The Swallow was a floop mounting fourteen guns; her complement was ninety men, with one Lieutenant, and twenty-two petty officers. These veffels proceeded together till they came within fight of the South Sea, at the weftern entrance of the Streight of Magellan, and from thence returned by different routs to England. In the latter part of the year 1767, it was refolved, by the Royal Society, that it would be proper to fend perfons into fome part of the South Sea to obferve a tranfit of the planet Venus over the fun's difc, which, according to astronomical calculation, would happen in the year 1769; and that the islands called Marquefas de Mendoza, or those of Rotterdam or Amfterdam, were the propereft places then known for making fuch obfervation. In confequence of these refolutions, it was recommended to his Majefty, in a memorial from the Society, dated February 1768, that he would be pleased to order fuch an obfervation to be made; upon which his Majefty fignified to the Lords Commiffioners of the Admiralty his pleafure that a ship should be provided to carry fuch observers as the Society fhould think fit to the South Seas; and in the beginning of April following the Society received a letter from the Secretary of the Admiralty, informing them that a bark of three hundred and feventy tons had been taken up for that purpose. This veffel was called the Endeavour, and the command of her given to Lieutenant James Cook, a gentleman of undoubted abilities in aftronomy and navigation, who was foon after, by the Royal Society, appointed, with Mr. Charles Green, a gentleman who had long been affiftant to Dr. Bradley at the Royal Obfervatory at Greenwich, to observe the tranfit. While this veffel was getting ready for her expedition, Captain Wallis returned; and it having been recommended to him by Lord Morton, when he went out, to fix on a proper place for this aftronomical obfervation, he, by letter, dated on board the Dolphin, the 18th of May 1768, the day before he landed at Haftings, mentioned Port Royal harbour, in an island which he had difcovered, then called George's Inland, and fince Otaheite the Royal Society therefore, by letter, dated the beginning of June, in anfwer to an application from the Admiralty to be informed whither they would have their obfervers fent, made choice of that place. The Endeavour had been built for the coal trade, and a vessel of that construction was préferred for many reafons, particularly because she was what the failors call a good fea boat, was more roomy, would take and lie on the ground better, and might be navigated by fewer men than other veffels of the fame burden. Her complement of officers and men was Lieutenant Cook the Commander, with two Lieute. nants under him, a Mafter and boatfwain, with each each two mates, a furgeon and carpenter, with each one mate, a gunner, a cook, a clerk and fteward, two quarter-mafters, an armourer, a failmaker, three midshipmen, forty-one able feamen, twelve marines, and nine fervants, in all eightyfour perfons befides the Commander: fhe was victualled for eighteen months, and took on board ten carriage and twelve fwivel guns, with good ftore of ammunition and other neceffaries. The Endeavour alfo, after the aftronomical obfervation fhould be made, was ordered to profecute the defign of making discoveries in the South Seas. What was effected by these veffels in their several voyages, will appear in the course of this work, of which it is now neceffary to give fome account. It is drawn up from the journals that were kept' by the Commanders of the several ships, which were put into my hands by the Lords Commiffioners of the Admiralty for that purpose: and, with refpect to the voyage of the Endeavour, from other papers equally authentic; an affiftance which I have acknowledged in an introduction to the account of her voyage. When I first undertook the work, it was debated, whether it fhould be written in the first or third perfon it was readily acknowledged on all hands, that a narrative in the first person would, by bringing the Adventurer and the Reader nearer together, without the intervention of a ftranger, more ftrongly excite an intereft, and confequently afford more entertainment; but it was objected, VOL. I. а that that if it was written in the name of the feveral Commanders, I could exhibit only a naked narrative, without any opinion or fentiment of my own, however fair the occafion, and without noting the fimilitude or diffimilitude between the opinions, customs or manners of the people now first discovered, and thofe of nations that have been long known, or remarking on any other incident or particular that might occur. In answer to this objection, however, it was faid, that as the manufcript would be fubmitted to the gentlemen in whofe names it would be written, fuppofing the marrative to be in the first perfon, and nothing published without their approbation, it would fignify little who conceived the fentiments that fhould be expreffed, and therefore I might ftill be at liberty to express my own. In this opinion all parties acquiefced, and it was determined that the narrative should be written in the first perfon, and that I might notwithstanding interfperfe fuch fentiments and obfervations as my subject should fuggeft: they are not indeed numerous, and when they occur, are always curfory and fhort; for nothing would have been more abfurd than to interrupt an interesting narrative, or new defcriptions, by hypothefis and differtation. They will however be found most frequent in the account of the voyage of the Endeavour, and the principal reason is, that although it stands laft in the feries, great part of it was printed before the others were written, fo that feveral remarks, which would naturally haturally have been fuggefted by the incidents and defcriptions that would have occurred in the preceding voyages, were anticipated by fimilar incidents and defcriptions which occurred in this. Some particulars that are related in one voyage will perhaps appear to be repeated in another, as they would neceffarily have been if the feveral Commanders had written the account of their voyages themselves; for a digest could not have been made of the whole, without invading the right of each navigator to appropriate the relation of what he had feen: these repetitions however taken together will be found to fill but a few pages of the book. That no doubt might remain of the fidelity with which I have related the events recorded in my materials, the manufcript account of each voyage was read to the refpective Commanders at the Admiralty, by the appointment of Lord Sandwich, who was himself present during much the greatest part of the time. The account of the voyage of the Endeavour was alfo read to Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander, in whofe hands, as well as in those of Captain Cook, the manuscript was left for a confiderable time after the reading. Commodore Byron alfo, Captain Wallis, and Captain Carteret, had the manufcripts of their respective voyages to perufe, after they had been read at the Admiralty in their prefence, and fuch emendations as they fuggefted were made. In order thus to authenticate the voyage of Captain Cook, the account |