28 INTRODUCTION TO THE 





ones, and left, I conceive, very little to be done, 

 even in that part. Thus I flatter myself, that the 

 4 intention of the voyage has, in every respect, been 

 fully answered ; the southern hemisphere suf- 

 ficiently explored ; and a final end put to the 

 " searching after a southern continent, which has, at 

 " times, engrossed the attention of some of the Mari- 

 time Powers for near two centuries past, and been 

 a favourite theory amongst the geographers of all 



a 



<< 



" ages." 



Thus far, therefore, the voyages to disclose new 

 tracks of navigation, and to reform old defects in 

 geography, appear to have been prosecuted with a 

 satisfactory share of success. A perusal of the fore- 

 going summary of what had been done, will enable 

 every one to judge what was still wanting to com- 

 plete the great plan of discovery. The southern 

 hemisphere had, indeed, been repeatedly visited, and 

 its utmost accessible extremities been surveyed. But 

 much uncertainty, and, of course, great variety of 

 opinion, subsisted, as to the navigable extremities of 

 our own hemisphere ; particularly, as to the ex- 

 istence, or, at least, as to the practicability of a nor- 

 thern passage between the Atlantic and Pacific 

 Oceans, either by sailing eastward, round Asia, or 

 westward, round North America. 



It was obvious, that if such a passage could be ef- 

 fected, voyages to Japan and China, and, indeed, to 

 the East Indies in general, would be much shortened ; 

 and consequently become more profitable, than by 

 making the tedious circuit of the Cape of Good 

 Hope. Accordingly, it became a favourite object of 

 the English to effectuate this above two centuries 

 ago ; and (to say nothing of Cabot's original attempt, 

 in 1497> which ended in the discovery of Newfound- 

 land, and the Labradore coast) from Frobisher's first 

 voyage to find a western passage, in 1576, to those 



* See Vol. IV. p. 219. . 



