alfo enriched with confiderable communications from Mr.
Anderfon, Surgeon of the Refolution. The confefied abilities,
and great affiduity, of Mr. Anderfon, in obferving
every thing that related either to natural hiftory, or to manners
and language; and the defire which, it is w£ll known,
Captain Cook, on all occafions, ihewed to have the afliftance
o f that gentleman, ftamped a great value on his colleftions.
That nothing, therefore, might be wanting to convey to
the Public the beft poflible account of the tranfadlions of
the Voyage, his journal, by the order of Lord Sandwich,
was alfo put into the hands of the Editor, who was authorized
and dire&ed to avail himfelf of the information if
might be found to contain, about matters imperfe&ly touched,
or altogether omitted, in Captain Cook’s manufcript.
This talk has been executed in fuch a manner, that the
reader will fcarcely ever be at a lofs to diftinguiih in what
inilanc.es recourfe has been had to Mr. Anderfon. To preclude,
i f poflible, any miftake, the copy of the firft and
fecond volumes, before it went to the printer, was fub-
mitted to Captain King; and after it had been read over
and corrected by one fo well qualified to point out any inaccuracies,
the Earl of Sandwich had the goodnefs to give it
a perufal. As to the third volume, nothing more need be
faid, than that it was completely prepared for the prefs by
Captain King himfelf. All that the Editor of the work has
to anfwer for, are the notes occafionally introduced in the
courfe of the two volumes, contributed by Captain Cook •
and this introdudlion, which was intended as a kind of
epilogue to our Voyages of difcovery. He muft be permitted,
however, to fay, that he confiders himfelf as intided
to no inconfiderable lhare of candid indulgence from
the Public ; having engaged in a very tedious and rrouble-
1 fome
mine unuertaKing upon tne molt dijmterejted motiyes; his
only reward being the fatisfa&ion he feels, in having been
able to do an eflential fervice to the family of our great
navigator, who had honoured him, in the journal o f this
voyage, with the appellation o f Friend.
They who have repeatedly afked why this publication has
been fo long delayed, need only look at the volumes, and
their attendant illuftrations and ornaments, to be fatisfied
that it might, with at leaft equal reafon, be wondered at,
that it has not been delayed longer. The Journal of Captain
Cook, from the firft moment that it came into the hands o f
the Editor, had been ready for the Prefs ; and Captain King
had left with him his part of the narrative, fo long ago as
his departure for the Weft Indies, when he commanded the
Refiftance man of war. But much, befides, remained to be
done. The charts, particularly the general one, were to be
prepared by Mr. Roberts, who gives an account o f his work
in the note * ; the very numerous and elegant drawings of
Mr;
* Soon after our departure from England, I was inftrufred by Captain Cook to
complete a map o f the world as a general chart, from the beft materials he was in
poffeffion o f for that purpofe ; and before his death this bufinefs was in a great mea-
fare accompliflied : That is, the grand outline of the whole was arranged, leaving
only thofe parts vacant or unfinilhod, which he expefled to fell in with and explore
But on our return home, when the fruits o f our voyage were ordered by the Lords
Comm,dinners o f the Admiralty to be publiihed; the care o f the general'chart being
configned to me, I was direited to prepare it from the lateft and'beft authorities and
alfo to introduce Captain Cook’s three fucceffive tracks, that all his difcoveries’ and'
the different routes he had taken might appear together 5 by this means to 4 e a
general idea of the whole. This taik having been performed by me, it is necefl'arv
for the information of the Reader, to ftate the heads of the feveral authorities which
have followed in fuch parts of the chart as differ from what was drawn up im.'
mediately under the infpeflion o f Captain Cook: And when the Public are made ‘
acquamted that many materials, neceffary to complete and elucidate the work, were
not, at the time, on board the Refolution, or in his poffeffron, the reafon will appear'