VOYAGE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 7 



For unknown tracts of land that might exist within 

 the bosom of the immense expanse of ocean that 

 occupies the whole southern hemisphere. 



Within that space, so few researches had been 

 made, before our time, and those few researches had 

 been made so imperfectly, that the result of them, as 

 communicated to the world in any narration, had 

 rather served to create uncertainty, than to convey 

 information ; to deceive the credulous, rather than to 

 satisfy the judicious inquirer; by blending the true 

 geography of above half the superficies of the earth, 

 with an endless variety of plausible conjectures, 

 suggested by ingenious speculation ; of idle tales, 

 handed down by obscure tradition ; or of bold fic- 

 tions, invented by deliberate falsehood. 



It would have been very unfortunate, indeed, if 

 five different circumnavigators of the globe, some of 

 thern at least, if not all, in tracks little known, and 

 less frequented, had produced no discoveries, to 

 reward the difficulties and perils unavoidably encoun- 

 tered. But the following review will furnish the 

 most satisfactory proofs, that his Majesty's instruc- 

 tions have been executed with ability ; and that the 

 repeated visits of his ships to the southern hemis- 

 phere have very considerably added to our stock of 

 geographical knowledge. 



I. 



The South Atlantic Ocean was the first scene of our 

 operations. Falkland's Islands had been hitherto 

 barely known to exist ; but their true position and ex- 

 tent, and every circumstance which could render 

 their existence of any consequence, remained abso- 

 lutely undecided, till Byron visited them in 1764. 

 And Captain Macbride, who followed him thither 

 two years after, having circumnavigated their coasts, 

 and taken a complete survey, a chart of Falkland's 

 Islands has been constructed, with so much accu- 



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