nticipated this injudicious remark, has, in his
very comprehensive introduction to Captain Cook's last voyage, from
whence the above quotation is extracted, given to the public not
only a complete and satisfactory answer to that question, but has
treated every other part of the subject of discovery so ably as to
render any further observations on former voyages of this description
wholly unnecessary, for the purpose of bringing the reader acquainted
with what had been accomplished, previously to my being honored with
His Majesty's commands to follow up the labors of that illustrious
navigator Captain James Cook; to whose steady, uniform, indefatigable
and undiverted attention to the several objects on which the success
of his enterprises ultimately depended, the world is indebted for
such eminent and important benefits."

Captain George Vancouver pays, in the introduction of his report,
a remarkable tribute to Captain Cook, that should become familiar
to the American people, for it is one of the features of prevalent
Hawaiian literature that the great navigator is much disparaged,
and denounced. One of the favorite theories of the missionaries has
been that Cook's death at the hands of the savages was substantially
the punishment inflicted by God, because the Captain allowed himself
to be celebrated and worshipped as a god by the heathen, consenting
to their idolatry when he should have preached to them, as was done
with so much efficiency nearly half a century later. The fact is the
natives had a great deal of "religion" of their own, and defended
their superstitions with skill and persistence before yielding to
the great simplicities of the Christian faith. Captain Cook, it must
be admitted, did not attempt to preach the gospel. The gentleness of
the natives turned out to contain a great deal that was most horrible.

The closing years of the last century were those of rapid progress
in the art of navigation, and Captain Vancouver gives this striking
summary of testimony:

"By the introduction of nautical astronomy into marine education,
we are taught to sail on the hypothenuse, instead of traversing
two sides of a triangle, which was the usage in earlier times; by
this means the circuitous course of all voyages from place to place
is considerably shortened; and it is now become evident that sea
officers of the most common rate abilities who will take the trouble
of making themselves acquainted with the principles o