except to gratify the restless and insatiable defires of avarice or ambition.

Upon his leaving the university of Oxford, in the year 1763, he croffed the Atlantic, and visited the coasts of Newfoundland and Labradore. The danger, difficulty, and inconvenience that attend long voyages are very different in idea and experience; Mr. Banks however returned, undifcouraged, from his first expedition; and when he found that the Endeavour was equipping for a voyage to the South Seas, in order to obferve the Tranfit of Venus, and afterwards attempt farther discoveries, he determined to embark in the expedition, that he might enrich his native country with a tribute of knowlege from those which have been hitherto unknown, and not without hope of leaving among the rude and uncultivated nations that he might difcover, fomething that would render life of more value, and enrich them perhaps in a certain degree with the knowlege, or at least with the productions, of Europe.

As he was determined to fpare no expence in the execution of his plan, he engaged Dr. Solander to accompany him in the voyage. This Gentleman, by birth a Swede, was educated under the celebrated Linnæus, from whom he brought letters of recommendation into England, and his merit, being foon known, he obtained an appointment in the British Mufæum, a public inftitution which was then juft established; fuch a companion Mr. Banks confidered as an acquifition of no fmall importance, and to his great fatisfaction the event abundantly proved that

he

he was not mistaken. He alfo took with him two draftsmen, one to delineate views and figures, the other to paint such subjects of natural history as might offer; together with a fecretary and four fervants, two of whom were negroes.

Mr. Banks kept an accurate and circumftantial journal of the voyage, and, foon after I had received that of Captain Cook from the Admiralty, was so obliging as to put it into my hands, with permiffion to take out of it whatever I thought would improve or embellish the narrative. This was an offer of which I gladly and thankfully accepted: I knew the advantage would be great, for few philofophers have furnifhed materials for accounts of voyages undertaken to discover new countries. The adventurers in fuch expeditions have generally looked only upon the great outline of Nature, without attending to the variety of fhades within, which give life and beauty to the piece.

The papers of Captain Cook contained a very particular account of all the nautical incidents of the voyage, and a very minute defcription of the figure and extent of the countries he had vifited, with the bearings of the headlands and bays that diverfify the coafts, the fituation of the harbours in which fhipping may obtain refreshments, with the depth of water wherever there were foundings; the latitudes, longitudes, variation of the needle, and fuch other particulars as lay in his department; and abundantly fhewed him to be an excellent officer, and skilful navi

gator.

But in the papers which were communicated to me by Mr. Banks, I found a great variety of incidents which had not come under the notice of Captain Cook, with defcriptions of countries and people, their productions, manners, cuftoms, religion, policy, and language, much more full and particular than were expected from a Gentleman whofe ftation and office naturally turned his principal attention to other objects; for these particulars, therefore, befides many practical obfervations, the Public is indebted to Mr. Banks. To Mr. Banks alfo the Public is indebted for the defigns of the engravings which illufftrate and adorn the account of this voyage, all of them, except the maps, charts, and views of the coafts as they appear at fea, being copied from his valuable drawings, and fome of them from fuch as were made for the use of the artists at his expence.

As the materials furnished by Mr. Banks were fo interesting and copious, there arose an objection against writing an account of this voyage in the perfon of the Commander, which could have no place with refpect to the others; the descriptions and obfervations of Mr. Banks would be abforbed without any diftinction, in a general narrative given under another name: but this objection he generously over-ruled, and it therefore became neceffary to give some account of the obligations which he has laid upon the Public and myself in this place. It is indeed fortunate for mankind, when wealth and science, and a ftrong

3

ftrong inclination to exert the powers of both for purposes of public benefit, unite in the fame person; and I cannot but congratulate my country upon the prospect of further pleasure and advantage from the fame Gentleman, to whom we are indebted for fo confiderable a part of this narrative.

P. 429. 1. 3. from the bottom, for is, read are.

P. 457. 1. 16. for whole, read bole.

P. 501. 1. 3. from the bottom, for were, read had; and dele that each had.

P. 510. 1. 19. for confierable, read confiderable.

P. 626. 1. 10. from the bottom, for tracts, read tracks.

P. 753. 1. 8. from the bottom, for grove, read groove.

P. 762. 1. 9. for or depofited, read or materials that are depofited.

AN