Caledonia, and finding no suitable wood in this port to make a yard, and the stores not having the food I needed, I was forced to return to Sydney for supplies". Ill, Sabourin left Sydney on May 6, 1861 for New Zealand, anchoring in Wellington on June 7. Bad weather and his state of health prevented him from setting sail again before September 26, the date of his departure. He finally reached Tahiti in October 1861, after a crossing lasting 15 months and 15 days, according to the annotations in the margins.