o7& COOK S VOYAGE TO NOV. 



dispute, which at last was compromised, by their 

 agreeing to go shares in the money. At noon, the 

 latitude, by observation, was 21°57'N., and longi- 

 tude 1 14° c l f E. ; the grand Ladrone Island extending 

 from north-west half north, to north half west, dis- 

 tant four miles. The land of which the bearings are 

 here given, we conceived to be one island ; but 

 afterward found the western part to be the island 

 marked z in Mr. Dalrymple's chart of part of the 

 coast of China, &c. which, at that time, we unfortun- 

 ately had not on board. 



In obedience to the instructions given to Captain 

 Cook by the Board of Admiralty, it now became 

 necessary to demand of the officers and men their 

 journals, and what other papers they might have in 

 their possession, relating to the history of our 

 voyage. The execution of these orders seemed to 

 require some delicacy, as w r ell as firmness. I could 

 not be ignorant, that the greatest part of our officers, 

 and several of the seaman, had amused themselves 

 with writing accounts of our proceedings for their 

 own private satisfaction, or that of their friends, 

 which they might be unwilling, in their present form, 

 to have submitted to the inspection of strangers. 

 On the other hand, I could not, consistently with 

 the instructions we had received, leave in their 

 custody papers, which, either from carelessness or 

 design, might fall into the hands of printers, and give 

 rise to spurious and imperfect accounts of the voyage, 

 to the discredit of our labours, and perhaps to the 

 prejudice of officers, who, though innocent, might 

 be suspected of having been the authors of such 

 publications. As soon, therefore, as I had assembled 

 the ship's company on deck, I acquainted them with 

 the orders we had received, and the reasons which I 

 thought ought to induce them to yield a ready 

 obedience. At the same time, I told them, that any 

 papers which they were desirous not to have sent to 

 the Admiralty, should be sealed up in their presence, 



