4* COOK’s VOYAGE, 
happened that in the log book I found Matuaro transformed 
into CumeitizvarroTVeia : and the fame transformation, by the 
fame means, might happen to an Engliih word. Suppofe a 
native of New Zealand at Hackney church, to enquire “ what 
village is this ?” the anfwer would be, “ it is Hackney 
fuppofe the queftion to be repeated with an air of doubt and an- 
certainty, the anfwer might be “it is Hackney indeed,” and 
the New Zealander, if he had the ufe of letters, would probab- 
ly record, for the information of his countrymen, that during 
his reftdence among us he had vifited a village called “ Ityf- 
hakneeindede.” The article ufed by the inhabitants of the 
South Sea iflands inftead of he or kc , is to or ta, but the word 
•eia is common to both ; and when we began to learn the lan- 
guage, it led us into many ridiculous miftakes. 
But fuppofxng thefe iflands, and thofe in the South Seas, 
to have been peopled originally from the fame country, it 
will perhaps for ever remain a doubt what country that is r 
we were, However, unanimoufly of opinion, that the people 
did not come from America, which lies to the eaftward ; and 
except there fhould appear to be a continent to the fouthward ^ 
in a moderate latitude, it will follow that they came from the- 
weftvrard. 
Thus far our navigation has certainly been unfavourable to 
the notion of a fouthern continent, for it has fwept away at 
leak three-fourths of the portions upon which it has been found- 
ed. The principal navigators, whofe authority has been urged 
t<n this occafion, are Tafman, Juan Fernandes, Hermite^ 
the commander of a Dutch fquadron, Quiros, and Roggeweinj 
and the track of the Endeavour has demonftrated that the 
land fecn by thefe perfons, and fuppofed to be part of a conti- 
nent, is net fo ; it has alfo totally l'ubverted the theoretical ar- 
guments which have been brought to prove that the exiftence o£ 
3 Cuthern continent is neceffary to preferve an equilibrium be- 
tween the two hemifpheres; for upon this principle what we 
have already proved to be water, would render the fouthern 
hemifphere too light. In our rout to the northward, after 
doubling Cape Horn, when we were in the latitude of 40 3 , 
oar longitude was 1 io° ; and in our return to the fouthward, 
after leaiing Ulietea, when we were again in latitude 40°, our 
longitude was 145 0 ; the difference is 3 5 0 . When we were 
in latitude 30° the difference of longitude between the two 
tracks was 21 0 , which continued till we were as low as 20° ; 
but a fingle view of the chart will convey a better Elea of this 
than the moil minute defeription r yet. as upon a view of the 
chart it will appear that there is a large fpace extending quite 
to the Tropics, which neither we, nor any other navigators 
to our knowledge have explored, and as there will appear to 
Le room enough for the Cape of a fouthern continent, to ex- 
tend 
