fmaller intervening, is a point of geographical 'information,
which, i f ever traced by any of the earlieft navigators of
the South Pacific, had not been handed down to the prefent
age : and its having been afcertained by Captain Carteret,
deferves to be mentioned as a dilcovery, in the ftriiteft fenfe
of the word ; a difcovery o f the utmoft importance to navigation.
St. George’s Channel, through- which his Ihip
found a way, between New Britain and New Ireland, from
the Pacific into the Indian Ocean, to ufe the Captain’s own
words*, “ is a much better and fhorter paflage, whether
from the Eaftward or Weftward, than round all the iflands
and lands to the Northward f-”
V.
The voyages of Byron, Wallis, and Carteret were principally
confined to a favourite objedt of difcovery in the
South Atlantic, and though acceffions to geography were
procured by them in the South Pacific, they could do but
little toward giving the world a complete view of the contents
of that immenfe expanfe of ocean, through which they
only held a direft track, on their way homeward by the
Eaft-Indies. Cook, indeed, who was appointed to the
conduft of the fucceeding voyage, had a more accurate examination
of the South Pacific intrufted to him. But as the
improvement of aftronomy went hand in hand, in his inc
ftruitions, with that of geography, the Captain’s folicitude
* Hawkefworth, Vol. i. p. 563;.
f The pofition of the Solomon Iflands* Mendana’s celebrated difcovery,. wHl no
longer remain a matter in debate amongft geographers, Mr. Dalrymple having,, on-
the moft fatisfa&ory evidence, proved, that they are the clufter of iflands which comprizes
what has fince been called New Britain, New Ireland, &c. The great light
thrown on that clufter by Captain Carteret’s difcovery, is a ftrong confirmation of
this. See Mr. Dalrymple’s Colle&ion o f Voyages, Vol. i. p. 16— 21.
6 to
to arrive at Otaheite time enough to obferve the tran fit of
Venus, put it out of his power to deviate from his diredt
track, in fearch of unknown lands that might lie to the
South Eaft of that iiland. By this unavoidable attention to
his duty, a very confiderable part of the South Pacific, and
that part where the richeft mine of difcovery was fuppofed
to exift, remained unvifited and unexplored, during that
voyage in the Endeavour. To remedy this, and to clear up
a point, which, though many o f the learned were confident
of, upon principles of fpeculative reaforiing, and many of
the unlearned admitted', upon what they thought to be credible
teftimony, was ftill held to be very problematical, i f
not abfolutely groundlefs, by others who were lefs fanguine
or more incredulous ; his Majefty, always ready to forward
every inquiry that can add to the flock of interefting knowledge
in every branch, ordered another expedition to be undertaken.
The fignal fervices performed by Captain Cook,
during his firft voyage, o f which we have given the outlines,
marked him as the fitteft perfon to finiih an examination
which he had already ib Ikilfully executed in part. Accordingly,
he was fent out in 1773, with two ihips, the Re-
folution and Adventure, upon the moft enlarged plan of
diftovery known in the annals o f navigation. For he was
inftruaed not only to circumnavigate the whole globe, but
to circumnavigate it in high Southern latitudes, making
fuch traverfes, from time to time, into every corner of the
Pacific Ocean not before examined, as might finally and ef-
feftually refolve the much agitated queftion about the exift-
ence of a Southern continent, in any part of the Southern
hemifphere aeceiiible by navigation.
The ample acceffions to geography, by the difcovery of
many iflands within the Tropic in the Pacific Ocean, in the
c 2 courfe