1776.] COOK SAILS FOR THE PACIFIC. 149 



with regard to the part of America bordering upon the North Pacific 

 Ocean ; which objects and views were, in every respect, conform- 

 able with justice, with the existing treaties between Great Britain 

 and other powers, and with the principles of national law then 

 generally admitted in civilized countries. The part of America in 

 question was known to Europeans only through the imperfect 

 accounts of the -Russian voyages, from which nothing certain was 

 learned, except that islands and other territories, supposed to be 

 extensive, had been found in the sea east of Kamtchatka. Of the 

 discoveries of the Spaniards, the most recent respecting which any 

 exact and authentic details had been communicated, were those 

 made by Vizcaino, in 1603 : he, however, had not advanced so far 

 north as the 45th degree of latitude, where Cook was to begin his 

 observations ; and between that parallel and the 56th, the southern- 

 most limit of the explorations of the Russians, was a vast space of 

 sea and land, concerning which all the accounts, previously given 

 to the world, were generally regarded as fabulous. Before Cook's 

 departure, information had indeed reached England, of voyages, 

 made by Spaniards, along the north-west coasts of America, during 

 the two preceding years,* and of colonies established by them in 

 that quarter, which may, perhaps, have rendered the British 

 government more solicitous to have those coasts examined by its 

 own officers : this information was, however, too vague to have 

 afforded any light for the direction of Cook's movements ; and it 

 has been already shown that no more satisfactory accounts of those 

 recent Spanish voyages had been obtained in England before 1780. 

 With these instructions, Cook sailed from Plymouth on the 12th 

 of July, 1776, in his old ship, the Resolution, accompanied by 

 another called the Discovery, under Captain Charles Gierke. Both 

 vessels were provided with every instrument and other means 

 which science or experience could suggest, for the effectual ac- 

 complishment of the great objects in view ; and that the officers 

 and crews were also judiciously selected, the results conclusively 

 proved. Among the lieutenants were Gore, (a native of Virginia,) 

 King, Bligh, and Burney, who afterwards rose to eminence in their 

 profession : of the inferior members of the body, one deserves to 

 be named — John Ledyard, of Connecticut, who thus passed four 

 years of his irregular and adventurous life in the humble capacity 

 of a corporal of marines, on board the Resolution. 



* See page 124 of this History. 



