BANKS' INTEREST IN THE PROGRESS OF AUSTRALIA. 
179 
Father Tenison- Woods* suggests that Banks procured this document 
on the occasion of the visit of the “ Endeavour ” to Batavia on the 
way to England after the discovery of Xew South Wales. 
Collingridget has reprinted the instructions, with critical notes, in 
his very valuable work. 
The same authorj offers remarkable evidence that Banks knew of the 
existence of Torres Straits before he embarked on the “ Endeavour,” 
and that there was a friendly difference of opinion (afterwards removed) 
between him and Cook on the subject. It is additional testimony to 
the merit of Banks as an explorer. 
I give the quotation : — 
But although Dalrymple’s Historical Collection of Voyages, &c., 1770, appeared 
too late to form part of the “ Kndeavour’s ” library. Captain Cook and Sir Joseph 
Banks were in possession of the information contained in that work when they 
passed through Torres Straits. This would appear from a letter wTitten by 
Dalrymple to the editor of '* Cook’s Voyages.” We do not know whether this 
letter has been published in any English work, but it was published in 1774 in 
a translation of Dalrymple’s work by M. de Frcville, entitled Voyages dans 
la mer du Sud.” From page 40!) to .)02 of that work, there is a long letter from 
Dalrymple to Hawkesworth, in which Dalrymple states that he gave to ^Ir. Banks 
(since Sir Joseph Banks) a collection of the discoveries attempted in the Pacific 
Ocean, with a map of those discoveries drawn by himself, and which he published 
only after the return of .M. de Bougainville. Dalrymple also states that he had 
marked Torres’ track on his maj) from information contained in Arias’ memorial, 
and that the track thus markeil determined the course of the ” Endeavour ” 
between A’ew Guinea and Xew Holland. Opinions, he says, were at first divided : 
Captain Cook, on the authority of Mr. Pingri% pretended that Torres had sailed 
to the north of Xew Guinea; Mr. Banks, on the contrary, maintained that he had 
left Xew Guinea on his right-hand side. The route marked on my map, says 
Dalrymple, was, at last, unanimously adoj)ted, &c. : “II n’est pas moins vrai, 
que la route de Torres (pie j’avois dessiniie sur ma carte d’apres le memoire d’ Arias, 
(letermina V Endvrtvour a passer entre la Xouvelle Hollande and la Xouvelle Guince. 
Les opinions avoient d’abord cte partagees; le Capitaine Cook, s’appuyant sur 
I’autorite de M. Pingrc, j)retendoit que Torres avoit fait voile au Xord de la 
Xouvelle Guince; M. Banks soutenoit au contraire qu’il avoit laisse la Xouvelle 
Guince a droite. La route dessiu' e sur ma carte rcunit enfin les suffrages.” And 
Dalrymple adds that his map was not compiled from conjectures, but from facts. 
On Sir Joseph Banks’ return from his voyage round the world, he 
was looked upon as an authority upon the countries he had visited. 
The country in regard to which the greatest interest was taken, was 
the vast, undefined territory of Xew Holland ; and Britain, having 
recently lost most of her American colonies, looked about, according 
to the views held at that time, for a land in which to dispose of certain 
of the occupants of her prisons. 
Examined as a witness before a Committee of the House of Commons, 
appointed in 1779 to inquire into the state of the gaols and the question 
• Che Auetralian Monthly .\la<jazine, iii, 440 (1866). 
t Op. cU., 240. 
X Op. cit., 200. 
