6o SIEGE OF THE SOUTH POLE 
an age when merit was by no means the usual road to 
promotion. 
Cook received the rank of Lieutenant and sailed in 
1768 with orders to proceed to King George III. Island 
or Otaheite, recently discovered by Wallis — at this time 
no one knew that it had previously been known to 
Quiros — and after observing the transit of Venus there 
on June 1st, 1769, to sail southward for exploration. He 
circumnavigated and surveyed New Zealand, proving 
that it was no part of any Antarctic continent, charted 
the east coast of New Holland and sailed through the 
strait between it and New Guinea, a strait, as Dalrymple 
pointed out with vindictive pleasure, which had pre- 
viously been discovered by Torres. 
During Cook's absence Dalrymple had completed and 
published his valuable “ Historical Collection of the Sev- 
eral Voyages and Discoveries in the South Pacific 
Ocean," which first gave prominence to the work of 
Quiros and his successors. The dedication of the 
volume was so characteristic that it is worth reproducing 
in its entirety. 
Not — to Him 
Who discovered scarcely any thing 
But — Patagonians ; 
Nor — to Him 
Who, from 20° South Latitude, 
Determined 
To come — Home 
Into 50° North, 
Thinking it impossible 
To go — into 30° South, 
On Discovery; 
