354 SIR JOSEPH BANKS. 



his adventurous company, to the admiration and grati- 

 tude of their country. 



Before the vessel was allowed to have any com- 

 munication with the shore, Captain Cook required 

 every person on Board to deliver up all his jour- 

 nals, notes, drawings and other papers a requisition 

 which was immediately and cheerfully complied with. 

 No leave was given to make any disclosures or any 

 separate publication until the Government had deter- 

 mined on the person into whose hands the official ac- 

 counts should be placed for being communicated to 

 the public. Dr. Hawkesworth was pitched upon, and 

 he is allowed to have performed his task with reason- 

 able ability and with perfect fidelity. Mr. Parkinson, 

 brother of one of Sir Joseph Banks's attendants, indeed 

 his draughtsman, broke through the rule, and pub- 

 lished a tract with drawings ; but the book was speedily 

 bought up by his liberal and spirited employer, and 

 the irregular publication proceeded no further. 



The results of the voyage were highly important. 

 The observations necessary for ascertaining the solar 

 parallax had been made with perfect success. The 

 manners of the natives in the Society Islands had been 

 examined, and the singular state of their society ascer- 

 tained. Their products, vegetable, mineral, and animal, 

 as well as those of New Holland, New Zealand, and 

 New Guinea, had been fully explored, chiefly by Mr. 

 Banks and his learned companion. The coast of New 

 Holland had been thoroughly surveyed as well as the 

 whole of New Zealand. These two islands had been 

 shown not to form a portion of any southern continent; 

 and the existence of such a continent as far as the 47th 

 degree of south latitude had been disproved. All now 

 joined in rendering due praise to the leaders of the 

 expedition ; and its illustrious commander was immedi- 

 ately raised a step in the naval profession. But it is 

 fit that we here pause to reflect on the large share which 

 Mr. Banks had in the conduct of the expedition, that 



