9BOOTC merited friend. I moftfincerely‘regrettedHis lofsjand
k—< waymuch liu rtto deliver toJbis»executorywhat I hoped
’ j& f . toihave done to, him in» perfqn. ;
i I t nvas- now mecdTary I- fhould.icome to fomefdeter:-'
imidation refpeSiiagt my future proeaetjfegs.. j My oh-
•ders .from'the 'Admiralty were,_ that .1 ffiould Tiirvey the
fouthern coaft of the foutlkweft part of^outh-Ameriea,
Upon. the -'Med-- that-! Captain
fimilar orders, would not be- ab& 2£o - fulfil-! therh',.% - Blit
as I now had certain intelligence that he had' -leftfhis
port eighteen months before, and that both' giPwips,
Difeovery and- Chatham, under his-.copimand^Avere'.
in a good condition, I had- not.the fmalleffc_ doiabt Qf
his-ability to comply with his iniiruhtions!; particularly
As I had ■ information of his failing ffernn Val.-Pai^ifo,
in laC 33° S. for that purpofe. -As-this was the 'cafe,
^^proceedings in future depended"1 dpoO'- iby owh
diferetion ; and T wiffied to employ!
under myAoihmand,' in fucb a mahner jas^iih^ht4^
deemed moft eligiblefor the dwpfpiemehf^f1^® -
graphy and navigation. I therefore
officers their fentiments in writing, refpe&ihg" the manner
in which thefe difcretionary powers alldwed to me
might moft. effectually be employed^;;The refults :of
"w fneir
their opinions, I was happy'to fi n-d/* AriinCided with
my own, which ■ was! to furVfey m <V* of Aiiayeom--
meheing at' the ifland of Sakhalin;' htudtid 'in 52 if.' June.:
fa t, in tife *l^ffflierff part! dl'Ahe1 $A'bf .Oehofez, and
eiidin^Ai t-he1 ifprikrhg-^ivS'i in 30°!N. hit. f| My’ intention
wasAlWtfd eothpletdc’ the fdnH^'bfvthe adjacent’
iflands.^viz-. Kumes^’1 andfvlfeTO j efocand.
Japan, left unfini ffiedfiu. CapfainlCdok’s laft v’oj&age:
I thought fueh' a 1 furvey Would be very "dfceeptahle
to»’geographers;, for the limits’ of both the eqntinents
of fAfiaAand A n ^ lS w o u ld then beAndwrii bs fat:
as navigatj.o'EEhVas‘ pradticable^andi-a »knowledge,, of s
the ’ISf ox th em . PaciftW,fl®ee%rf* iTOhld'me eorbpleted.
Another Weafon for^my undertaklngAhis voyage
that as yet the aftmnomflVhfed^H4etvwith.,nG‘,pppor-
tunity of complying-'»with hisMnftrudtidns .from the
board of loixg&id^ln^maldng obfei^yations- and afeer-
taming unknown places, our line of navigation having
hitherto led us *to follow the tracks'of 'Captain
Vancouver. >vdn any..other \part off the yhferthefh
Pacific Ocean there appeared little ,to. be done,-except
that of fettling the pofition of a few iflakds,- inf them-
felves of little confequence pj bid a farvey o f^ h e
coaft -of Alia and^the adjacent iflands, promifed to bei:4|
of more fervice to the feience of geography than.,
K that