COOK IN "ENDEAVOUR" 89 



rymple, Earl of Stair, the famous authority on the law of Scotland, 

 was an enthusiastic and scientific geographer, and a shrewd and 

 capable collector, critic and editor of Voyages. Many important 

 documents came to light through his industrious researches. He 

 had conducted marine surveys in the East Indies, and had been 

 present at the capture of Manila by the British fleet in 1762. 



When the Royal Society initiated the project of a Transit of 

 Venus expedition, Dalrymple was consulted as to the details and 

 claimed to have actually selected the " Endeavour " as a suitable 

 vessel. He was nominated as Observer of the transit and expected 

 to be given command of the ship, and might have received it had 

 not the conduct of the expedition been turned over to the Royal 

 Navy. The Naval authorities could not possibly have sent out 

 tars and marines under the command of a civilian. Dalrymple 

 was of the merchant service, and the Admiralty put Lieutenant 

 Cook in command. 



This disappointment was never forgotten by Dalrymple during 

 his long and useful after life. (He was born in 1737 and died in 1808.) 

 The memory of his grievance undoubtedly lent a tinge of bitterness 

 to his criticism of the explorers of his own time. 



COMMODORE (afterwards Admiral) BYRON, in H.M.S. "Dolphin," 

 made a voyage round the world (1764-6), in the course of which 

 he devoted a good deal of attention to Patagonia. 



In 1766, after Byron's return to England, CAPTAIN WALLIS was 

 sent out with the " Dolphin " and CAPTAIN CARTARET with the 

 " Swallow " to continue the discoveries made by Byron. The 

 " Dolphin " parted with the " Swallow " after passing the Straits of 

 Magellan and subsequently visited Prince Rupert Island, Whitsun 

 Island, Tahiti, etc., returning to Ungland in 1768. In Tahiti the 

 men of the " Dolphin " made themselves much at home. The 

 official account of the voyage may be read in Vol. Ill of A Collection 

 of Voyages round the World performed by Royal Authority, London, 

 1790. A shorter History of Wallis and Cartaret's Voyage round the 

 World (London, A. Wren and G. Hodges) hints at dalliance with 

 the ladies, in passages such as these : "Port Royal, 5th July, 1767. 

 The Captain was entertained by a lady of authority, whom he 

 called his Queen." ..." 27th July. The Queen parted from him 

 with wild demonstrations of regret. This Island is represented 

 by Captain Wallis as one of the most pleasant in the universe." It 

 was owing to the representations of Wallis that Cook was directed 

 to Port Royal as a favourable locality for the observation of the 

 transit. 



DALRYMPLE, while Cook was prosecuting his momentous first 

 voyage, issued his admirable Historical Collection of the Several 

 Voyages and Discoveries in the South Pacific Ocean, and seized the 

 opportunity of expressing in a DEDICATION which is one of the 

 curiosities of literature, his opinion of Byron, Wallis and another 



