An Account of the Voyages Undertaken by the Order of His Present Majesty, For Making Discoveries in the Southern Hemisphere. Vol. II

1775

Shoults Irb 1775 H

Dublin: Printed for James Williams

Lieutenant James Cook left England in the Endeavour on his first voyage of discovery on 26 August 1768. He arrived at Tahiti on 13 April 1769, where he was to observe the Transit of Venus. He also had ‘sealed’ orders: to search the south Pacific for the elusive southern continent Terra Australis. Cook returned to England on 17 July 1771. The voyage was a success: the whole coast-line of New Zealand was mapped (minus minor errors); the south-eastern coast of Australia was recorded for the first time (April 1770); longitude certainty was improved; and a full array of natural history specimens and drawings were brought home for scientific investigation. The engraving of this waka (canoe) was based on the sketch by Sydney Parkinson. Gable End Foreland, near Tolaga Bay, is in the background.