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INTRODUCTION.

WHEN the general peace of 1763 left Britain at liberty to turn her undivided energies to those pursuits which had too long been interrupted by war, the extension of her commerce, and the improvement of her people, a strong desire was manifested to increase the extent of our geographical knowledge; and by none was this object more eagerly pursued than by the young King George III. Under his auspices an expedition under Commodore Byron, and another under Captain Wallis and Captain Carteret, were fitted out. The more immediate commission of each of these navigators was the discovery and examination of islands in the South Atlantic ocean; but on their homeward voyage through the straits of Magelhaens or Magellan, and across the Pacific Ocean, out of the track of former voyagers, they made many discoveries which greatly stimulated curiosity at home, and gave additional strength to an opinion, then very generally entertained, that a southern continent must necessarily exist to counterbalance the weight of land in the north.

In the latter part of the year 1767, while Wallis and Carteret were still at sea, it was resolved by the Royal Society, that it would be proper to send persons into some part of the South Sea, to observe a transit of the planet Venus over the sun's disc, which, according to astronomical calculation, would happen in the year 1769; and that the islands called Marquesas de Mendoza, or those of Rotterdam or Amsterdam, were the fittest places then known for making such observation.

This resolution having been communicated to His Majesty, he directed that a vessel should be fitted out for the purpose. The command was intrusted to Lieutenant Cook, who had recently been employed on surveys in Newfoundland, and had been pointed out as an officer especially qualified for the service; and he was appointed by the Royal Society, in conjunction with Mr. Charles Green, a gentleman who had long been assistant to Dr. Bradley at the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, to observe the transit.

Whilst the vessel was getting ready, Captain Wallis returned; and upon his representation that the island he had recently discovered, and named King George's Island (now known as Otaheite or Tahiti), was the fittest place for the observation, the Royal Society made choice of it for the purpose.

The vessel employed on this occasion was the Endeavour, a barque of 370 tons, built for the coal trade. A vessel of this class was preferred by Cook to any other: the colliers are particularly distinguished as excellent sea-boats, and their build

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allows more room, and permits them to take the ground or to be laid on shore with more safety than any other vessels of equal size; they also require fewer men for their navigation.

Her complement of officers and men was, Lieutenant Cook the commander, with two lieutenants under him; a master and boatswain, with each two mates; a surgeon and carpenter, with each one mate; a gunner, a cook, a clerk and steward, two quarter-masters, an armourer, a sailmaker, three midshipmen, forty-one able seamen, twelve marines, and nine servants-in all eighty-four persons, besides the commander. She was victualled for eighteen months, and took on board ten carriage and twelve swivel guns, with good store of ammunition and other necessaries.

The instructions given to the commander were, after making the necessary astronomical observations at Otaheite, to prosecute the design of making discoveries in the South Seas, returning home by way of the Cape of Good Hope. The happy results of this voyage more than equalled the most sanguine hopes that had been entertained of its success, and excited public interest in a high degree.

Mr., afterwards Sir Joseph Banks, long so well known as president of the Royal Society, but then a young man ardently devoted to scientific pursuits, and liberally expending an ample fortune in the advancement of his favourite studies, accompanied Lieutenant Cook on this expedition. He carried with him Dr. Solander, by birth a Swede, and a pupil of the celebrated Linnæus. Such a companion Mr. Banks considered as an acquisition of no small importance; nor was he disappointed, for Dr. Solander proved as indefatigable as himself in the collection of every specimen of natural history that could be procured throughout the voyage, in the pursuit of which neither hesitated to encounter toil or danger. Mr. Banks also 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 secretary and four servants, two of whom were negroes.

Mr. Banks kept an accurate and circumstantial account of the voyage, which he did not publish himself, but freely communicated to Dr. Hawkesworth, to whom the care of preparing the following account was intrusted; and many of the most interesting parts of the narration are derived from this source.

It is to be regretted that Mr. Banks did not accompany Captain Cook in his subsequent voyages: he had formed the design of joining him in his second expedition, and had made every arrangement for coming on board, when a slight misunderstanding between them induced him to abandon his intention.

The particular objects in view in the second and third voyages performed by Captain Cook are fully entered into in the several introductions to the respective narratives, to which we refer our readers.

AN ACCOUNT

OF

A VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD,

IN 1768, 1769, 1770, AND 1771.

BOOK I.

CHAPTER I.—THE PASSAGE FROM PLYMOUTH TO MADEIRA, WITH SOME ACCOUNT OF

THAT ISLAND.

HAVING received my commission, which was dated the 25th of May, 1768, I went on board on the 27th, hoisted the pennant, and took charge of the ship, which then lay in the basin in Deptford-yard. She was fitted for sea with all expedition; and stores and provisions being taken on board, sailed down the river on the 30th of July, and on the 13th of August anchored in Plymouth Sound.

While we lay here waiting for a wind, the articles of war and the act of parliament were read to the ship'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.

sea.

On Friday, the 26th of August, the wind becoming fair, we got under sail, and put to On the 31st, we saw several of the birds which the sailors call Mother Carey's Chickens, and which they suppose to be the forerunners of a storm; and on the next day we had a very hard gale, which brought us under our courses, washed over-board a small boat belonging to the boatswain, and drowned three or four dozen of our poultry, which we regretted still more.

On Friday, the 2d of September, we saw land between Cape Finisterre and Cape Ortegal, on the coast of Gallicia, in Spain; and on the 5th, by an observation of the sun and moon, we found the latitude of Cape Finisterre to be 42° 53′ north, and its longitude 8° 46' west, our first meridian being always supposed to pass through Greenwich; variation of the needle 21° 4' west.

During this course, Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander had an opportunity of observing many marine animals, of which no naturalist has hitherto taken notice; particularly a new species of the Oniscus, which was found adhering to the Medusa Pelagica; and an animal of an angular figure, about three inches long, and one thick, with a hollow passing quite through it, and a brown spot on one end, which they conjectured might be its stomach: four of these adhered together by their sides when they were taken, so that at first they were thought to be one animal; but upon being put into a glass of water they soon separated, and swam about very briskly. These animals are of a new genus, to which Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander gave the name of Dagysa, from the likeness of one species of them to a gem: several specimens of them were taken, adhering together sometimes to the length of a yard or more, and shining in the water with very beautiful colours. Another animal, of a new genus, they also discovered, which shone in the water with colours still more beautiful and vivid, and which indeed exceeded in variety and brightness anything that we had ever seen: the colouring and splendour of these animals were equal to those of an opal, and from their resemblance

to that gem, the genus was called Carcinium Opalinum. One of them lived several hours in a glass of salt water, swimming about with great agility, and at every motion displaying a change of colours almost infinitely various. We caught also among the rigging of the ship, when we were at the distance of about ten leagues from Cape Finisterre, several birds which have not been described by Linnæus; they were supposed to have come from Spain, and our gentlemen called the species Motacilla velificans, as they said none but sailors would venture themselves on board a ship that was going round the world: one of them was so exhausted, that it died in Mr. Banks's hand almost as soon as it was brought to him.

It was thought extraordinary that no naturalist had hitherto taken notice of the Dagysa, as the sea abounds with them not twenty leagues from the coast of Spain; but, unfortunately for the cause of science, there are but very few of those who traverse the sea that are either disposed or qualified to remark the curiosities of which nature has made it the repository.

On the 12th, we discovered the islands of Porto Santo and Madeira, and on the next day anchored in Funchal road, and moored with the stream-anchor: but, in the night, the bend of the hawser of the stream-anchor slipped, owing to the negligence of the person who had been employed to make it fast. In the morning the anchor was heaved up into the boat, and carried out to the southward; but in heaving it again, Mr. Weir, the master's mate, was carried overboard by the buoy-rope, and went to the bottom with the anchor: the people in the ship saw the accident, and got the anchor up with all possible expedition; it was, however, too late; the body came up entangled in the buoy-rope, but it was dead.

When the island of Madeira is first approached from the sea, it has a very beautiful appearance, the sides of the hills being entirely covered with vines almost as high as the eye can distinguish; and the vines are green when every kind of herbage, except where they shade the ground, and here and there by the sides of a rill, is entirely burnt up, which was the case at this time.

On the 13th, about eleven o'clock in the forenoon, a boat, which our sailors call the product boat, came on board from the officers of health, without whose permission no person is suffered to land from on board a ship. As soon as this permission was obtained, we went on shore at Funchal, the capital of the island, and proceeded directly to the house of Mr. Cheap, who is the English consul there, and one of the most considerable merchants of the place. This gentleman received us with the kindness of a brother, and the liberality of a prince; he insisted upon our taking possession of his house, in which he furnished us with every possible accommodation during our stay upon the island. He procured leave for Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander to search the island for such natural curiosities as they should think worth their notice; employed persons to take fish and gather shells, which time would not have permitted them to collect for themselves; and he provided horses and guides to take them to any part of the country which they should choose to visit. With all these advantages, however, their excursions were seldom pushed farther than three miles from the town,