June' Noi' did the extraordinary care of thofe at the head of the
*- J naval department flop here. They were equally folieitous
to afford us every afliftance towards rendering our voyage-
of public utility. Accordingly, we received on board, next
Tuefday i i . day, feveral aftronomical and’ nautical inftriiments, which
thg Board of Longitude intruded to me, and to Mr.- King,
my fecond Lieutenant ; we having engaged to that Board to
make all the neceflary obfervations, during the voyage, for
the improvement of aftronomy and navigation ; and, by our
- joint labours, to fupply the place of a profeffed obfervator.
Such a perfOn had been originally intended to be fent out in
my ihip.
The Board, likewife, put into our poffeffion the fame
watch, or time-keeper, which I had carried out in my laft
voyage, and had performed its part fo well. It was a copy
of Mr. Harrifon’s, conftrudled by Mr. Kendall. This day, at
noon, it was found to be too flow for mean time at Greenwich,
by 3', 31", 890; and by its rate of going, it loft, on
mean time, 1", 209 per day.
Another time-keeper, and the fame number and fort of
inftruments for making obfervations, were-put on board the
Difcovery, under the care of Mr. William Bailey ; who,
having already given fatisfadlory proofs of his ikill and diligence
as an obfervator, while employed in Captain Fur-,
neaux’s ihip, during the late voyage, was engaged a fecond
time, in that capacity, to embark with Captain Clerke,
Mr. Anderfon, my furgeon, who, to ikill in his immediate
profeffion, added great proficiency in natural hiftory, was-
as willing as he was well qualified, to defcribe every thing
in that branch of feience which ihould occur worthy of notice.
As he had already vifited the South Sea iilands in the
fame ihip, and been of lingular fervice, by enabling me to.
a enrich
S
enrich my relation of that voyage with various ufeful re- 177«.
marks on men and things * I reafonably e^peded to deriye «
coniiderable aifiilance from him, in recording our new pro-
ceedings.
I had feveral young men amongft my fea-officers who,
under my direction, could be ufefully employed in con-
ftrudting charts, in taking views of the coafts and headlands
near which wc ihou,id pais, and in drawing plans of
the bays and harbours in which we ihould artchpr. A con-
ftant attention to this I knew to be highly requi.fite, if we
would render our difcoveries profitable to future navigators.
And, that we might go out with every help that could
ferve to make the reiul.t of our voyage entertaining to the
generality of readers, as well as inftrufti-ve to the failor and
fcholar, Mr. Webber was pitched upon, and engaged to
embark with me, for the exprefs purpofe of lupplying the
unavoidable imperfections .of written aecpun,ts, by enabling
us to preferve, and to bring home, fuch drawings of the
moft memorable fcenes of our tranfaftions, as eould only be
executed by a profefled and fkilful artift.
Every preparation being now completed, I received an /
order to proceed to Plymouth, and to take the 'Difcovery
under my command. I accordingly gave Captain Clerke
two orders; one to -put himfelf under my commandi and
the other to carry his ihip round to-Plymouth.
On the 1,5th, the Refolutjon failed from I.ong Reach, Saturday,*
with the Difcovery in company, and the fa.me evening they
* The very copious Vocabulary o f the language of.Otaheite,. and the comparative
J “ gUageS of the other iilands vifited during the former voyage,.
ip ed ln:Captam,Cook?s -account o f it,; were fhrmftted by Mr-Anderfon.
anchored