INTRODUCTION. 



a fatisfadory anfwer to a queftion, fometimes afked by 

 peevifli refinement, and ignorant malevolence, What bene- 

 ficial confequences, if any, have foUovired, or are likely to- 

 follow, to the difcoverers, or to the difcovered, to the com- 

 mon interefls of humanity, or to the increafe of ufeful 

 knowledge, from all our boafted attempts to explore the dif- 

 tant receifes of the globe ? 



The general objedl of the feveral voyages round the world 

 undertaken by the command of his Majefty, prior to that 

 related in this work, was to fearch for unknown traifls of 

 land that might exifl: within the bofom of the immenfe 

 expanfe of ocean that occupies the whole Southern hemi- 

 fphere. 



Within that fpace, fo few refearches had been made, 

 before our time, and thofe few refearches had been made 

 fo imperfedlly, that the refult of them, as communicated 

 to the world in any narration, had rather ferved to create 

 imcertainty, than to convey information ; to deceive the 

 credulous, rather thun to fatisfy the judicious inquirer; by 

 blending the true geography of above half the fuperficies of 

 the earth, with an endlefs variety of plauftble conjeftures, 

 fuggefted by ingenious fpeculation ; of idle tales, handed 

 down by obfcure tradition ; or of bold fi(5lions, invented by 

 deliberate falfehood. 



It would have been very unfortunate, indeed, if jSve dif- 

 ferent circumnavigators of the globe, fome of them, at 

 leaft, if not all, in tracks little known, and lefs frequented', 

 had produced no difcoveries, to reward the difficulties and 

 perils unavoidably encountered. But the following review 

 will furnifli the moft fatisfadlory proofs, that his Majefty's 

 inftrutflions have been executed with ability; and that the 



repealed 



