In the year leading up to the Paris Treaty of 1763, which transferred French control of Canada to Britain, the French government under King Louis XV considered compensating for the loss by colonizing Guyana. This idea is documented in a historical summary from 1842 published by the Ministry of Navy and Colonies. According to a notice from the Archives Nationales d'Outre-Mer, the expedition was catastrophic: of the 12,000 people who participated, 9,000 died—three out of every four within less than two years. The colonists were primarily recruited from the Rhine, Alsace, and Lorraine, and they embarked from Rochefort in 1763 with the goal of settling Guyana. The plan was ambitious: offer generous incentives, such as land and food for two years, and transport the colonists to the mouth of the Kourou River. However, the response was overwhelming, with some historians estimating that as many as 14,000 people arrived at Atlantic ports in a short period, far exceeding the number of people who migrated to British America during the same time. The discrepancies in the numbers reflect the challenges of record-keeping and the scale of the endeavor. Intendant Chanvalon estimated 9,000 emigrants, while others, like historian Marion Godfroy, suggested nearly 15,000 people were recruited, with most coming from Rhineland-Palatinate. Not all of them reached Guyana, which explains the varying figures. The Archives Nationales d'Outre-Mer's account, with its 12,000 participants and 9,000 deaths, has become the standard reference. However, the reality on the ground was far harsher than expected. Shelters and food were not ready when the colonists arrived. The rainy season, combined with typhoid and malaria, took a heavy toll. By January 1765, only 918 survivors remained at the main camp, and the numbers were even worse at other locations, with only a handful of people alive out of hundreds who had arrived. The situation forced the authorities to find a new place for the survivors. The Devil's Islands, a group of rocky islets near the mouth of the Kourou River, were renamed the Salvation Islands in honor of those who found refuge there. Governor Turgot and intendant Thibault de Chanvalon were responsible for managing the settlement, but the conditions were dire. According to historical summaries, the main causes of death were fevers, typhoid, and dysentery—diseases that likely spread from the colonists themselves. Doctors and nurses also perished. With no more space at the main camp, the intendant ordered the islands to be occupied. The name change from "Devil's Islands" to "Islands of Salvation" reflected the desperate hope of the survivors, though the islands would later become a penal colony a century later. The aftermath of the disaster was grim. Many of the survivors were re-embarked toward Saint-Jean-d'Angély, but Emma Rothschild estimates that only 2,000 returned to France, where many died of disease. A trial against the intendant was initiated and dragged on for years. Some survivors did not return to France. In Sinnamary, a village still exists today, built by those who chose to stay. The summary from 1842, while providing crucial historical details, was not entirely neutral. Published by the French Ministry of Navy, it aimed to emphasize that the disaster was due to human error, not the climate, and to argue against using it as a reason to abandon colonization efforts in Guyana. The debate over the number of deaths continues, with some estimates placing the toll slightly lower than the archives suggest, but the tragedy remains a stark reminder of the challenges of 18th-century colonial ventures.