392 



POLYNESIA. 



15. History. The discovery of the Polynesian Islands has been one of the leading achieve- 

 ments of modern maritime enterprise. They were entirely unknown till a period subsequent 

 to the discovery of America, and of the passage round the Cape of Good Hope. In 1513, 

 however, Magellan passed through the Straits which bear his name, and measured the entire 

 breadth of the Pacific. He sailed southward of most of these islands, touchins; only at the 

 Ladrones, whence he proceeded to the Philippines. Drake and Cavendish, whose circum- 

 navigation was connected with their attacks upon the Spanish possessions in Peru and Mexico, 

 crossed the ocean too far north to come in contact with the principal groups. 



The Spaniards, about the end of the century, made considerable etlorts to explore the South 

 Sea from Peru. Mendana, in 1575, discovered in its eastern quarter the Solomon Isles ; and, 

 twenty years after, in proceeding to found a colony there, lie lighted upon a groiqi called from 

 him the Mendana, or, from his employer, the Marquesas Islands. Quiros, in the voyage dis- 

 tinguished by the discovery of New Holland, jjassed a considerable and fine island, v^hich he 

 named Sagittaria, and which there is great reason to suppose was Otaheite. 



The Dutch succeeded in the career of austral discoveiy. In 1615-16, Sclioiiten and Le 

 Maire doubled Cape Horn, discovering Staaten Land, and the Straits bearing the name of the 

 latter navigator. About the same time Tasman, from Java, performed the important voyage in 

 which, after discovering Van Dieman's Land and New Zealand, he arrived at tlie interesting 

 group of the Friendly Islands. Roggevvein, also, towards the end of the century, in crossing 

 the Pacific, made several discoveries, and, in particular, that of Easter Island. 



It was England, however, which, under the reign and auspices of George III., mainly achiev- 

 ed the exploration of this remote and interesting portion of the globe. The series of voyages 

 fitted out by government began with those of Byron, Wallis, and Carteret. Wallis was the 

 first who certainly touched on the beautiful shores of Otaheite ; and a number of detached 

 islands were brought to light by these navigators. But the three voyages of Cook, between 

 1707 and 1779, formed the grandest era of Oceanic discovery. If the Society and Friendly 

 Islands had been already known, he was the first who made careful observations on the charac- 

 ter and social state of the remarkable tribes by whom they are inhabited. The important group 

 of the .Sandwich islands was entirely discovered b}^ him, tliougli, from an unhajipy misunder- 

 standing, they proved the fatal scene of his untimely death. The operations of the same illus- 

 trious navigator in the Australasian islands, on the shoies of America, and in the arctic seas 

 north and south of these latitudes, do not belong to the present subject. At the close of the 

 career of Cook, all the leading outlines of the Polynesian region had been explored ; and the 

 efforts of Vancouver, his successor, were chiefly employed in completing the suivey of the 

 northwest coast of America. Yet ample and curious gleanings were still left for Bougainville, 

 the contemporary of Cook ; for Perouse, Labillardiere, and D'Entrecasteaux, after\^ards sent 

 out by the French government, who still more recently employed Freycinet, Duperrey, D'Ur- 

 ville, and Laplace. American navigators have made some important discoveries and some 

 interesting observations. Something still remained for the Russian navigators Krusenstern and 

 Kotzebue, and for Captain Beechey, not to mention other names of secondary importance. 

 There probably remain still detached islands, and even small groups, in this great expanse of 

 ocean, to reward the search of future navigators. 



