AUTHOR'S NOTE 



In the work here offered to the public an at- 

 tempt has been made to present as animated a 

 portrait as possible of the famous English navi- 

 gator. With this end in view, among the ex- 

 traordinary adventures of which the voyages of 

 Captain Cook are full, those have been chosen 

 which appear the most striking and most suit- 

 able in depicting the character of the man and 

 the genius of the sailor. The object has been 

 neither to cast a halo over the figure of James 

 Cook nor to drown it beneath a flood of erudi- 

 tion. Truth and clarity have above all things 

 been sought. 



Among the documents and works consulted, 

 the principal have been the Journal of Captain 

 Cook (first, second and third voyages) , the Jour- 

 nal of Sir Joseph Banks (first voyage) , the Jour- 

 nal of George Forsier (second voyage), and the 

 Journal of Lieutenant King (third voyage). 



Inspiration has also been found in the Life of 

 Captain Cook, by Dr. Kippis (London, 1788), 

 a fundamental work which has served as the 

 basis for all subsequent biographies of the cele- 

 brated sailor. 



