I«21.1 



Original Lellcis, with Autographs 



France Meridionale ean be nothing' but 

 5mall islands — and perhaps most of what 

 they have seen may be ice. It is pretty 

 certain that Along. Bouvet's Cape de Cir- 

 cumcision was nothing' but ice. 



My dear Doctor, — Some days ago 

 Capf. Cook's jourual and charts came 

 by an Indiamau, from (lie Cape of 

 Good Hope to the Admiralty. As 



soon as they arrived Mr. was so 



good as to send for uie, and I had time 

 to look over them beft)re they were 

 sent to the king. I will now give you 

 an account of what I then learnt. T 

 will begin with what happened to Capt. 

 Cook, after he separated from Captain 

 Fourneaux, at the entrance of Cook's 

 Straits, in New Zealand, when (he Re- 

 kolutiou being the better sailing ship, 

 got into Charlotte's Sound. As soon 

 as Captain Cook left New Zealand, he 

 steered almost due South till he came 

 into 60" 30', there the ice became so 

 troublesome that he did not venture to 

 proceed further. Here he saw moun- 

 tains of ice so high that their tops 

 were covered with the clouds. As in 

 the middle of the southern part of the 

 south sea was a place not at all visited, 

 he resolved to go up and cruize there 

 for land ; he therefore went up as far 

 as 54? without seeing any thin^ but sea. 

 He again resolved to stand to the 

 southward, and with great difficulty 

 and danger penetrated as far as 71° 10', 

 which is farther than any one has been 

 before. Here he met with a solid sheet 

 of ice as fai- as he could see, and no pro- 

 bability of going farther. The season 

 was come on for leaving the cold re- 

 gions ; he therefore stood to the north- 

 ward, and in his way looked out for 

 Juan Fernandez's land, liy some geo- 

 graphers laid down in 47 "south — did 

 not find it, and docs not beliine its ex- 

 istence. From thence he went in searcli 

 of Davis's Land, which he was lucky 

 enough to find, and inhabited by friend- 

 ly, well-behaved people. From thence 

 he proceeded to tiie Marqueza's, in IOt^ 

 south, where he also was well received. 

 Afterwards lie went back to Otaheite, 

 where he, to his great surprise, found 

 great alterations fortlie better,especially 

 m regard (outensils, houses, and canoes, 

 all better than formerlj', and all owing 

 to the iron tools which had been left 

 with them. They were so conscious 

 of that advantage, tiiat they now be- 

 haved towards their European benefac- 

 tors all well again as before, almost to 

 adoiation, and persuaded Cook to stay 



343 



among them above a month longer 

 than he had intended. 'I'he case was 

 the same in the otiier Society islaU'ds. 

 Upon leaving them he re-visited Rot- 

 terdam and Middleburg, and as he 

 had a month or two to spare, he went 

 to the northvnrd as far as 10° south- 

 saw many island's, some new, and, in 

 his way to New Zealand, fell in with a 

 large island between 16" and 20° south, 

 which he calls Nova Caledonia, notwith- 

 .standiug there grow no thistles. He 

 describes it to be a paradise, and its 

 length to be 80 leagues. He then left 

 the glorious part of the south sea, 

 where mankind live spontaneously, 

 after having every where met with a 

 kind reception, and proceeded to 

 Charlotte Sotind, in New Zealand, and 

 during the time lie staid there observed 

 nothing but g.nod and friendly beha- 

 viour. From New Zealand he sailed 

 the shortest way to Terra del Fuego, 

 where he took in wood and water. In 

 his way from thence to the Cape of 

 Good Hope, he fell in with two islands, 

 one in 54", by liim named Georgia, the 

 other in 59°, called Ultima Thule, both 

 uninhabited, and almost covered with 

 snow and ice. I think ifwehad beenwith 

 him we shotild have been able to help 

 him to better names. Heagainlooked 

 out for Cape Circumcision, did not find 

 it, and is sure it does not exist. The 

 land of St. Sebastian's was only in Dai- 

 ry m pie's brain. Mr. Foster, in a letter 

 to Mr. Harrington, says he has disco- 

 vered 260 new plants, and 200 new 

 animals, which I and many more think 

 too few. Your faithful friend, 



Dan. Solandbr. ' 



London, St. Martiii's-st. 

 Leicester-fiehls, VHh Aug. 1775. 

 Dear Sir, — It has frequently given 

 me great concern that your last letter 

 was not immediately answered; but 

 for some time past the want of health 

 and of leisure have made me guilty of 

 man}' omissions of that kind which are 

 painful to reflexion. Afterso long a si- 

 lence T should have been ashamed to ad- 

 dress you without some excuse, which 

 seems as necessary now for my letter ap- 

 pearing at all as for its not appearing 

 sooner. When you last favoured me with 

 a letter I rcmember,and have constantly 

 n^membered, that you wislied to be 

 apprised whether any new expedition 

 was in meditation for the South Seas. 

 I could get no intelligence worth com- 

 municating sooner, as nothing was re- 

 solved on during the absence of Captain 

 Cook; 



