H 
2(1 A Momentous Decision : Discovery 
oi New South Wales. 
Cook having “ entirely circumnavigated New Zealand, and having 
found it, not as generally supposed, part of a continent, but two 
islands, and having not the least reason to imagine that any country 
larger than itself lay in its neighbourhood, it was resolved to leave 
it and proceed upon further discoveries on our return to England.” 
They found they had provisions for an extension of the cruise and 
that the ship was seaworthy, so a “ consultation ” was held. Banks 
being a member of this council or committee. 
Three schemes were proposed. Firstly, “ to return by Cape Horn, 
keeping all the way in the high latitudes, by which means we might 
with certainty determine whether or not a southern continent existed.” 
Banks calls this scheme “ much the most ehgible,” and the reference 
to a “ southern continent ” was to one near the Antarctic Circle. 
Later on Banks proceeds to say “ that a southern continent really 
exists I firmly believe,” and goes on to suggest and discuss a South 
Polar expedition, “ promoted by the Royal Society,” .such as was 
undertaken in later years. The “ Endeavour,” however, was not 
equal to the expedition, owing to the state of her sails and rigging. 
Then we have the second proposal, which was “ to steer to the 
southward of Van Diemen’s Land, and stand away directly for the 
Cape of Good Hope.” This was rejected for an opposite reason to 
that which caused the rejection of the first proposal, namely, that 
their supplies were more than sufficient for such a voyage, and they 
were not going home with much in the larder. The third, therefore, 
was unanimously agreed to — “ which was to stand immediately to 
the westward, fall in with the coast of New Holland as soon as possible, 
and after following that to the northward as far as seemed proper, 
to attempt to fall in with the lands seen by Quiros in 1606 . In doing 
this we hoped to make discoveries more interesting to trade at least 
than any we had yet made. We were obliged, certainly, to give up 
our first grand object — the southern continent; this for my own part, 
I confess, I could not do without much regret.”* 
Thus was arrived at a decision which may fairly be described as 
momentous, for the result of it was the discovery of New South Wales, 
and later on, the settlement by the British of the Australian continent. 
Banks’ words show that a South Polar expedition was very near 
•sir J. I). Hooker’s “ Journal of Sir Joseph Banks.” p 255. 
