1
activity'of' our immortal Cooke advanced her reputa«;
tion for' fuch voyages far beyond thofe of his prede-.
ceffors; and had not his unfortunate death deprived
the world of his abilities, or the advanced feafori _ of
the year prevented One-vof'his fiaccefToBsin command,
* Captain King, from fuch an attempt» there would -
have been little opportunity perhaps for the detail of
the following journal, or the moft important part of
the voyage of La P6roufe. It fhould be remembered
that, in the third volume of Cooke's, lasft work, Captain
King obferves that the navigation of th^fea between
Japan and China afforded the large!! fielAJor dif-
covery : and the furvey of this unknown part, .of th.e
North Pacific Ocean was particularly recommended
by tire Honourable Daines f Barrington in his M iscellanies,
where he fays, « The coaft -of Corea, fthe
northern part of Japan, and Lieuchieux Elands, feould
be explored” Captain Vancouver remarks, “ that
the Afiatie coaft, from about the latitude of; S5|' to
52» North, is at prefent very ill defined:; and- the
American coaftj from about the latitude of 44° South
to the fouthem extremity of Terra del Euego, is Very
little known.”
* See VoL III. of Cooke’s laft voyage, page 383.
f See page 8 th of the Preface.
■ '% See'his 3d Vol. page 489.
Such
^uek fiigg#ftions-‘ and.* obfervations as thefe would
naturally;.have their due weight, with a navigator who
was zealous to,jextendi theifeonnds^of,geography, and.
who was ,tVell„Jawavd fh a f iftthf was to be done in any
other part of, the Pacific.-f)eeaja d^cept that of fettling
the.pofitioh of feteB© few iflands».tin tbemfelyes of little
confequenee. ?f<j He?,; mighty igdeedr have. hefitated to
which furvsyyhe f t j p y f i i t 4ie^^pre,ffit:enee,Ui@ither
.that »of. the Afiatie. coaft f r o m ^ . . l a t i t u d e ,
or of fhe American , eoaft.. about 44° S. latitude to
_ Terra del Euegof had he? not been,, convinced that
Captain.’ Vancouver -would Ijiayefcompleted-.- the laft
by his returning to England round. Cape’lfdrfi.
here the eurfory and faftidious readfer may obfe^veP
that however laudable/.the defign of. thei.following
journal, may baveybeen,,. yet. it can iclaim no-, merit
from the novelty of its difeoveries* as,* -that. is . already
p re-occupied, by * La P6roufe;, tf-Ini.. anfwer to.'fuch an
obfervation, it is to be hoped that a little attention to
this work would convince him of his miftake,/ and in*
due© bit» t6 allow, that although the fame. feasd may
Have been’explored by tie; two navigators,, yelt.their
feparate difeoveries arid furvhys ftainp a peculiar and
"eharariterifticdifference between the voyages. - Even
^had the .fame track been - followed entirely, great advantage
might have arjfen by. it Jo the interefts of
fcience