three hundred and thirty-six tons, of which Captain
Tobias Furneaux was made commander. Two astronomers, Messrs. Wales and
Bayley; three naturalists, Mr Foster and his son, a Swede--Dr
Sparrmann; and a landscape painter, accompanied the expedition.

An abundant supply of provisions of an anti-scorbutic nature was placed
on board. Each ship also carried a vessel in frame of twenty tons, to
serve as tenders. The _Resolution_ had a complement of one hundred and
twelve officers and men, and the _Adventure_ of eighty-one.
Fishing-nets, hooks, and articles of all sorts to barter with the
savages were put on board; indeed, no exploring expedition had ever left
England so well equipped.

After frequent delays the two ships left Plymouth on the 13th of July,
1772, and shaped a course for Madeira. Merely touching at Funchal, they
took in a supply of water at the Cape de Verdes. The two ships then
sailed for the Cape of Good Hope.

Here the Governor informed Captain Cook that a French ship had
discovered land in the meridian of the Mauritius, in latitude 48 degrees
south, and that a French expedition, under Captain Marion, was now
exploring the South Pacific. On the 22nd of November Captain Cook left
the Cape of Good Hope, and steered a course towards Cape Circumcision,
the name given to the point of land which Captain Bouvet supposed to be
a part of the southern continent.

As the ships got farther south, the weather became so cold that much of
their live stock died. On the 10th of December an island of ice was
seen, after which thick hazy weather came on. While the _Resolution_
was leading, an iceberg was discerned from her deck. It was about fifty
feet high, with perpendicular sides, against which the sea broke
furiously. Captain Furneaux, mistaking it for land, hauled his wind.
Other navigators probably have been deceived as he was. Day after day
the ship sailed on among icebergs, exposed to storms of rain and sleet
and constant storms, although it was the middle of summer.

Captain Cook now steered to the west, hoping to get round the ice and
reach the highest position of Cape Circumcision; but he finally came to
the conclusion that Captain Bouvet had mistaken some lofty icebergs
surrounded by field ice for land.

The ships were thus engaged until the 8th of February, when, during
thick weather, the _Adventure_ was separated from the _Resolution_. For
three days Captain Cook cruised in search of her, and was