VOYAGE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 13 



visited ; though popular belief, fortified by philoso- 

 phical speculation, expected there to reap the richest 

 harvest of discovery. 



Tasman, in 1642, in his extensive circuit from 

 Batavia, through the South Indian Ocean, entered 

 the South Pacific, at its greatest distance from the 

 American side, where it never had been examined 

 before. And his range continued from a high 

 Southern latitude, Northward to New Guinea, and 

 the islands to the East of it, near the equator, pro- 

 duced intermediate discoveries, that have rendered 

 his voyage memorable in the annals of navigation. 



But still, upon the whole, what was effected in 

 these three expeditions, served only to show how 

 large a field was reserved for future and more perse- 

 vering examination. Their results had, indeed, en- 

 abled geographers to diversify the vacant uniformity 

 of former charts of this Ocean, by the insertion of 

 some new islands. But the number, and the extent 

 of these insertions were so inconsiderable, that they 

 may be said to appear, 



Rari, nantes in gurgite vasto. 



And if the discoveries were few, those few were 

 made very imperfectly. Some coasts were approached 

 but not landed upon ; and passed without waiting to 

 examine their extent and connection with those that 

 might exist at no great distance. If others were 

 landed upon, the visits were, in general, so transient, 

 that it was scarcely possible to build upon a found- 

 ation so weakly laid, any information that could 

 even gratify idle curiosity ; much less satisfy philo- 

 sophical inquiry, or contribute greatly to the safety, 

 or to the success of future navigation. 



Let us, however, do justice to these beginnings of 

 discovery. To the Dutch, we must, at least ascribe 

 the merit of being our harbingers, though we after- 

 ward went beyond them in the road they had first 

 ventured to tread. And with what success his Ma- 

 jesty's ships have, in their repeated voyages, pene- 



