the company was formed after negotiations in august 1838 between whaling boat captain jean-françois langlois and several ngai tahu māori chiefs for the purchase of several thousand acres of land on banks peninsula, for which langlois promised to pay a total of 1,000 francs. upon returning to france in 1839, langlois set about founding a company with the help of several financial backers, the eventual aim of which was to claim the entirety of the south island for france. government support was obtained in december of the same year via king louis-philippe to transport 80 settlers to port louis-philippe (now akaroa). a warship, the corvette "aube", would travel to new zealand, followed a month later by the colonists aboard . "aube" left for the pacific in february 1840, captained by charles françois lavaud, who had been appointed as commissaire du roi.