CHAP. XXVI- 
What had Cook’s Predecessors left him to discover ?— His first Voyage. — Discovery 
of the Society Islands, and of the East Coast of New Holland.—His second 
Voyage.— Discovery of the Hervey Group.— Researches in the South Sea.—The 
New Hebrides.— Discovery of New Caledonia and of South Georgia. —His 
third Voyage. — The Sandwich Islands.— New Albion. — West Georgia. — 
Cook’s Murder.— Vancouver.—La Peyrouse. 
T'o form a correct estimate of Cook’s discoveries, it is necessary 
that, before following the track of that great seaman, we should 
glance over the vast regions of the Pacific previously unknown 
toman. Many navigators indeed, since Magellan, had traversed 
that immense ocean, but the greater part of its expense still lay 
buried in obscurity, 
To the north of the line, the Spaniards, sailing from Manilla 
to Acapulco, still servilely followed the route which Urdaneta had 
pointed out, and all beyond was unexplored. 
The regions to the south of the line were better known, but 
here also maritime discoverers, with the sole exception of 
Tasman, had confined themselves to the tropical waters. No 
one had yet tried to sail through the boundless space which to 
the south of the 25th degree of latitude extended between New 
Zealand and America. Of Australia only the western coast was 
known; the existence of Torres’ Strait had long since been for- 
gotten, and New Guinea and New Holland were supposed to form 
one connected land. To the south no one knew whether Aus- 
tralia and Van Diemen’s Land were joined together, or severed 
by a channel; and the eastern coast of the fifth part of the world 
still awaited a discoverer. The boundaries of New Zealand were 
buried in the same obscurity. Tasman had only visited the west 
coast of the northern island, which, as far as was then known, 
might have extended a thousand miles farther on towards Chili. 
In one word, the great geographical problem of an enormous 
southern continent, the existence of which was formerly supposed 
necessary to form the counterpoise of the northern lands, still 
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