It is reasonable to assume that this compass would have belonged to one of the many junior officers who would have served on board the Flagship for either training or experience purposes. It was normal practice in the French and British navies of the day for officers to provide their own instruments and although telescopes and octants were more usual, a small compass such as this could supplement a personal collection. The fact that some care was taken to inscribe the ship's name and the year (presumably) in which he served on board illustrates that this ship above all others was held in great esteem. The violence of L'Orient's destruction four years later has meant that artefacts from this particular vessel may be considered very rare indeed.