xxviii 
INTRODUCTION. 
* > 
been done, will enable every one to judge what was ftill 
wanting to complete the great plan of difcovery. The 
Southern hemifphere had, indeed, been repeatedly vilited, 
and its utraoft acceffible extremities been furveyed. But 
much uncertainty, and, of courfe, great variety of opinion, 
fubftfted, as to the navigable extremities of our own hemi¬ 
fphere ; particularly, as to the exigence, or, at lead:, as to 
the practicability of a Northern paffage between the Atlan¬ 
tic and Pacific Oceans, either by failing Eaihvard, round 
Alia, or Weft ward, round North America. 
It w'as obvious, that if fuch a paffage could be effected, 
voyages to Japan and China, and, indeed, to the Eaft Indies 
in general, would be much fhortened; and confequently 
become more profitable, than by making the tedious circuit 
of the Cape of Good Hope. Accordingly, it became a fa¬ 
vourite object of the Englifh to effectuate this, above two 
centuries ago; and (to fay nothing of Cabot’s original at¬ 
tempt, in 1497, which ended in the difcovery of Newfound¬ 
land, and the Labradore coaft) from Frobifher’s firft voyage 
to find a Weftern paffage, in 1576, to thofe of James and of 
Fox, in 1631, repeated trials had been made by our enter- 
prizing adventurers. But though farther knowledge of the 
Northern extent of America was obtained in the courfe of 
thefe voyages, by the difcovery of Hudfon’s and Baffin’s 
Bays, the wifhed-for paffage, on that fide, into the Pacific 
Ocean, was ftill unattained. Our countrymen, and the 
Dutch, were equally unfuccefsful, in various attempts, to 
find this paffage in an Eaftern direction. Wood’s failure, 
in 1676, feems to have clofed the long lift of unfortunate 
Northern expeditions in that century; and the difcovery, 
if not abfolutely defpaired of, by having been fo often 
miffed, ceafed, for many years, to be fought for. 
Mix 
