Rochet d'Hericourt's exploration into Shoa (1839-42) had…

Rochet d'Hericourt's exploration into Shoa (1839-42) had marked the beginning of French interest in the African shores of the Red Sea.

Further exploration by Henri Lambert, French Consular Agent at Aden, and Captain Fleuriot de Langle led to a treaty of friendship and assistance between France and the sultans of Raheita, Tadjoura, and Gobaad, from whom the French purchase the anchorage of Obock, established by treaty with the local Afar rulers on March 11, 1862.

The French interest is in having a coaling station for steamships (which will become especially important upon the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. Up to this time, French ships have had to buy coal at the British port of Aden across the gulf, an unwise dependency in case of war.)