French Geodesic Mission

The French Geodesic Mission was an 18th century scientific expedition led by the French scientist Louis Godin, and his Spanish counterpart, Antonio de Ulloa.

The goal of the expedition was to accurately determine the roundness and shape of the Earth for the purposes of improving the two countries nautical knowledge, providing their navies an advantage over the numerically superior Royal Navy.

In 1735, Adéwalé, an Assassin and support of the Maroon rebellion in Port-au-Prince, uncovered the existence and aims of the planned expedition. He arranged for a number of literate slaves of the rebellion's choosing to join the expedition, in the hope that any navigational secrets learned might be shared with the Assassin Brotherhood.