i 



u 



ii 



32 INTRODUCTION TO THE 



" and directed Captain Clerke, who commands the other, to 

 <f follow your orders for his further proceedings ; you are 

 <c hereby required and directed to proceed with the said two 

 " sloops directly to the Cape of Good Hope, unless you shall 

 " judge it necessary to stop at Madeira, the Cape de Verd, 

 * or Canary Islands, to take in wine for the use of their 

 companies; in which case you are at liberty to do so, tak- 

 ing care to remain there no longer than may be necessary 

 " for that purpose. 



" On your arrival at the Cape of Good Hope, you are to 

 " refresh the sloops' companies, and to cause the sloops to be 

 " supplied with as much provisions and water as they can 

 " conveniently stow. 



" You are, if possible, to leave the Cape of Good Hope 

 " by the end of October, or the beginning of November 

 " next, and proceed to the southward in search of some 

 " islands said to have been lately seen by the French, in the 

 " the latitude of 48 o' south, and about the meridian of 

 " Mauritius. In case you find those islands, you are to ex- 

 " amine them thoroughly for a good harbour ; and upon 

 " discovering one, make the necessary observations to facili- 

 " tate the finding it again ; as a good port, in that situation, 

 < may hereafter prove very useful, although it should afford 

 " little or nothing more than shelter, wood, and water. You 

 " are not, however, to spend too much time in looking out 

 '* for those islands, or in the examination of them, if found, 

 " but proceed to Otaheite, or the Society Isles (touching at 

 New Zealand in your way thither, if you should judge it 

 necessary and convenient), and taking care to arrive there 

 time enough to admit of your giving the sloops' companies 

 the refreshment they may stand in need of, before you pro- 

 secute the farther object of these instructions. 



Upon your arrival at Otaheite, or the Society Isles, you 

 " are to land Omiah at such of them as he may choose, and 

 " to leave him there. 



" You are to distribute among the chiefs of those islands 

 " such part of the presents with which you have been sup- 

 " plied, as you shall judge proper, reserving the remainder 

 " to distribute among the natives of the countries you may 

 " discover in the northern hemisphere : and having refreshed 

 ' the people belonging to the sloops under your command, 

 " and taken on board such wood and water as they may re- 

 " spectively stand in need of, you are to leave those islands 

 ' in the beginning of February, or sooner, If you shall judge 



fC 



a 

 < 

 cc 

 c 



