In the preceding voyage, the question respecting the existence of a southern continent was for the time set at rest, but the practicability of a northern passage to the Pacific Ocean was still an object of so vast importance to England as to excite an earnest desire for the most diligent investigation.

It had long been a favourite scheme with the most celebrated navigators, and with the learned men of the day, to discover a shorter and more commodious course to the Oriental regions than by the Cape of Good Hope. This had been attempted in various directions for two centuries and upwards, but the completion of this favourite object was as distant as ever, and the problem of a junction of the two great oceans, the Atlantic and Pacific, by the northern shores of America, was left to be solved in later times by the several voyages and discoveries of Sir Edward Parry, Ross, Sir John Franklin, Collinson, M'Clure, Sir Leopold M'Clintock, Dease, Simpson, Back, Richardson, and Rae - Franklin being now proved, beyond all doubt, to be the first discoverer of a north-west passage.

For the conduct of such an enterprise, it was evident that great skill, perseverance, and abilities, were required; and though, by the universal voice of mankind, Captain Cook was the best qualified, no one could venture to solicit him on the subject. The services he had already rendered to his country, the labours he had sustained, and the dangers he had encountered, were so many and so various, that it was deemed unreasonable to urge him to engage in fresh perils.

As an honourable testimony, however, to his merit and knowledge, it was resolved to ask his advice respecting the most proper person to be intrusted with the conduct of this voyage; and to determine this point, some of the most distinguished naval characters were invited to meet Captain Cook at the house of Lord Sandwich, who then presided over the Board of Admiralty.

While the conversation became animated on the subject, Cook's mind was fired with the magnitude of the design, and the consequences likely to result from it. He suddenly started up, under the impression of a noble enthusiasm, and offered his best services to direct the important objects in view. No proposal could have been more grateful. Captain Cook was immediately invested with the command.

This preliminary step settled, the exact plan of the undertaking was next taken into serious consideration. All former navigators round the globe, had returned by the Cape of Good Hope; but to Captain Cook was assigned the arduous task of attempting the same thing by reaching the high northern latitudes between Asia and America; and, it appears that this plan was adopted in consequence of his own suggestions. His instructions were, to proceed to the Pacific Ocean, and through that cluster of islands he had before visited within the southern tropic, and thence, if practicable, to make his way into the Atlantic, along the northern coast of America, in whatever latitude it might be found to lie; for nothing whatever was known at that time respecting it.

To give every stimulus to the prosecution of this great design, motives of interest were superadded to the obligations of duty. An act of parliament, which passed in 1745, offering a reward of £20,000 to such as should discover a passage through Hudson's Bay, was enlarged and explained; and it was now enacted, that if any ship belonging to his majesty, or his subjects, should find and sail through any passage by sea, between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, in any direction or parallel of the northern hemisphere, to the northward of the 52d deg. of northern latitude, the sum of £20,000 was to reward such discovery.

The vessels destined for this service were the Resolution and the Discovery. The command of the former was given to Captain Cook, and that of the latter to Captain Clerke, who had been second lieutenant on the former voyage. Nearly the same complement of men and officers was assigned to each as before.

Several months were spent in the equipment and preparation of the ships, that the health of the seamen, and the success of the expedition might have every advantage which a liberal and enlightened attention could bestow. In order that the inhabitants of Otaheite, and other islands in the South Seas where the English had been treated with so much hospitality, might be benefited by the voyage, his Majesty was graciously pleased to order some of the most useful European animals to be put on board for those countries.

Besides these, Captain Cook was furnished with a quantity of garden seeds, and the Board of Admiralty added such articles of commerce as were most likely to promote a friendly intercourse with the natives and to induce them to open a traffic with the English.

Omai, who has been mentioned in the preceding voyage, was likewise to be carried back to his native country. He left his friends in London with a mixture of regret and satisfaction. When he reflected on the kindnesses he had received, he could not refrain from tears; but the pleasing idea of revisiting his original connections, soon made his eyes sparkle with joy.

Contrary winds, and other circumstances prevented the ships from clearing the Channel till the 14th of July 1776. On board both vessels were one hundred and ninety-two persons, officers included.

CJC: On the 18th of October, we arrived at the Cape of Good Hope, and found in the bay two French East India ships; the one outward, and the other homeward bound. And two or three days before our arrival, another homeward-bound ship of the same nation had parted from her cable and was driven on shore at the head of the bay, where she was lost. The crew were saved; but the greatest part of the cargo shared the fate of the ship.

As soon as we had saluted, I went on shore, accompanied by some of my officers, and waited on the governor, the lieutenant governor, the fiscal, and the commander of the troops. These gentlemen received me with the greatest civility; and the governor, in particular, promised me every assistance that the place afforded. At the same time, I obtained his leave to set up our observatory, to pitch tents for the sailmakers and coopers, and to bring the cattle on shore, to graze near our encampment. Before I returned on board, I ordered soft bread, fresh meat, and greens, to be provided every day for the ship's company.

Nothing remarkable happened till the evening of the 31st, when it began to blow excessively hard at south-east, and continued for three days; during which time there was no communication between the ship and the shore. The Resolution was the only ship in the bay that rode out the gale without dragging her anchors. We felt its effects as sensibly on shore. Our tents and observatory were torn to pieces, and our astronomical quadrant narrowly escaped irreparable damage. On the 3d of November the storm ceased, and the next day we resumed our different employments.

In the morning of the 10th, the Discovery arrived in the bay. Captain Clerke informed me that he had sailed from Plymouth on the 1st of August, and should have been with us here a week sooner if the late gale of wind had not blown him off the coast. Upon the whole, he was seven days longer in his passage from England than we had been. He had the misfortune to lose one of his marines, by falling overboard; but there had been no other mortality amongst his people, and they now arrived well and healthy. Captain Clerke having represented to me that his ship was in want of caulking; that no time might be lost in repairing this defect, next day I sent all my workmen on board her, having already completed this service on board the Resolution. I lent every other assistance to the captain to expedite his supply of provisions and water, having given him an order to receive on board as much of both articles as he could conveniently stow. I now found that the bakers had failed in baking the bread I had ordered for the Discovery. They pretended a want of flour; but the truth was, they were doubtful of her coming, and did not care to begin till they saw her at anchor in the bay.

I have before made mention of our getting our cattle on shore. The bull and two cows, with their calves, were sent to graze along with some other cattle; but I was advised to keep our sheep, sixteen in number, close to our tents, where they were penned up every night. During the night preceding the 14th, some dogs having got in amongst them, forced them out of the pen, killing four, and dispersing the rest. Six of them were recovered the next day; but the two rams, and two of the finest ewes in the whole flock, were amongst those missing. Baron Plettenberg being now in the country, I applied to the lieutenant-governor, Mr. Hemmy, and to the fiscal. Both these gentlemen promised to use their endeavours for the recovery of the lost sheep. The Dutch, we know, boast that the police at the Cape is so carefully executed, that it is hardly possible for a slave, with all his cunning and knowledge of the country, to effectuate his escape. Yet my sheep evaded all the vigilance of the fiscal's officers and people. However, after much trouble and expense, by employing some of the meanest and lowest scoundrels in the place (who, to use the phrase of the person who recommended this method to me, would, for a ducatoon, cut their master's throat, burn the house over his head, and bury him and the whole family in the ashes), I recovered them all but the two ewes. Of these I never could hear the least tidings: and I gave over all inquiry after them, when I was told, that since I had got the two rams, I might think myself very well off. One of these, however, was so much hurt by the dogs, that there was reason to believe he would never recover...

While the ships were getting ready for the prosecution of our voyage, some of our officers made an excursion to take a view of the neighbouring country. Mr. Anderson, my surgeon, who was one of the party, gave me the following relation of their proceedings:

WA: In the afternoon, we went to see a stone of a remarkable size, called by the inhabitants the Tower of Babylon, or the Pearl Diamond. It lies, or stands, upon the top of some low hills, at the foot of which our farm-house was situated; and though the road to it is neither very steep nor rugged, we were above an hour and a half in walking to it. It is of an oblong shape, rounded on the top, and lies nearly south and north. The east and west sides are steep, and almost perpendicular. The south end is likewise steep, and its greatest height is there; from whence it declines gently to the north part, by which we ascended to its top, and had an extensive view of the whole country.

It's circumference, I think, must be at least half a mile; as it took us above half an hour to walk round it, including every allowance for the bad road, and stopping a little. At its highest part, which is the south end, comparing it with a known object, it seems to equal the dome of St. Paul's church. It is one uninterrupted mass of stone, if we except some fissures, or rather impressions, not above three or four feet deep, and a vein which runs across near its north end. It is of that sort of stone called, by mineralogists, Saxum conglutinatum, and consists chiefly of pieces of coarse quartz and glimmer, held together by a clayey cement. But the vein which crosses it, though of the same materials, is much compacter. This vein is not above a foot broad or thick; and its surface is cut into little squares or oblongs, disposed obliquely, which makes it look like the remains of some artificial work. But I could not observe whether it penetrated far into the large rock, or was only superficial. In descending, we found at its foot a very rich black mould; and on the sides of the hills, some trees of a considerable size, natives of the place, which are a species of olca. In the morning on the 20th, we set out from the Pearl; and going a different road from that by which we came, passed through a country, wholly uncultivated, till we got to the Tyger hills, when some tolerable corn-fields appeared. At noon, we stopped in a hollow for refreshment; but, in walking about here, were plagued with a vast number of musquitoes or sand-flies, which were the first I saw in the country. In the afternoon we set out again, and in the evening arrived at the Cape Town, tired with the jolting waggon.

CJC: After the disaster which happened to our sheep, it may be well supposed I did not trust those that remained long on shore, but got them, and the other cattle, on board as fast as possible. I also added to my original stock by purchasing two young bulls, two heifers, two young stone-horses, two mares, two rams, several ewes and goats, and some rabbits and poultry. All of them were intended for New Zealand, Otaheite, and the neighbouring islands, or any other places, in the course of our voyage, where there might be a prospect that the leaving any of them would be useful to posterity. Towards the latter end of November the calkers had finished their work on board the Discovery, and she had received all her provisions and water. Of the former, both ships had a supply sufficient for two years and upwards; and every other article we could think of, necessary for such a voyage, that could be had at the Cape, was procured; neither knowing when or where we might come to a place where we could furnish ourselves so well.

Having given Captain Clerke a copy of my instructions, and an order directing him how to proceed in case of separation, in the morning of the 30th we repaired on board. At five in the afternoon a breeze sprung up at S.E., with which we weighed, and stood out of the bay. At nine it fell calm, and we anchored between Penguin Island and the east shore, where we lay till three o'clock next morning. We then weighed and put to sea, with a light breeze at south, but did not get clear of the land till the morning of the 3d, when with a fresh gale at W.N.W. we stood to the S.E. to get more into the way of these winds.

On the 5th a sudden squall of wind carried away the Resolution's mizen topmast. Having another to replace it, the loss was not felt, especially as it was a bad stick, and had often complained. On the 6th, in the evening, being then in the latitude of 39° 14' S., and in the longitude of 23° 56' E., we passed through several small spots of water of reddish colour. Some of this was taken up, and it was found to abound with a small animal which the microscope discovered to be like a cray-fish, of a reddish hue. We continued our course to the south-east, with a very strong gale from the westward, followed by a mountainous sea, which made the ship roll and tumble exceedingly, and gave us a great deal of trouble to preserve the cattle we had on board. Notwithstanding all our care, several goats, especially the males, died; and some sheep. This misfortune was, in a great measure, owing to the cold, which we now began most sensibly to feel.

Included in Cook's orders was a paragraph directing him to explore the newly discovered Kerguelen Island, part of a group which was first discovered by the French in 1772 and re-visited by them in 1773. The first island was seen at six o'clock on the morning of December 24th (Christmas Eve) and upon a nearer approach, it was found to be of considerable height and about three leagues in circuit. Soon after, they saw another of the same magnitude, one league to the eastward and between these two, in the direction of S.E., some smaller ones. Breaks in the fog revealed a third high island, where the ships anchored the next day.

CJC: I found the shore, in a manner, covered with penguins and other birds, and seals. These latter were not numerous, but so insensible of fear (which plainly indicated that they were unaccustomed to such visitors), that we killed as many as we chose, for the sake of their fat or blubber, to make oil for our lamps, and other uses. Fresh water was in no less plenty than were birds; for every gully afforded a large stream. But not a single tree or shrub, nor the least sign of any, was to be discovered, and but very little herbage of any sort. The appearances, as we sailed into the harbour, had flattered us with the hope of meeting with something considerable growing here, as we observed the sides of many of the hills to be of a lively green. But I now found that this was occasioned by a single plant, which, with the other natural productions, shall be described in another place. Before I returned to my ship, I ascended the first ridge of rocks, which rise in a kind of amphitheatre above one another. I was in hopes, by this means, of obtaining a view of the country; but before I reached the top, there came on so thick a fog, that I could hardly find my way down again. In the evening, we hauled the seine at the head of the harbour, but caught only half-a-dozen small fish. We had no better success next day, when we tried with hook and line. So that our only resource here, for fresh provisions, were birds, of which there was an inexhaustible store.

The morning of the 26th proved foggy, with rain. However, we went to work to fill water, and cut grass for our cattle, which we found in small spots near the head of the harbour. The rain which fell swelled all the rivulets to such a degree, that the sides of the hills bounding the harbour seemed to be covered with a sheet of water. For the rain, as it fell, ran into the fissures and crags of the rocks that composed the interior parts of the hills, and was precipitated down their sides in prodigious torrents.

The people having wrought hard the two preceding days, and nearly completed our water, which we filled from a brook at the left corner of the beach, I allowed them the 27th, as a day of rest, to celebrate Christmas. Upon this indulgence, many of them went on shore and made excursions, in different directions, into the country, which they found barren and desolate in the highest degree. In the evening, one of them brought to me a quart-bottle which he had found, fastened with some wire to a projecting rock on the north side of the harbour. This bottle contained a piece of parchment, on which was written the following inscription:

LUDOVICO XV. GALLIARUM  REGE, ET D. DE BOYNES REGI A SECRETIS AD RES MARITIMAS ANNIS 1772 ET 1773.

From this inscription¹, it is clear, that we were not the first Europeans who had been in this harbour... As a memorial of our having been here, I wrote on the other side of the parchment: NAVES RESOLUTION ET DISCOVERY DE REGE MAGNÆ BRITANNIÆ,  DECEMBRIS, 1776.

I then put it again into a bottle, together with a silver two-penny piece of 1772; and having covered the mouth of the bottle with a leaden cap, I placed it, the next morning, in a pile of stones erected for the purpose, upon a little eminence on the north shore of the harbour, and near to the place where it was first found; in which position it cannot escape the notice of any European, whom chance or design may bring into this port. Here I displayed the British flag, and named the place Christmas Harbour, from our having arrived in it on that festival.

After I had finished this business of the inscription, I went, in my boat, round the harbour, and landed in several places, to examine what the shore afforded; and, particularly, to look for drift-wood. For, although the land here was totally destitute of trees, this might not be the case in other parts; and if there were any, the torrents would force some, or, at least, some branches, into the sea, which would afterward throw them upon the shores; as in all other countries where there is wood, and in many where there is none; but throughout the whole extent of the harbour I found not a single piece.

In the afternoon I went upon Cape St. Louis, accompanied by Mr. King, my second lieutenant. I was in hopes, from this elevation, to have had a view of the sea-coast, and of the islands lying off it. But when I got up, I found every distant object below me hid in a thick fog. The land on the same plain, or of a greater height, was visible enough, and appeared naked and desolate in the highest degree; except some hills to the southward, which were covered with snow.

When I got on board, I found the launch hoisted in, the ships unmoored, and ready to put to sea; but our sailing was deferred till five o'clock the next morning, when we weighed anchor.

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