»771- had before undertaken a voyage to New Holland, See. and fo round the world, I could not help wiihing that a Swede likewife might have , the opportunity of making a vifit to the ibuth pole, and the continent fuppofed to be in the vicinity of it. I had feafon as well as the Melfrs. F orster to hope, that the aifiitance o f a third naturalift (meaning myfelf) might add to the difcoveries of the curious productions o f nature, which the two others were fo intent upon making; efpecially in thofe places, which were now about to be vifited for the firit, and probably for the lait time. In other refpeCts, in cafe that any of the plants which are fo ufeful in the colder parts' of the north ihould be found in the fouth, who could be fuppofed capable to coiled them with fuch affiduity, or of preferring the feeds of them with fo much care as a Swede? Again, on the other hand, i f my voyage ihould prove unfuecefsful, I was in hopes that, my miferies, together with life itfelf, and all its train of attendant evils, would have a fpeedy end. Occupied by reflections of this kind, I paifed the night, perhaps more reftlefs than will eafily be imagined. The next morning by day-break, the diftraCtion of rhy thoughts carried me to my chamber window ; here I fixed my eyes on the adjacent meadows, as though I meant to aik the plants and flower's that grew on them, whether I ought to part with them fo haftily.’ They had for a long time been almoft my only joy, my foie friends and companions; and now it was thefe only, which in a great meafure prevented me from making the voyage. At length I came to the refolution of undertaking i t ; yet with a fixed determina- ' tion, that i f I had the good fortune to come back to the Gape, Cape, I would again occupy myfelf on this fame fpot with the moil delightful of all employments, the inveitiga- tion of nature. I therefore began to get ready for my journey; and fent fpecimens of the infcCis and plants I had collected to Sir C harles L innaeus and other lovers of the fcience. The reft of my collections, &cc. I left at the Cape, at the prefident’s houfe, defiring him to difpatch them to Sweden, in cafe he ihould receive any certain information o f our fhip’s being loft; or in cafe my abfence for any length o f time, ihould give him reafen to doubt o f my return. The danger of the journey was, however, the Jeaft of my cares; the fuppofed length of it, together with my ignorance o f the Engliih language, as well as o f the dif- pofition of the people, with whom I was to be converfant during the whole time, perplexed me much more. The farewel letters I wrote to feme o f my relations were fo much the more painful to me, as I could eafily imagine to myfelf their anxiety and uneafinefs on the account of my impending fate. I therefore thought it moil advifeable, to reprefent my journey to be as eafy and commodious as was confiitent with any degree o f probability. In the feven months that had paifed fince my departure from my native country, I had had no news from thence. I now gave up all thoughts of getting a fingle word o f intelligence from any part of Europe for four times that period.. Thus circumftanced, how much it coft me to go on board, I leave thofe to imagine who are not entirely devoid o f feeling. What happened during this remarkable voyage, I fear would be liable to tedious repetitions, were I to relate it in M 2 the
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