ROSSEL, Elisabeth Paul Edouard (ros-sel), Chevalier de, French navigator, born in Sans, 11 September, 1765; died in Paris, 20 November, 1829. He entered the marine guards in 1780, served under De Grasse in the West Indies, fought at Yorktown in October, 1781, and afterward served under Vaudreuil till the conclusion of peace in 1783. He was attached under D'Entrecasteaux to the station of the Indian ocean in 1785, became lieutenant in 1789, and was flag-captain during the expedition in search of La P6rouse (q. v, .) in 1791-'95, of which he assumed command in 1794 after the death of the two commanders. After publishing, at the expense of the government, the narrative of D'Entrecasteaux's expedition, he succeeded Fleurieu (q. v.) in 1811 as member of the longitude office, and in 1812 Bougainville (q. v.) in the institute. He was brevetted rear-admiral in 1822, and became, on 31 December, 1826, keeper of the logs and charts in the navy department, a post which tie held up to the time of his death. He was one of the founders of the French geographical society in 1821, and its first president. His works include "Instructions nautiques pour les cStes de la Duvane" (Paris, 1808); " Voyage de D'Entrecasteaux a 12 recherche de La Perouse" (2 vols., 1809); "Signaux de jour, de nuit et de brume" (2 vols., 1819-'21) ; and "Instructions pour la description nautique des cStes de la Martinique" (1823). He was also one of the chief editors of the "Collection des voyages et decouvertes des Espagnoles dans l'Amerique du Sud" (10 vols., 1840). His name has been given to a small island in the Pacific ocean south of America.