I hope this attempt at scientific accuracy will not frighten away readers young and old; and, if you can have patience with the author, you will, by reading this series of books on the great pioneers of British West Africa, Canada, Malaysia, West Indies, South Africa, and Australasia, get a clear idea of how the British Colonial Empire came to be founded.
You will find that I have often tried to tell the story in the words of the pioneers, but in these quotations I have adopted the modern spelling, not only in my transcript of the English original or translation, but also in the place and tribal names, so as not to puzzle or delay the reader. Otherwise, if you were to look out some of the geographical names of the old writers, you might not be able to recognize them on the modern atlas. The pronunciation of this modern geographical spelling is very simple and clear: the vowels are pronounced a = ah, e = eh, i = ee, o = o, ô = oh, ō = aw, ö = u in 'hurt', and u = oo, as in German, Italian, or most other European languages; and the consonants as in English.
H.H. JOHNSTON.
CONTENTS
| Chap. | Page | |
| [I.] | The General Features of Australasia | 15 |
| [II.] | The First Human Inhabitants of Australasia | 46 |
| [III.] | Spanish and Portuguese Explorers lead the Way to the Pacific Ocean | 88 |
| [IV.] | Dutch Discoveries | 129 |
| [V.] | Dampier's Voyages | 148 |
| [VI.] | James Cook's First Voyage | 178 |
| [VII.] | New South Wales | 225 |
| [VIII.] | Cook's Second and Third Voyages | 252 |
| [IX.] | Bligh and the "Bounty" | 278 |
| [X.] | The Results of the Pioneers' Work | 290 |