which our commander had given him on his former visit. Oedidee, who for seven months had been the faithful compan1on of our voyagers, and had made with them the tour of the Pacific, was put on shore at Ulietea. He left the English with regret demonstrative of a strong attachment to them; and nothing could have torn him from them but the fear of never returning to his native country. He was a fine young man, of a docile and humane disposition, and of the better class of natives, being nearly related to Opoony, the formidable chief of Borabora. But from his inexperience and imperfect acquaintance with the traditionary knowledge of his countrymen, but little could be learned from him respecting their history.

Cook again directed his course to the west, and repeated his visit to the Friendly Islands. This name he gave to a group extending through about 3 degrees of latitude and 2 degrees of longitude, and comprising Anamooka, which Tasman, who first discovered it, named Rotterdam, Tonga-taboo or Amsterdam, Eaoowee or Middleburg, and Pylstart Islands. But this appellation, to which these islands were entitled by the firm alliance and friendship which seemed to exist among their inhabitants, and their courteous behaviour to strangers, might perhaps be extended much further, so as to include the Boscawen and Keppel Isles discovered by Captain Wallis, and inhabited by people of the same friendly manners.

Pursuing their course to the west, our navigators discovered, on the 16th of July, land, which was justly conjectured to be the Terra Australis del Espirito Santo of Quiros. After exploring the coast for a few days, Cook came to an anchor in a harbour in the island of Mallicolo. The inhabitants of this island were the most ugly and deformed race which our navigators had yet seen, and differed in every respect from the other inhabitants of the Southen Ocean: they were dark coloured, of small stature, with long heads, flat faces, and countenances resembling that of a monkey. Their language, also, was found not to have any discoverable affinity with that prevailing through the islands with which the English had any acquaintance. This people differed. likewise, from the great Polynesian race not more by their language and figure than by their scrupulous honesty. As our navigators proceeded towards the south from Mallicolo, they passed by a group which Cook named Shepherd's Isles. Further to the south was discovered a large island agreeably diversified with woods and lawns over the whole surface, and exhibiting a most beautiful and delightful prospect. This, our navigator named Sandwich Island in compliment to his friend and patron the earl of Sandwich. Still further to the south was seen another large island, called by the natives Erromango, which he coasted for three days, and then came to an

anchor, in the intention of procuring a supply of wood and water. This, however, could not be effected without a violent conflict with the natives, who were both fierce and treacherous. It was observed that they differed from the inhabitants of Mallicolo both in language and physical conformation; they were well shaped and had tolerable features, but dark coloured, and with hair crisp and somewhat woolly. From this place Cook sailed for an island which had been descried some time before at a distance. He found that it was called Tanna by the inhabitants, from whom also he learned the names of three other islands in its neighbourhood, Immer, Erronan, and Anaton. Two languages were found to be spoken in Tanna; one of them, which was said to have been introduced from Erronan, was nearly the same with that of the Friendly Islands. The other, which our navigators considered peculiar to Tanna, Erromango, and Anaton, was different from any they had hitherto met with in the course of their researches. The people at Tanna were well proportioned, but not robust. They had good features and agreeable countenances. Though active, and fond of martial exercises, they seemed incapable of patient labour. It appeared that they practised circumcision, and that they were eaters of human flesh; though, as their island abounded with hogs and fowls, and a variety of fruits, they could not be driven by necessity to adopt this horrid practice.

Captain Cook devoted above a month to the survey of this archipelago, with which previous navigators had made but a superficial acquaintance. The northern islands were discovered, in 1606, by Quiros, who supposed them to be portions of the great southern continent. Bougainville, in 1768, dispelled this idea, though he did not proceed to examine the islands near which he sailed; but captain Cook, besides ascertaining the extent and situation of the islands already known, explored the whole group; and, conceiving that in consequence he had a right to name them, bestowed on them the appellation of the New Hebrides.

The season was now approaching, when it would be necessary to resume his researches in a high southern latitude, and he hastened therefore to New Zealand, where he intended to refresh his people, and prepare for a navigation of considerable length. He sailed from the New Hebrides on the 1st of September, and on the 4th discovered land, near which the Resolution came to anchor the next day. The inhabitants were a strong, active, and handsome race, bearing some resemblance to the people of Tanna, and those of the Friendly Isles. The same mixed character was observed in their language: they had never seen Europeans before, but were friendly and obliging in their behaviour; and, what is still more remarkable in

the South Seas, strictly honest in all their dealings. To this island captain Cook gave the name of New Caledonia: and though compelled by necessity to leave it before it was fully surveyed, he had nevertheless examined it sufficiently to prove that, excepting New Zealand, it is perhaps the largest island in the South Pacific Ocean. As the Resolution pursued her course from New Caledonia, land was discovered, which, on a nearer approach, was found to be an island of good height, and about five leagues in circuit. It was uninhabited, and probably our English navigators were the first persons who had ever set foot on it. In its vegetable productions it bore a close resemblance to New Zealand: the flax plant of that country was here particularly luxuriant; but the chief produce of the island was a majestic species of pine, of such a size that, breast high, two men could scarcely clasp the trunk. This little spot was named Norfolk Island. Its fine woods and fertile soil allured, some years later, a party of British settlers; who finally abandoned it, however, from the inaccessible nature of its coast.

On the 18th of October the Resolution came to anchor in Queen Charlotte's Sound. This was the third time of touching at New Zealand during this voyage. On searching for the bottle which Cook had left behind on his last visit, containing the particulars of his arrival, it was found to have been taken away; and from other circumstances it was evident that the Adventure had visited the harbour after the Resolution had left it. While the Resolution remained here, the intercourse maintained with the natives was of the most friendly description; captain Cook continued his efforts to stock the island with useful animals, and for that purpose ordered a boar and sow to be put on shore.

On the 10th of November he left New Zealand to pursue his voyage to the east. Towards the close of that month, he had reached the latitude of 55° 48′ S., when, deeming it useless to search any longer for a continent in that direction, he bore away for Cape Horn; and, on the 17th of December, had sight of Tierra del Fuego. This is the first instance of a run quite across the Southern Pacific. It now only remained for our navigator to cross also the Southern Atlantic to the point whence he had commenced his explorations. Having completed his examination of Tierra del Fuego and Staaten Land, he proceeded towards the east; and, after a voyage of ten days, land was seen at a distance, nearly covered with snow. On approaching the shore, it was found to be terminated in many places by perpendicular ice cliffs of considerable height. Pieces continually broke off with a noise like the report of cannon, and floated out to sea. The general aspect of the country was savage and horrid in the extreme. The wild rocks raised their lofty sum

mits till they were lost in the clouds, and the valleys lay covered with everlasting snow. Our navigator, who at first view of this land supposed that it might be a continent, confesses that he was not much disappointed on discovering his error; " for to judge of the bulk by the sample it would not be worth discovering. "In latitude 59°, and about 8° to the east of New Georgia, as this inhospitable shore was named, land was again seen, presenting an elevated coast, whose lofty snow-clad summits reached above the clouds. To this bleak region Cook gave the name of the Southern Thule, as it was the most southern land which had yet been discovered; but on leaving the coast he gave to the whole country the general appellation of Sandwich Land, which he concluded to be either a group of islands or a point of the southern continent. But the great quantities of ice which he met with led him to infer the existence of a large tract of land near the south pole. He now sailed as far as the latitude assigned to Bouvet's supposed discovery; but no indications of land occurred, nor was it possible to believe any longer in the existence of Cape Circumcision.

Cook had now made a circuit of the Southern Ocean in a high latitude, and traversed it in such a manner as to demonstrate that no southern continent existed unless near the pole, and beyond the reach of navigation. During this circumnavigation of the globe, from the time of his leaving the Cape of Good Hope, to his return to it again, he had sailed no less than 20,000 leagues. On the 13th of July, 1775, he landed at Portsmouth, having been absent from Great Britain three years and eighteen days; during which time, and under all changes of climate, he had lost but four men, and only one of them by sickness.

It has been related above, that captain Cook, on approaching New Zealand for the second time in the course of this voyage, lost sight of the Adventure, and never joined company with that ship again. Captain Furneaux was long baffled by adverse winds in his attempt to reach Queen Charlotte's Sound, which was appointed the rendezvous for the ships in case of separation. At length, on the 30th of November, the Adventure got safe into the desired port. The Resolution not being there, captain Furneaux and his company began to entertain doubts of her safety; but, on going ashore, they observed on an old stump of a tree these words cut out-"Look underneath." They dug accordingly, and soon found a bottle corked and waxed down, with a letter in it from captain Cook, signifying his arrival on the 3d, and departure on the 24th. Great exertions were now. made to get the Adventure ready for sea, and on the 17th of December, the preparations being completed, Mr. Rowe, a midshipman, with nine men, were sent in the large cutter to gather a stock of wild greens for the ship's company. As the boat did

not return the same evening nor the next morning, and the ship was now ready for sea, Mr. Burney, the second lieutenant, proceeded in search of her, in the launch, manned with the boat's crew and ten marines. The launch proceeded, firing guns into all the coves by way of signals, but no traces of the cutter were found till they reached Grass Cove: here a great many baskets were seen lying on the beach tied up; when cut open, some of them were found to be full of roasted flesh, and some of fern root, which served the natives for bread. On further search, some shoes were picked up, and a hand, which was immediately known to have belonged to Thomas Hill, one of the forecastle men, the initials of his name being marked on it with an Otaheitan tatooing instrument. The natives were collected in considerable numbers round Grass Cove, shouting and inviting the English to land, but evidently with no friendly intentions. From their numbers, and the suspicion which their conduct excited in our people, Lieutenant Burney did not deem it prudent to trust himself among them, but he pursued his examination far enough to obtain a melancholy certainty as to the fate of his unfortunate companions. "On the beach," he says, "were two bundles of celery, which had been gathered for loading the cutter; a broken oar was stuck upright in the ground, to which the natives had tied their canoes, a proof that the attack had been made here. I then searched all along at the back of the beach to see if the cutter was there. We found no boat, but instead of her such a shocking scene of carnage and barbarity as can never be mentioned nor thought of but with horror; for the heads, hearts, and lungs of several of our people were seen lying on the beach; and, at a little distance, the dogs gnawing their entrails." The men who had thus fallen victims to the barbarity of the natives were among the healthiest and best of the ship's

crew.

The Adventure was detained in the sound four days after this lamentable occurrence; during which time no natives were seen. On the 23d of December, however, she got to sea, and in little more than a month reached Cape Horn, being favoured by a strong current running to the east, and by westerly winds which blow continually in the summer season in the great ocean. Captain Furneaux continued his course eastward to the Cape of Good Hope, where he refitted his ship and refreshed his people. He then sailed for England, and anchored at Spithead on the 14th of July, 1774.