xvi 
INTRODUCTION. 
[Prior Discoveries. 
Bligh. After the mutineers of the Bounty had forced their commander, 
17S9 ' lieutenant (now rear-admiral) William Bligh, to embark in the 
launch, near the island Tqfoa; he steered for Coepang, a Dutch 
settlement, at the south-west end of Timor. In the way, he made 
the east coast of New South Wales, in about 12 " of south latitude ; 
and, sailing northward, passed round Cape York and the Prince of 
Wales' Islands. 
It was not to be supposed, that captain Bligh, under the circum- 
stances of extreme distress, of fatigue, and difficulty of every kind, 
could do much for navigation and geography ; yet, he took views 
and made such observations and notes, as enabled him to construct 
a chart of his track, and of the lands and reefs seen from the launch. 
And as captain Bligh passed to the north of the Prince of Wales' 
Islands, whereas captain Cook had passed to the south, his interest- 
ing narrative, with the accompanying chart, made an useful addition 
to what little was yet known of Torres' Strait.* 
Edwakds. Captain (now admiral) Edward Edwards of His Majesty's 
1791 " frigate Pandora, on his return from the island Taheity,f made the 
reefs of Torres' Strait, on Aug. 25 ; in about the latitude 10° south, 
and two degrees of longitude to the east of Cape York. Steering 
from thence westward, he fell in with three islands, rather high, 
which he named Murray's ; lying in latitude 9 0 57' south, and 
longitude 143 0 4,2' east ;% and some canoes, with two masts, were 
seen running within side of the reef which lay between the islands 
and the ship. This reef was of considerable extent ; and, during 
* Bligh's " Voyage to the South Seas in H. M. Ship Bounty," page 218—221. 
t Commonly written Otaheite; but the O is either an article or a preposition, and 
forms no part of the name : Bougainville writes it Ta'iti. 
% !n Plates I. and XIII. Murray's Islands are laid down according to their situations 
afterwards ascertained in the Investigator; and the reefs, seen by the Pandora, are placed 
jn their relative positions to those islands. 
