der captain Graves. Indeed, no man could have been found who was better qualified for finishing the defign which had been begun in the preceding year. The charts of the coafts, in that part of North America, were very erroneous; and it was highly neceffary to the trade and navigation of his majesty's fubjects, that new ones fhould be formed, which would be more correct and useful. Accordingly, under the orders of commodore Pallifer, Mr. Cook was appointed on the 18th of April, 1764, marine-furveyor of Newfoundland and Labradore; and he had a veffel, the Grenville schooner, to attend him for that purpose. How well he executed his commiffion is known to every man acquainted with navigation. The charts which he afterwards published of the different furveys he had made, reflected great credit on his abilities and character, and the utility of them is univerfally acknowledged. It is understood, that, fo far as Newfound land is concerned, they were of confiderable service to the king's minifters, in fettling the terms of the last peace."

"Before captain Wallis and captain Carteret had returned to Great Britain, another voyage was refolved upon, for which the improvement of aftronomical science afforded the immediate occafion. It having been calculated by aftronomers, that a tranfit of Venus over the fun's disk would happen in 1769, it was judged that the beft place for obferving it would be in fome part of the South Sea, either at the Marquefas, or at one of thofe iflands which Tafman had called Amfterdam, Rotterdam, and Middleburg, and which are now better known under the appellation of the Friendly Islands. This being a matter of S

eminent confequence in astronomy, and which excited the attention of foreign nations as well as of our own, the affair was taken up by the Royal Society, with the zeal which has always been difplayed by that learned body for the advancement of every branch of philofophical science, Accordingly, a long memorial was addreffed to his majefty; dated February 15th, 1768, reprefenting the great importance of the object, together with the regard which had been paid to it by the principal courts of Europe; and intreating, among other things, that a veffel might be ordered, at the expence of government, for the conveyance of fuitable perfons, to make the observation of the tranfit of Venus at one of the places be fore mentioned. This memorial having been laid before the king by the earl of Shelburne, (now the marquis of Landfdown) one of the principal fecretaries of state, his majefty graciously fignified his pleafure to the lords commiffioners of the admiralty, that they fhould provide a fhip for carrying over fuch obfervers as the Royal Society fhould judge proper to fend to the South Seas; and on the 3d of April, Mr. Stephens informed the fociety, that a bark had been taken up for the purpose.

"The gentleman who had originally been fixed upon to take the direction of the expedition, was Alexander Dalrymple, efq. an eminent member of the Royal Society, and who, befides poffeffing an accurate knowledge of aftronomy, had diftinguished himself by his enquiries into the geography of the Southern oceans, and by the collection he had published of feveral voyages to thofe parts of the world. Mr. Dalrymple being fenfible of the difficulty, or rather of the impof

fibility,

Gbility, of carrying a fhip through unknown feas, the crew of which were not fubject to the military difcipline of his majefty's navy, he made it the condition of his going, that he fhould have a brevet commiffion as captain of the vessel, in the fame manner as fuch a commiffion had been granted to Dr. Halley in his voyage of difcovery. To this demand fir Edward Hawke, who was then at the head of the admiralty, and who poffeffed more of the spirit of his profeffion than either of education or science, abfolutely refused to accede. He faid at the board, that his confcience would not allow him to trust any fhip of his majesty's to a perfon who had not regularly been bred a feaman. On being farther preffed upon the subject, fir Edward declared, that he would fuffer his right hand to be cut off before he would fign any such commiffion. In this he was, in fome degree, juftified by the mutinous behaviour of Halley's crew, who refufed to acknowlege the legal authority of their commander, and involved him in a difpute which was attended with pernicious confequences. Mr. Dalrym ple, on the other hand, was equally fteady in requiring a compliance with the terms he had propofed. Such was the state of things, when Mr. Stephens, fecretary to the admiralty, whofe difcrimination of the numerous characters, with which by his ftation he is converfant, reflects as much credit on his underftanding, as his upright and able conduct does on the office he has filled, for fo many years, and under fo many adminiftrations, with honour to himself and advantage to the public, obferved to the board, that, fince fir Edward Hawke and Mr. Dalrymple were equally inflex

ible, no method remained but that of finding out another perfon capable of the fervice. He knew, he faid, a Mr. Cook, who had been employed as marine-furveyor of Newfoundland, who had been regularly educated in the navy, in which he was a master, and whom he judged to be fully qualified for the direction of the prefent undertaking. Mr. Stephens, at the fame time, recommended it to the board, to take the opinion of fir Hugh Pallifer, who had lately been governor of Newfoundland, and was intimately acquainted with Cook's character. Sir Hugh rejoiced in the opportunity of ferving his friend. He ftrengthened Mr. Stephens's recommendation to the utmoft of his power; and added many things in Mr. Cook's favour, arifing from the particular knowledge which he had of his abilities and merit. Accordingly, Mr. Cook was appointed to the command of the expedition by the lords of the admiralty; and, on this occafion, he was promoted to the rank of a lieutenant in the royal navy, his commiffion bearing date on the 25th of May, 1768.".

"From the relation that has been

rea

given of captain Cook's course of life, and of the important events in which he was engaged, my ders cannot be ftrangers to his general character. This, therefore, might be left to be collected from his actions, which are the best exhibitions of the great qualities of his mind. But, perhaps, were I

not to endeavour to afford a fummary view of him in these respects, I might be thought to fail in that duty which I owe to the public on the prefent occafion.

"It cannot, I think, be denied, that genius belonged to captain

Cook

genius I do not here understand imagination merely, or that power of culling the flowers of fancy which poetry delights in; but an inventive third; a mind full of refources; and witich, by its own native vigour, car fuggeft noble objects of purfuit, and the most effectual methods of attaining them. This faculty was poffeffed by our navigator in its full energy, as is evident from the uncommon fagacity and penetration which he discovered in a vast variety of critical and difficult fitu

ations.

"To genius captain Cook added application, without which nothing very valuable or permanent can be accomplished, even by the brighteft capacity. For an unremitting at tention to whatever related to his profeffion, he was diftinguished in early life. In every affair that was undertaken by him, his affiduity was without interruption, and without abatement. Wherever he came, he fuffered nothing which was fit for a feamen to know or to practife, to pafs unnoticed, or to efcape his diligence.

The genius and application of captain Cook were followed by a large extent of knowledge; a knowledge which, befides a confummate acquaintance with navigation, comprehended a number of other fciences. In this refpect, the ardour of his mind rofe above the difadvantages of a very confined education. His progrefs in the different branches of the mathematics, and particularly in aftronomy, became fo eminent, that, at length, he was able to take the lead in making the neceflary obfervations of this kind, in the courfe of his voyages. He attained, likewife, to fuch a degree of proficiency in general learning,

able to exprefs himfelf with a manly clearness and propriety, and to become refpectable as the narrator, as well as the performer, of great actions.

"Another thing, ftrikingly confpicuous in captain Cook, was the perfeverance with which he pursued the noble objects to which his life was devoted. This, indeed, was a moft diftinguifhed feature in his character: in this he fcarcely ever had an equal, and never a fuperior. Nothing could divert him from the points he aimed at; and he perfift. ed in the profecution of them, through difficulties and obftructions which would have deterred minds of very confiderable strength and firmnels.

"What enabled him to persevere in all his mighty undertakings, was the invincible fortitude of his fpirit. Of this, inftances without number occur in the accounts of his expe ditions; two of which I fhall take the liberty of recalling to the attention of my readers. The first is, the undaunted magnanimity with which he profecuted his difcoveries along the whole fouth-eaft coaft of New Holland. Surrounded as he was with the greateft poffible dangers, arifing from the perpetual fucceffion of rocks, foals, and breakers, and having a fhip that was almost shaken to pieces by repeated perils, his vigorous mind had a regard to nothing but what he thought was required of him by his duty to the public. It will not be eafy to find, in the hiftory of navigation, a parallel example of courageous exertion. The other circumftance I would refer to is the boldness with which, in his fecond voyage, after he left the Cape of Good Hope, he pushed forward in

to

to unknown feas, and penetrated through innumerable mountains and iflands of ice, in the fearch of a fouthern continent. It was like launching into chaos: all was obfcurity, all was dark nefs before him; and no event can be compared with it, excepting the failing of Magelhaens, from the straits which bear his name, into the Pacific Ocean.

"The fortitude of captain Cook, being founded upon reafon, and not upon instinct, was not an impetuous valour, but accompanied with complete felf-poffeffion. He was mafter of himself on every trying occafion, and feemed to be the more calm and collected, the greater was the exigence of the cafe. In the most perilous fituations, when our commander had given the proper directions concerning what was to be done while he went to rest, he could fleep, during the hours he had allotted to himfelf, with perfeet compofure and foundnefs. Nothing could be a furer indication of an elevated mind; of a mind that was entirely satisfied with itself, and with the measures it had taken.

"To all thefe great qualities, captain Cook added the moft amiable virtues. That it was impoffible for any one to excel him in humanity, is apparent from his treatment of his men through all his voyages, and from his behaviour to the natives of the countries which were discovered by him. The health, the convenience, and, as far as it could be admitted, the enjoyment of the feamen, were the conftant objects of his attention; and he was anxioufly folicitous to meliorate the condition of the inhabitants of the feveral iflands and places which he vifited. With regard to their thieveries, he candidly

apologized for, and overlooked, many offences which others would have fharply punished; and when he was laid under an indifpenfable neceffity of proceeding to any acts of feverity, he never exerted them without feeling much reluctance and concern.

"In the private relations of life, captain Cook was entitled to high commendation. He was excellent. as a husband and a father, and fincere and steady in his friendships : and to this it may be added, that he poffeffed that general fobriety and virtue of character, which will always be found to conftitute the beft fecurity and ornament of every other moral qualification.

"With the greatest benevolence and humanity of difpofition, captain Cook was occafionally fubject to a haftiness of temper. This, which has been exaggerated by the few (and they are indeed few) who are unfavourable to his memory, is acknowledged by his friends. It is mentioned both by captain King and Mr. Samwell, in their delineations of his character. Mr. Hayley, in one of his poems, calls him the mild Cook; but, perhaps, that is not the happieft epithet which could have been applied to him. Mere mildness can fcarcely be confidered as the most prominent and diftinctive feature in the mind of a man, whofe powers of underftanding and of action were fo ftrong and elevated, who had fuch im menfe difficulties to fruggle with, and who muft frequently have been called to the firmeft exertions of authority and command.

"Laftly, captain Cook was dif tinguished by a property which is almoft univerfally the concomitant of truly great men, and that is, a fimplicity of manners, In conver

fation

fation he was unaffected and unaffuming; rather backward in pushing difcourfe; but obliging and communicative in his anfwers to thofe who addressed him for the purposes.

of information. It was not poffible that, in a mind conftituted like his, fuch a paltry quality as vanity could find an exiftence."

REDERICK, the third king of Pruffia, was in his perfon below the middle ftature; but his limbs were well formed, and he had a healthful and vigorous conftitution. The portraits of him, at different periods of his life, exhibit a confiderable diverfity of appearance. In his earlier years, he feems to have poffeffed a handfome countenance, and a graceful figure; but he was afterwards much altered by the perpetual fatigues that he underwent. In the latter part of his life, he ftooped confiderably in the fhoulders; and his head was almoft conftantly inclined on one fide. He was fhort-fighted; but he had fine blue eyes, full of vivacity and fire; and his look was expreffive of uncommon keenness and penetration. His tone of voice was extremely clear and agreeable; and he spoke feveral of the modern languages with eafe and gracefulness. He talked much, and with great fprightlinefs, and excelled at repartee. In converfation, his features acquired a degree of animation, which no portraits could exhibit; and though not generally fond of the company of women, he yet difplayed great vivacity in converfing with fuch ladies as were poffeffed of any fuperior merit. His intellectual powers were great; and when we advert to

his fituation, and to the little care that had been taken of his educa- · tion, it must be acknowledged, that his literary acquifitions were confiderable. He had much general knowledge of the fciences, and was extremely converfant with French writers in polite literature; but he is faid to have been very imperfectly acquainted with the Latin language; and he acquired his knowledge of the great authors of antiquity, both Greek and Roman, chiefly through the medium of French tranflations. He was partial to the literature of France; but, in the latter years of his life, this partiality was much abated. His memory was uncommonly retentive; and he recollected the faces of thofe foldiers, who had ferved in his own regiment, when prince, more than forty years after. In his convivial hours, among his favourites, he was chearful, facetious, witty, and farcaftic. But his railleries on thofe, who were admitted to his familiarity, were often too biting; though he fometimes met with very fmart retorts, and which he generally received with good humour.

"His conduct and character were very various, and at different times appeared in a very different light. His predominant paffion was the

love