French admiral
François-Edmond Pâris (6 March 1806 in Paris – 8 April 1893 in Paris) was a French admiral, notable for his contribution to naval engineering during the rise of the steam, for his books, and for his role in organising the Musée national de la Marine.
Career.
Pâris joined the Navy in 1820, and studied at the Naval Academy in Brest. Promoted to ensign in 1826, he served under Dumont d'Urville and took part in the famous circumnavigation of the corvette "Astrolabe" until 1829; on her quest to find traces of the ill fated expedition of La "Pérousse" which vanished in 1788. He then took part in another scientific expedition around the world, aboard the "Favorite", under Cyrille Pierre Théodore Laplace until 1832.
Promoted to lieutenant in 1832, Pâris was sent to England to study the naval use of steam engine the next year. After this mission, he captained the "Castor" from 1834 to 1836.
In 1837, he was attached to the "Artémise" again under Laplace for a third exploration cruise around the world, during this period he lost part of his left arm in an unfortunate accident while visiting a foundry in Pondicherry. This voyage lasted until 1840, during which he gained his navigator papers.
These experiences abroad provided him with the material of his "Essai sur la construction navale des peuples extraeuropéens".
He was promoted to captain and embarked on several short sea expeditions; however, he was mostly employed curating naval maps and plans. In 1843, he received command of "Infernal". From 1844, he captained the "Archimède", achieving the rank of captain in 1846. He then commanded the "Comte d’Eu" until 1847, the "Gomer" in 1848, and "Orénoque" in 1850, and the "Fleurus" in 1854. During the Crimean War, Pâris came in charge of the naval division of Dniepr after the Battle of Kinburn. 
He was promoted to commander in 1856, and he took command of "Audacieuse".
In 1858, Pâris was promoted to rear admiral. From 1860 to 1861, he led the 2nd division of the fleet, with his flag on "Algésiras".
In 1863, he became a member of the French Academy of Sciences in recognition of his contributions to geography.
In 1864, Pâris was promoted to vice-admiral, and headed the naval archives department until his retirement in 1871. He was then put in charge of the Musée national de la Marine the old naval museum of the Louvre, which became the Paris National Maritime Museum to which he greatly contributed by organising the collections and acquiring new items. He gifted the museum his extensive collections of drawings, engravings, and notes made throughout his naval life. He is an acknowledged founding father of modern maritime ethnography.
Works.
Most notable works:
Arthus Bertrand, Paris, 1841. Folio, 160 pp, ill., 132 plates.
Paris, 1879. Folio.
Tribute.
From 10 March 2010 to 19 September 2010, an exhibition was held in the National maritime museum in Paris, showing the work of Paris in preserving artifacts of the maritime cultures of the world by documenting and designing models. Named "All the boats of the world ", the exhibition conceived as a round-the-world journey, and allowed us to discover a wide variety of peoples, seas and rivers, and to get to know both their boats and their culture.
Sources and references.
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