landed on the latter; touched at the lfland of Savu, Bata'
via, the Cape o f Good Hope, and St. Helena; and
arrived in England on the 12th of July 1771.
In this voyage I was accompanied by Mr. Banks and
Dr. Solander; the firft a gentleman of ample fortune; the
other an accomplifhed difciple of Linnaeus, and one of the
librarians of the Britifh Mufeum: both o f them diftin-
auifhed in the learned world, for their extenfive and accu-
rate knowledge o f natural hiftory. Thefe gentlemen,
animated by the love of fcience, and by a defire to purfue
their inquiries in the remote regions I was preparing to vifit,
defired permiffion to make the voyage with me. The
Admiralty readily complied with a requeft that promifed
fuch advantage to the republic of letters. They accordingly
embarked with me, and participated in all the dangers
and fufferings o f our tedious and fatiguing navigation.
T o illuftrate this fliort abftradt of the feveral difcoveries
made in the Southern Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian
Oceans, before my departure on this fecond voyage, now
laid before the Public, I have delineated on the general
chart hereunto annexed, the tracks of moft of the navigators,
without which the. abftradt could not be fo eafily
underftood.
The
i l l
1 i s
i W
The voyages o f Mefiis. de Surville, Kerguelen, and
Marion, o f which fome account is given in the following
work, did not come to my knowledge time enough to
afford me any advantage; and as they have not been communicated
to the world, in a public way, I can lay little
'about them, or about two other voyages which, I am told,
have been made by the Spaniards; one to Eafter lfland
in the year 1769, and the other to Otaheite in 17 73 .
Before I begin my narrative of the expedition intrufted
to my care, it will be neceffary to add here fome account
o f its equipment, and of fome other matters equally inte-
refting, connected with my fubjedt.
Soon after my return home in the Endeavour, it was
refolved to equip two fhips, to complete the dilcovery of
the Southern Hemifphere. The nature o f this voyage required
fhips o f a particular conftrudtion, and the Endeavour
being gone to Falkland Ifles as a ftore-lhip, the
Navy-board was directed to purchafe two fuch fhips as
were moft fuitable for this fervice.
A t this time various opinions were efpoufed by different
people, touching the fize and kind o f veflels moft proper
for fuch a voyage. Some were for having large fhips; and
propofed thofe of forty guns, or Eaft India Company’s fhips.
Others preferred large good failing frigates, or three-decked
fhips, employed in the Jamaica trade, fitted with roundhoufes.