2 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 8o 



and engaged to embark with me, for the express purpose of supplying 

 the unavoidable imperfections of written accounts, by enabling us to 

 preserve, and to bring home, such "drawings of the most memorable 

 scenes of our transactions, as could only be executed by a professed 

 and skillful artist." This tends to prove with what great interest the 

 drawings were accepted, how very important they were considered, 

 and how skillfully and accurately they must have been prepared. 



John Webber, to whom the preceding notes refer, was born in Lon- 

 don in 1752. His father was a Swiss sculptor whose name, Weber, 

 became Anglicized to the form used by the son. When quite young- 

 John Webber was sent to Paris where he studied under J. G. Wille. 

 He also went to Berne, Switzerland, and there became a student under 

 J. L. Aberli. After an absence of about five years he returned to be 

 with his family in London. He then became a student of the Royal 

 Academy, and the next year, 1776, through the influence of Doctor 

 Solander, was appointed draftsman to accompany Ca])tain Cook on 

 his last voyage. The expedition returned in 1780, and Webber then 

 superintended the engraving of the collection of drawings and sketches 

 which he had made for the Admiralty. The majority of his original 

 sketches were quite large and it became necessary for him to make 

 replicas, reduced to the proper size for the engravers. These were 

 " engraved by the most eminent Artists " and appeared in 1784 to 

 illustrate the narrative of the expedition, entitled : A Voyage to the 

 Pacific Ocean, undertaken by the Command of His Majesty, for mak- 

 ing Discoveries in the Northern Hemisphere Published by 



Order of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. It was issued 

 in three volumes, the first two having been prepared by Captain James 

 Cook, the third by Captain James King. Having completed his work 

 for the Admiralty, Webber prepared a series of the more important 

 and interesting views, etched and colored, which he published pri- 

 vately. During the years 1784, 1785, and 1786 he exhibited pictures 

 made on the voyage. He was elected A. R. A., 1785, and R. A.. 1791. 

 He died at his home in London. May 29, 1793. 



The twelve drawings reproduced at this time are believed to have 

 belonged to the Admiralty. Later they were owned by Sir William 

 Campbell who was Governor of New Brunswick, 1831-1835, from 

 whom they passed to his descendants. Five of the original sketches 

 are reproduced for the first time ; others were greatly changed by the 

 engravers when first published. The 12 drawings are now in the 

 private collection of the author. 



