He explored the Southern hemifphere to a much higher latitude than
had ever been reached, and with fewer accidents than frequently befal
ihofe who navigate the coafs of this fand.
By his benevolent and unabating attention to the welfare -of his
flip 's company,' he difcovered and introduced a fyfem for the preferva-
tion of the health of feamen in long voyages, which has proved wonder-
fully efficacious -■ for in his fecond voyage round the world, which continued
upwards of three years, he loß only one man by difempcr, of one
hundred .and eighteen, of which his company confifed.
The death of this eminent and valuable man was a lofs to mankind in
general; and particularly to be deplored by every nation that refpeEls
ufful accomplifments, that honours fcience, and loves the benevolent
and amiable affections of the heart. It is f i l l more to be deplored by this
country, which may jufly boaf of having produced a. man hitherto
unequalled for nautical talents ; and that forrow is farther aggravated
by the reflection, that his country was deprived of this ornament
by the enmity of a people, from whom, indeed, it might have been dreaded,
but from whom it was not deferved. For, actuated always by the
rnof attentive care and tender compafion for the favages in general, this
excellent man was ever aflfiduoufly endeavouring, by kind treatment,
to difipate their fears, and court their friendfip; overlooking their
thefts and treacheries, and frequently interpofng, at the hazard of his
life, to protect them from the fudden refentment of his own injured
people.
The objeCl o f his laf mijjion was to difcover and afcertain the boundaries
of Afa and America, and to penetrate into the Northern Ocean by
the North Eaf Cape of Afa.
Traveller I contemplate, admire, revere, and emulate this great
mafler in his profefion-, who/e f i l l and labours have enlarged natural
philofophy; have extended nautical, fcience ; and have difclofed the long
concealed and admirable arrangements af the Almighty in the formation
3 ° f
of this globe, and, at the fame time, the arrogance of mortals, in prefuming
to account, by their peculations, for the laws by which he was
pleafed to create it. It is now dfcovered, beyond all doubt, that the
fame Great Being who created the uniiierfe by bis fat, by the fame
ordained our earth to keep a ju f foife, without a correfponding Southern
continent— and it does fo g “ -He f retches out the North over the empty-'
“ place, and hangeth the earth upon nothingT . Job, xxvi. 7.
I f the arduous but exaCt refe.arches o f this extraordinary man have
not difcovered a new world, they have dfcovered feas unnavigated and
unknown before. They have made us acquainted with ifands, people and
productions, of which we had no conception.. And i f he has not beenfo
fortunate as Americas to give his name to a continent, his pretenfons to.
fucb a difinCtion remain unrivalled-, and he will be revered, while there
remains a page of his own modef account of his voyages, and as long
as mariners and geographers f a l l be infracted, by his new map of Or
Southern hemifphere, to trace the various courfes anddifoveries he has
made.
I f public fervices merit public acknowledgments ; i f the man who.■
adorned and raifed the fame o f his country is deferving of honours,,them
Captain C o o k deferves to have a monument raifed to his memory, by a.
generous, and grateful nation.
Virtutis ubernmum alimbntum eft honos,
V a l . M a x im u s , Lib. a. Cap. &
V o l . I.
¿ 1 S T