disappointed of refreshments at every place they tried,
and losing men from scurvy. At Makassar they met with but an inhospitable
reception from the Dutch, who refused to permit them to receive
refreshments there, and after waiting at Bonthain, a place in Celebes,
several months, for the monsoon to change, they at last arrived at
Batavia, the only port in the Dutch Indies really open to ships, in June
1768. Thence, after heaving down and a thorough repair, they reached
home, via the Cape, on March 20th, 1769.

Of all the voyages before Cook's, Carteret's showed most determination
and true spirit of enterprise; and had his ship been better supplied, and
more suited to the exigencies of such a long cruise, he would, but for
one thing, have accomplished far more. This was the fatal disease, which
no captain had as yet succeeded in warding off, and which hampered and
defeated the efforts of the most enthusiastic. No man could go beyond a
certain point in disregarding the health of his crew.

These, then, were the kind of voyages, with their scanty fruits, to which
the English people were getting accustomed, and they were not such as to
encourage repetition.

In all the years that had elapsed since the Spaniards first sailed on the
Pacific, but little real knowledge of the lands in it had been gained.

Let us attempt to give a picture of what was known.

The Marquesas and Santa Cruz Group were known to exist; but of the
Solomons grave doubts were felt, as no man had seen them but Mendana, and
they were, if placed on a map at all, shown in very different longitudes.

Several voyagers had sighted different members of the extensive Paumotu
Group, but the varying positions caused great confusion.

Tahiti had been found by Wallis.

Tasman had laid down the south point of Tasmania, the western coast of
the North Island of New Zealand, and the Tonga Islands. Dampier and
Carteret had shown that New Britain and New Ireland were separate
islands, lying north-east of New Guinea. Quiros had found the northern
island of the New Hebrides.

But of none of these lands was anything really known. Those who had
visited them had merely touched. In no case had they gone round them, or
ascertained their limits, and their descriptions, founded on brief
experience, were bald and much exaggerated.

Let us turn to what was unknown.

This comprises the whole of the east coast of Australia, or New Holland,
and whether it was joined to Tasma