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visitor had entertained me with an account of his
age. This led me to tell him the general purport of
our converfation ; upon which he affured me that the
tale I had heard was a fiction, for, fays he, the boat's
crew could not keep their fecret fo well as their officer,
but after a little converfation told one of our people,
who was born at Quebec, and spoke French, that they
had been round the globe as well as we.
This natu-
rally excited a general curiofity, and with a very little
difficulty we learnt that they had failed from Europe in
company with another ship, which, wanting fome re-
pair, had been left at the ifle of France; that they had
attempted to pass the Streight of Magellan the first
fummer, but not being able, had gone back, and win-
tered in the river de la Plata; that the fummer after-
wards they had been more fuccessful, and having passed
the Streight, spent two months at the island of Juan
Fernandes. My Lieutenant told me alfo, that a boy in
the French boat faid, he had been upon that island two
years, and that, while he was there an English fri-
gate put into the road, but did not anchor, mentioning
the time as well as he could recollect, by which it ap-
peared that the frigate he had feen was the Swallow.
On the boy's being asked how he came to be fo long
upon the ifland of Juan Fernandes, he faid that he had
been taken upon the Spanish coast in the West Indies
in a fmuggling party, and fent thither by the Spaniards;
but that by the French fhip, in whose boat he came
on board us, having touched there, he had regained his
liberty. After having received this information from
my Lieutenant, I could easily account for M. Bougain-
ville's having made a tack to speak to me, and for the
converfation and behaviour of my vifitor; but I was
now more displeased at the questions he had asked me
than before; for if it was improper for him to commu-
nicate an account of his voyage to me, it was equally
improper for me to communicate an account of my
voyage to him; and I thought an artful attempt to
draw me into a breach of my obligation to fecrecy,
while he impofed upon me by a fiction that he might
not violate his own, was neither liberal nor juft. As
what the boat's crew told my people, differs in feveral
particulars

1769.

February.

1769

March.

Sunday 7.

particulars from the account printed by M. Bougainville, I shall not pretend to determine how much of it is true; but I was then very forry that the Lieutenant had not communicated to me the intelligence he received, fuch as it was, before my guest left me, and I was now very defirous to speak with him again, but this was impoffible; for though the French fhip was foul from a long voyage, and we had just been cleaned, the shot by us as if we had been at anchor, notwithstanding we had a fine fresh gale, and all our fails fet.

On the 7th of March, we made the Western Islands, and went between Saint Michael and Tercera; in this fituation we found the variation 13° 36′ W. and the winds began to blow from the S. W. The gale as we got farther to the weftward. increased, and on the Thurfd. 11. 11th, having got to W. N. W. it blew very hard, with a great fea; we fcudded before it with the forefail only, the foot rope of which fuddenly breaking, the fail blew all to pieces, before we could get the yard down, though it was done inftantly. This obliged us to bring the ship to, but having, with all possible expedition, bent a new forefail, and got the yard up, we bore away again; this was the laft accident that hapThurf. 18. pened to us during the voyage. On the 16th, being in latitude 49° 15' N we got foundings. On the 18th

Tuefd. 16.

I knew by the depth of water that we were in the

Channel, but the wind being to the northward, we Friday 19. could not make land till the next day, when we saw Saturd. 20. the Start Point; and on the 20th, to our great joy, we anchored at Spithead, after a very fine paffage, and a fair wind all the way from the Cape of Good Hope.

AN

ΑΝ

ACCOUNT

OF A

VOYAGE round the WORLD,

IN THE YEARS

MDCCLXVIII, MDCCLXIX, MDCCLXX, AND MDCCLXXI.

BY LIEUTENANT JAMES COOK,

Commander of his MAJESTY'S Bark the ENDEAVOUR.

02

AN

ACCOUNT

OF A

VOYAGE round the WORLD.

BOOK I.

CHAP. I.

The Paffage from Plymouth to Madeira, with fome
Account of that Island.

H

1768.

May.

AVING received my commiffion, which was
dated the 25th of May, 1768, I went on board
on the 27th, hoifted the pennant, and took Friday 27-

charge of the ship, which then lay in the bafon in
Deptford Yard. She was fitted for fea with all expe-
dition; and stores and provifions being taken on board,
failed down the river on the 30th of July, and on the Saturd. 30.
13th of August anchored in Plymouth Sound.

July:

Auguft.

While we lay here waiting for a wind, the articles Satur. 13of war and the act of parliament were read to the fhip's company, who were paid two months wages in advance, and told that they were to expect no additional pay for the performance of the voyage.

Wedn. 31.

On Friday the 26th of Auguft, the wind becoming Friday 26. fair, we got under fail, and put to fea. On the 31st, we saw several of the birds which the failors call Mother Cary's Chickens, and which they fuppofe to be

the

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