6. One more discovery, for which we are indebted to Captain Carteret, as similar in some degree to that last mentioned, may properly succeed it, in this enumeration. Dampier, in sailing round what was supposed to be part of the coast of New Guinea, discovered it to belong to a separate island, to which he gave the name of New Britain. But that the land which he named New Britain should be subdivided again into two separate large islands, with many smaller intervening, is a point of geographical information, which, if ever traced by any of the earliest navigators of the South Pacific, had not been handed down to the present age: And its having been ascertained by Captain Carteret, deserves to be mentioned as a discovery, in the strictest sense of the word; a discovery of the utmost importance to navigation. St George's Channel, through which his ship found a way, between New Britain and New Ireland, from the Pacific into the Indian Ocean, to use the Captain's own words, "is a much better and shorter passage, whether from the eastward or westward, than round all the islands and lands to the northward."[28]
[Footnote 28: The position of the Solomon Islands, Mendana's celebrated discovery, will no longer remain a matter in debate amongst geographers, Mr Dalrymple having, on the most satisfactory evidence, proved, that they are the cluster of islands which comprises what has since been called New Britain, New Ireland, etc. The great light thrown on that cluster by Captain Carteret's discovery, is a strong confirmation of this.--See Mr Dalrymple's Collection of Voyages, vol. i. p. 162-3.--D.]
V. The voyages of Byron, Wallis, and Carteret, were principally confined to a favourite object of discovery in the South Atlantic; and though accessions to geography were procured by them in the South Pacific, they could do but little toward giving the world a complete view of the contents of that immense expanse of ocean, through which they only held a direct track, on their way homeward by the East Indies. Cook, indeed, who was appointed to the conduct of the succeeding voyage, had a more accurate examination of the South Pacific entrusted to him. But as the improvement of astronomy went hand in hand, in his instructions, with that of geography, the Captain's solicitude to arrive at Otaheite time enough to observe the transit of Venus, put it out of his power to deviate from his direct track, in search of unknown lands that might lie to the south-east of that island. By this unavoidable attention to his duty, a very considerable part of the South Pacific, and that part where the richest mine of discovery was supposed to exist, remained unvisited and unexplored, during that voyage in the Endeavour. To remedy this, and to clear up a point, which, though many of the learned were confident of, upon principles of speculative reasoning, and many of the unlearned admitted, upon what they thought to be credible testimony, was still held to be very problematical; if not absolutely groundless, by others who were less sanguine or more incredulous; his majesty, always ready to forward every enquiry that can add to the stock of interesting knowledge in every branch, ordered another expedition to be undertaken. The signal services performed by Captain Cook, during his first voyage, of which we have given the outlines, marked him as the fittest person to finish an examination which he had already so skilfully executed in part. Accordingly, he was sent out in 1772, with two ships, the Resolution and Adventure, upon the most enlarged plan of discovery known in the annals of navigation. For he was instructed not only to circumnavigate the globe, but to circumnavigate it in high southern latitudes, making such traverses, from time to time, into every corner of the Pacific Ocean not before examined, as might finally and effectually resolve the much-agitated question about the existence of a southern continent, in any part of the southern hemisphere accessible by navigation.
The ample accessions to geography, by the discovery of many islands within the tropic in the Pacific Ocean, in the course of this voyage, which was carried on with singular perseverance, between three and four years, have been already stated to the reader. But the general search now made, throughout the whole southern hemisphere, as being the principal object in view, hath been reserved for this separate article. Here, indeed, we are not to take notice of lands that have been discovered, but of seas sailed through, where lands had been supposed to exist. In tracing the route of the Resolution and Adventure, throughout the South Atlantic, the South Indian, and the South Pacific Oceans that environ the globe, and combining it with the route of the Endeavour, we receive what may be called ocular demonstration, that Captain Cook, in his persevering researches, sailed over many an extensive continent, which, though supposed to have been seen by former navigators, at the approach of his ships, sunk into the bosom of the ocean, and, "like the baseless fabric of a vision, left not a rack behind."[29] It has been urged, that the existence of a southern continent is necessary to preserve an equilibrium between the two hemispheres. But however plausible this theory may seem at first sight, experience has abundantly detected its fallacy. In consequence of Captain Cook's voyage, now under consideration, we have a thorough knowledge of the state of the southern hemisphere, and can pronounce with certainty, that the equilibrium of the globe is effectually preserved, though the proportion of sea actually sailed through, leaves no sufficient space for the corresponding mass of land; which, on speculative arguments, had been maintained to be necessary.[30]
[Footnote 29: A very long note in the original is occupied by Mr Wales's reply to the observations of Monsieur le Monier, in the memoirs of the French Academy of Sciences for 1776, respecting what Captain Cook alleged in the account of his second voyage, of the non-existence of Cape Circumcision, said to have been discovered by Bouvet in 1738. As the subject, though exceedingly well treated by Mr Wales, is in itself of scarce any importance, and has long lost interest among scientific enquirers, who rest perfectly content with Captain Cook's examination, there appeared no inducement whatever to retain the note. The reader, it is confidently presumed, will be satisfied with what was said of it in the account of the former voyage.--E.]
[Footnote 30: The judgment of the ingenious author of Recherches sur Américains, on this question, seems to be very deserving of a place here: "Qu'on calcule, comme on voudra, on sera toujours contraint d'avouer, qu'il y a une plus grande portion de continent située dans la latitude septentrionale, que dans la latitude australe.
"C'est fort mal à-propos, qu'on a soutenu que cette répartition inégale ne sauroit exister, sous prétexte que le globe perdroit son équilibre, faute d'un contrepoids suffisant au pole méridionale. Il est vrai qu'un pied cube d'eau salée ne pese pas autant qu'un pied cube de terre; mais on auroit dû réfléchir, qu'il peut y avoir sous l'ocean des lits & des couches de matières, dont la pésanteur spécifique varie à l'infini, & que le peu de profondeur d'une mer, versée sur une grande surface, contrebalance les endroits où il y a moins de mer, mais où elle est plus profonde."--Recherches Philosophiques, tom. ii, p. 375.--D.
We offered some observations on this topic in the preceding volume, and need scarcely resume it, as it cannot be imagined that any of our readers still entertain the belief of the necessity for such an equilibrium. The object in again alluding to it, is to call attention to some observations of another kind, which Mr Jones has hazarded in one of his Physiological Disquisitions. According to him, no such thing as a southern counterpoise ought to have been expected, for it seems to be the constitution of our globe, that land and water are contrasted to each other on its opposite sides. "If," says he, "you bring the meridian of the Cape of Good Hope under the brazen circle, or universal meridian of a terrestrial globe, observing that this meridian passes through the heart of the continents of Europe and Africa, you will find that the opposite part of the meridian passes through the middle of the great, south sea. When the middle of the northern continent of America, about the meridian of Mexico, is examined in the same way, the opposite part passes very exactly through the middle of the Indian ocean. The southern continent of America is opposed by that eastern sea which contains the East India islands. The southern continent of New Holland is opposite to the Atlantic ocean. This alternation, if I may so call it, between the land and sea, is too regular to have been casual; and if the face of the earth was so laid out by design, it was for some good reason. But what that reason may be, it will be difficult to shew. Perhaps this disposition may be of service to keep up a proper balance; or, it may assist toward the diurnal rotation of the earth, the free motions of the tides, etc.; or the water on one side may give a freer passage to the rays of the sun, and being convex and transparent, may concentrate, or at least condense, the solar rays internally, for some benefit to the land that lies on the other side."--This sort of reasoning, from our ignorance, is no doubt liable to objection, and Mr Jones had good sense and candour enough to admit, that the questions were too abstruse for him to determine. The proper part, indeed, for man to act; is to investigate what Nature has done, not to dogmatize as to the reasons for her conduct--to ascertain facts, not to substitute conjectures in place of them. But it is allowable for us, when we have done our best in collecting and examining phenomena, to arrange them together according to any plausible theory which our judgments can suggest. Still, however, we ought to remember, that the most obviously imperative dictates of our reasoning faculties are only inferences from present appearances, and determine nothing as to the necessity of existing things.--E.]
If former navigators have added more land to the known globe than Captain Cook, to him, at least, was reserved the honour of being foremost in disclosing to us the extent of sea that covers its surface. His own summary view of the transactions of this voyage, will be a proper conclusion to these remarks: "I had now made the circuit of the southern ocean in a high latitude, and traversed it in such a manner as to leave not the least room for there being a continent, unless near the Pole, and out of the reach of navigation. By twice visiting the Tropical Sea, I had not only settled the situation of some old discoveries, but made there many new ones, and left, I conceive, very little to be done, even in that part. Thus I flatter myself, that the intention of the voyage has, in every respect, been fully answered; the southern hemisphere sufficiently explored; and a final end put to the searching after a southern continent, which has, at times, engrossed the attention of some of the maritime powers for near two centuries past, and been a favourite theory amongst the geographers of all ages."[31]
[Footnote 31: Cook's second VoyagE.]
Thus far, therefore, the voyages to disclose new tracks of navigation, and to reform old defects in geography, appear to have been prosecuted with a satisfactory share of success. A perusal of the foregoing summary of what had been done, will enable every one to judge what was still wanting to complete the great plan of discovery. The southern hemisphere had, indeed, been repeatedly visited, and its utmost accessible extremities been surveyed. But much uncertainty, and, of course, great variety of opinion, subsisted, as to the navigable extremities of our own hemisphere; particularly as to the existence, or, at least, as to the practicability of a northern passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, either by sailing eastward, round Asia, or westward, round North America.
It was obvious, that if such a passage could be effected, voyages to Japan and China, and, indeed, to the East Indies in general, would be much shortened; and consequently become more profitable, than by making the tedious circuit of the Cape of Good Hope. Accordingly, it became a favourite object of the English to effectuate this, above two centuries ago; and (to say nothing of Cabot's original attempt, in 1497, which ended in the discovery of Newfoundland and the Labradore coast) from Frobisher's first voyage to find a western passage, in 1576, to those of James and of Fox, in 1631, repeated trials had been made by our enterprising adventurers. But though farther knowledge of the northern extent of America was obtained in the course of these voyages, by the discovery of Hudson's and Baffin's Bays, the wished-for passage, on that side, into the Pacific Ocean, was still unattained. Our countrymen, and the Dutch, were equally unsuccessful, in various attempts, to find this passage in an eastern direction. Wood's failure, in 1676, seems to have closed the long list of unfortunate northern expeditions in that century; and the discovery, if not absolutely despaired of, by having been so often missed, ceased, for many years, to be sought for.