authentic information than the world had hitherto obtained»,
about the relative lituation and vicinity o f the two continents,
which was abfolutely neceffary to be known, before
the practicability o f failing between the Pacific and Atlantis
Oceans, in any Northern direction, could be afcertained.
After all, that fearch, in a lower latitude, which they
who give credit ( if any fuch there now be) to the pretended
difcoveries of deFonte, affeCt to'wiih had been recommended
to Captain Cook, has (if that will cure them of their credulity)
been fatisfaftorily made. The Spaniards, roufed
from their lethargy by our voyages, and having caught a
fpark of enterprize from our repeated viiits to the Pacific
Ocean, have followed us more than once into the line of our
difcoveries within the Southern tropic ; and have alfo fitted
out expeditions to explore the American continent to the
North of California. It is to be lamented, that there ihould
be any reafons why the tranlaCtions of thofe Spaniih voyages
have not been fully difclofed, with the fame liberal fpirit of
information which other nations have adopted. But, fortunately,
this exceffive caution o f the court o f Spain has
been defeated, at leaft in one inftance, by the publication o f
an authentic Journal of their lait voyage of difcovery upon
the coaft of America, in 1775, for which the world is indebted
to the Honourable Mr. Daines Barrington. This
publication, which conveys fome Information o f real con-
fequence to geography, and has therefore been referred to
more than once in the following work, is particularly valuable
in this refpeCt, that fome parts of the coaft which
Captain Cook, in his progrefs Northward, was prevented,
by unfavourable winds, from approaching, were feen and
examined by the Spaniih ihips who preceded him; and
the perufal o f the following extract from their Journal,
may
may be recommended to thofe (if any fuch there be) Who
would reprefent it as an imperfection in Captain Cook’s
voyage, that hé had not an opportunity of examining the
eoaft o f America, in the latitude afligned to the difcoveries
of Admiral Fonte; “ We now attempted to find out the
“ ftraits of Admiral Fonte, though, as yet, we had not dif-
:*j covered' the Archipelago o f St. Lazarus, through which he
B is faid: to have failed. With this intent, We fearched every
“ bay and recefs of the coaft, and failed round every head'
ll land, lying to in the night, that we might not lofe fight
“ of this entrance. After thefepains taken, and being favoured
“ by a North Weft wind, it may be ■pronounced that no fuch Jiraits
“ are to be found
In this Journal, the Spaniards boaft of “ having reached
S fo high a latitude as 58 * , beyond what any other naviga-
“ tors had been able to effeCt in thofe feas f . ” Without
diminiihing the merit of their performance, we may be
permitted to fay that it will appear very inconfiderable, indeed,
in eorhparifon of what Captain Cook effected, in the
voyage of which an account is given in thefe volumes. Be-
lides exploring the land in the South Indian Ocean, o f which
Kerguelen, in two voyages, had been able to obtain; but a
very imperfeCt knowledge; adding alfo many confiderable
acceffions to the geography of the Friendly Iflands; and
difcovering the noble group, now called Sandwich Iflands
in the Northern part o f the Pacific Ocean, of which not
the fainteft trace can be met with in the account of
any former voyage 3 befides thefe preliminary difcoveries
the Reader of the following work will find, that in
* Journal of a voyage in 1775 by Don Francifco Antonio Maurelle, in Mr. Barrington’s
Mifcellanies, p. 508.
f Ibid. p. 507. W e learn from Maurelle’s Journal that another voyage had been'
fome time before performed upon the coaft of America ; but the utmoft Northern
progrefs of it was to latitude J50,
one