multitudes o f îfliïïdlpâhd 6 f pedplëilS^Ôfë'êSftèn^ Wâs
not known before— and the fame o f fixing the geography
o f the Southern’World, were-the noble fruits o f this bold
and hazardous enterprise ; which will remain to fucceeding
ages: a monumént' o f the zeal and patronaggfbf V eoI ge
T h e T h i r d . |
Under fuch aufpices,-and under fuch navigators as this
bufingfs was confided to, with each fuperadded afiiftance in
the various fciencesj. what^was there notto be hoped ?— And
it pertaMy, in no fmall degree,, adclecj, tq Jhe W i t o f th$
undertaking, that fuch an, unexampled character as Mr.
(now Sir Jos eeh).B anks voluntarily, accompanied-Gaptain
C ook.— A s long as- the hiftory o f th at time .lhall
will flamp the idghpjft honour on his' nacnfe, to h a v e jin
the prime o f youth, facrificed the blanddfhmcnfs, o f a pdble
fortune, to his ardour fpr information, a ^ fcience,.witliout
flïrinking àt the perils he . iitflp*. •
% s , and coafts that had n ep e rh e en iexp^red.-^ABd ; it
equally reflects the highefi: credit on his difcernkig country :
who, erpuJons, to acknowledge the debt Ihe owed his merit,
the earlied; opportunity, after h i s return, to make him
P res id ent o f th e .R o yad So c ie t y ; a fit nation the moft
honourable and diflinguifhed fh'e could offer a perfon o f his
genius and purfuits $ where ftill, with the fame ardour, he
promotes her Fame, the zealous and liberal Patron o f learning.
and of fcience.
The
The relations*'of thefc rfe^ufai'ye^agek.hav’itegi excited a
great jfpirit of3lliQ.uiry, and awakfEtsd ap eager cwiofity to
©very thing- that can .‘elucidate, the hifiosry of mankiml, I
flatter myfelf, that no apology is neeefiary for mybringing
forward thefollowirtg Work, whole N s^ ^ zn d Autfrsmieify
will, I trull, inftnre-k a favourable reception. ■
p The ifi&pds which I am about to defcribe were not difco-
vered; i|i es«fo|u®ic©of any pr^Medatatedi ;• the Indi a
packet, which Gaptain Wilson cnmmahded; heingliu a t-eb^'
pelt wrecked on their coaft ; pad iti k ^dely.to. the benevo-
lent character of theininhaMtants, we owe the fa^ rsturn q£
our countrymeu^ tfrat cortipofed tlie crew of thoAiJMhopip
■ ^byeffee. means of whom S am enabled to ( kiy before thd ■
Public~an account/of this fingiilar people^ v, ) t r i
Nothing,can hej^iqi-e intereftipg to Man than the hiftory
of Man., ThehavigatoiJS Df the different ages have ‘poured
to ms our own. fpecies in a variety of lights.— The manners,
©f civilised nations bear a ftrong refemblance to each other p
it is the vices hr, virtues of individuals, thahhreateb any :
geh^^;difihidhc®L; j—whereas in -country which
gP the'gehtler arts,' have rmkr reached,' we ©bierve a whnd
derful difparity ;, fome are found under that dahkriefs an J. \ t
-aftfirijate • h a i l> a f i § a ,v . ;• the- fight &£ which humanity3,
gladly turns afide whillt ethers, unaided, unaffifted, hut
by mere natural good' fenfe, havpj not.only emerged* fknh
this gloomy lhade,-bat nearly attained that order,- propriety,
SH H II asd