Another narrative of this circumnavigation, is faid 'to
have been written by captain J ames C ook of His Ma-
jefty’s Royal Navy, under wlrofe command it was performed.
That account will be ornamented with a great
variety of plates, reprefenting views of the countries which
we vifited, portraits of the natives, figures of their boats,
arms, and utenfils, together with a number of particular
charts of the new difeoveries ; and all thefe plates, engraved
at the expence of the Board of Admiralty, are the
joint property of captain Cook and my father.
At firft fight it may feem fuperfluou-s to offer two relation's
of this voyage to the world ; but when we confider
them-as narratives of interefting fads, it mull be allowed
that the latter will be placed ir fa ’flrbnger light, by being
related by different perfons. Our occupations when in
harbour were widely different ; whilft captain Cook was
employed in victualling or refitting the fliip, I went in
qtieft of the manifold objects which Nature had fcattered
throughout the land. Nothing is therefore more obvious,
than that each of us may have caught many diftinCt incidents,
and that our obfervations w ill frequently he foreign
to each other. But above all, it is to be obferved, that the
fame objeCts may have been feen in different points of
view, ‘and that the fame faCt may often have given rife to
different ideas. Many circumftances familiar to the navigator,
who has been bred on the rough element, flrike
the
P R E F A C E . it
the landman with novelty, and furnifh, entertainment to
his readers. The feaman views many objects on fhore
with a retrofpeft to maritime affairs, whilft the other attends
to their (Economical ufes. In fhort, the different branches
of fcience which we have ftudied, our turns of mind, our
heads and hearts have made a difference in our fenfations,
reflections, and expreflions. This difparity may have been
rendered ftill more evident, as I have flightly paffed over
all regulations relative to the interior mconomy of the
fhip and the crew : I have ftudioufly avoided nautical details
both at lea and in harbour, nor ventured to determine,
how often we reefed, or fplit a fail in a ftorm, how many
times we tacked to weather a point, and how often our
refradtory bark difobeyed her Palinurus, and miffed flays.
The bearings and diftances of projecting capes, of peaks,
hills, and hummocks, of hays, harbours, ports, and coves,
at different hours of the day, have likewife been in general
omitted. Thefe inftruCtive particulars thrive in the proper
field of the navigator. The hiftory of captain Cook’s firft
Voyage Round the World *, was eagerly read by all European
nations, but incurred univerfal cenfure, I had almoft
faid contempt. It was the fate of that Hiftory, to be compiled
by a perfon who had not been on the voyage; and
* In the Endeavour,.from 1768, to. 17 7 1 , drawn up by Dr, John Hawkef-
worth.
Vs l ..I. .r to