nly one great problem to maritime geography still remained to be
solved, that of the north-west passage, which, as we have seen,
had so frequently been tried by English navigators, working from
the east through Hudson's Bay. In 1776 Cook was deputed by George
III. to attempt the solution of this problem by a new method. He
was directed to endeavour to find an opening on the north-west
coast of America which would lead into Hudson's Bay. The old legend
of Juan de Fuca's great bay still misled geographers as to this
coast. Cook not alone settled this problem, but, by advancing through
Behring Strait and examining both sides of it, determined that
the two continents of Asia and America approached one another as
near as thirty-six miles. On his return voyage he landed at Owhyee
(Hawaii), where he was slain in 1777, and his ships returned to
England without adding anything further to geographical knowledge.

Cook's voyages had aroused the generous emulation of the French,
who, to their eternal honour, had given directions to their fleet
to respect his vessels wherever found, though France was at that
time at war with England. In 1783 an expedition was sent, under
Francois de la Perouse, to complete Cook's work. He explored the
north-east coast of Asia, examined the island of Saghalien, and
passed through the strait between it and Japan, often called by
his name. In Kamtschatka La Perouse landed Monsieur Lesseps, who
had accompanied the expedition as Russian interpreter, and sent home
by him his journals and surveys. Lesseps made a careful examination
of Kamtschatka himself, and succeeded in passing overland thence
to Paris, being the first European to journey completely across
the Old World from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. La Perouse
then proceeded to follow Cook by examining the coast of New South
Wales, and to his surprise, when entering a fine harbour in the
middle of the coast, found there English ships engaged in settling
the first Australian colony in 1787. After again delivering his
surveys to be forwarded by the Englishmen, he started to survey
the coast of New Holland, but his expedition was never heard of
afterwards. As late as 1826 it was discovered that they had been
wrecked on Vanikoro, an island near the Fijis.

We have seen that Cook's exploration of the eastern coast of Australia
was soon followed up by a settlement. A number of convicts were
sent out under Captain Philips to Botany Bay, and from tha