L 49 8 3
ABSTRACT OF CAPTAIN COOK’S FIRST VOYAGE.
Begun in 1768 , andJiniJJjed in 1771 .
A FEW years after His prefent Majefty’s acceffion to the throne, he turned his-thoughts to voyages of difcovery, particularly in the fouthern hemifphere. Threewere made by Captain (now Admiral) Byron, Captain Wallis, and Captain Carteret,at different periods. In confequence of their fuccefs, other voyages were thought ofupon a more enlarged fcale, and carried into execution by Captain Cook , who madethree alfo ; in the laft of which he unhappily loft his life. Of this a compendium hasbeen already laid before the public; and his two former expeditions are now intendedto be given in the fame fummary manner.
Captain Cook received his commiffion in the month of May, 1768, and on the26th of Augufl following, failed from Plymouth in the Endeavour, a veffel of aboutthree hundred tons, which was originally intended for the coal trade.
Mr. Banks, a gentleman of confiderable property in Lincolnfhire (now Sir JofephBanks, and Prefident of the Royal Society), and Dr. Solander, a native of Sweden ,who had ftudied under Linnaeus , both undertook, from a laudable defire of acquiringknowledge in aftronomy and botany, to accompany the captain. The former of thefegentlemen was not long returned from a voyage to Newfoundland ; his principal objednow was to view the tranfit of Venus. They took two draftfmen with them ; one todelineate fubjeds in natural hiflory, the other landfcapes. Mr. Banks had alfo a fecre-tary and four fervants.
Thurfday, December 8th, 1768, having procured all neceffary fupplies, they leftRio de Janeiro . They did not meet with any material occurrence from this time to-the 22d, when they were furrounded by great numbers of porpoifes, of a Angular fpe-cies, which were about fifteen feet in length, and of an afh colour. On the 23d theyobferved an eclipfe of the moon ; and about feven o’clock in the morning a fmall whitecloud appeared in the weft, from which a train of fire iflued, extending itfelf wefterly jabout two minutes after they heard two diftind loud explofions, immediately fucceed-ing each other, like cannon, after which the cloud foon difappeared.
On the 30th they ran upwards of fifty leagues, through vaft numbers of land in-feds, fome in the air, and others upon the water ; they appeared to refemble exadlythe flies that are feen in England, though they were thirty leagues from land, andfome of thefe infeds never quit it beyond a few yards.
January 4th, 1769, they faw an appearance of land, which they miftook forPepy sifland ; but on their ftanding towards it, it proved what the failors call a Fog Bank.On the 14th they entered the ftreight of Le Maire ; but the tide being againft them,they were driven out with great violence, and the waves ran fo high, that the flnp sbowfprit was frequently under water; at length however they got anchorage, at theentrance of a little cove, which Captain Cook called St. Vincent’s Bay.