The voyage was led by the Commissioner of the King of France, Captain Charles Lavaud, who was to represent the French in New Zealand until a governor arrived.

[1] The ship was sent to Rochefort to be outfitted as a whaler because after delivering the settlers, Langlois intended to sail around the waters of New Zealand and Australia.

The German passengers boarded when the Comte de Paris started to leak, causing some of the French to abandon the voyage.

The voyage got off to a slow start when the steamer towing the Comte de Paris ran into a mud bank.

A huge storm off the coast of Tasmania caused lighting to strike the topmast and foremast, nearly capsizing the ship.

[5] The settlers were offered free passage to Tahiti or the Marquesas when they learnt that they had arrived in a British colony.

The following is the Comte de Paris manifest detailing the names of the founders of the colony of Port Louis-Philippe.

Individuals are grouped generally by the family name as at embarkation in Rochefort which may have later changed due to marriage or re-marriage after arrival in 1840.

[1][3] Armand Isidore Libeau was born on board the Comte de Paris in April 1840 several months before the ship made landfall in the South Island.