the French ships had
been directed to treat the expedition under Captain Cook as belonging to
a neutral power, he put to sea, resolved to preserve the strictest
neutrality during the remainder of the voyage.

Touching at several places in the Indian seas, the ships at length
reached Cape Town, where they were treated with the same kindness as on
former visits. Sailing thence on the 9th of May, they made the coast of
Ireland on the 12th of August. Strong southerly winds compelling them
to run to the northward, they rounded Scotland, and at length, on the
4th of October, arrived at the Nore, after an absence of four years, two
months, and twenty-two days.

It is remarkable that during this time the two ships only twice, for a
short time, lost sight of each other.

Owing to the admirable arrangements for preserving health, during the
whole time the _Resolution_ had lost only five men by sickness, three of
whom were ill when she left England, while the _Discovery_ had not lost
a man.

Although one of the objects of the expedition had failed, that of
finding a way through Behring's Straits round the north coast of
America, during this and his previous voyages Cook had made far more
discoveries than any previous navigator. He had surveyed the whole
eastern coast of New Holland, and proved it to be an island, as also
that of New Zealand. He had discovered New Caledonia, and surveyed the
islands of the New Hebrides, and other islands in the Austral Ocean. He
had made known the Marquesas and Tonga group, and completed the survey
of the Society Islands. He had succeeded in finding Easter Island, had
visited the groups of the low archipelago, and had discovered numerous
separate islands,--Norfolk, Botany, Palmerston, Hervey, Savage, Mangaia,
Wateeoo, Allakootaia, Turtle, Toobania, and Christmas, as also the
magnificent group known as the Sandwich Islands. He had ascertained the
strait between America and Asia to be eighteen leagues in width.

It was not until many years after that any navigator penetrated as far
north as he had done. In the Antarctic Ocean he had brought to light
Sandwich Land, settled the position of Kerguelen's Land, as also of Isla
Grande, on which he justly prided himself; and his survey of the
southern shore of Tierra del Fuego was long unsurpassed, while he
rendered the greatest service to the cause of humanity by the way he
maintained the health of his crews. During all previous expeditions