A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 15: Forming A Complete History Of The Origin And Progress Of Navigation, Discovery, And Commerce, By Sea And Land, From The Earliest Ages To The Present TimeKerr, Robert
History
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 15: Forming A Complete History Of The Origin And Progress Of Navigation, Discovery, And Commerce, By Sea And Land, From The Earliest Ages To The Present Time
Kerr, Robert
Voyages and travels
This testimony of public gratitude, reminds the editor that there are
similar calls upon himself. He owes much to Captain King for his advice
and direction, in a variety of instances, where Captain Cook's journal
required explanation; for filling up several blanks with the proper
longitude and latitude; and for supplying deficiencies in the tables of
astronomical observations.
Lieutenant Roberts was also frequently consulted, and was always found
to be a ready and effectual assistant, when any nautical difficulties
were to be cleared up.
But particular obligations are due to Mr Wales, who, besides his
valuable communications for this Introduction, seconded most liberally
the editor's views of serving Mrs Cook, by cheerfully taking upon
himself the whole trouble of digesting, from the log-books, the tables
of the route of the ships, which add so greatly to the utility of this
publication.
Mr Wegg, besides sharing in the thanks so justly due to the committee of
the Hudson's Bay Company, for their unreserved communications, was
particularly obliging to the editor, by giving him repeated
opportunities of conversing with Governor Hearne and Captain
Christopher.
The Honourable Mr Daines Barrington had the goodness to interest
himself, with his usual zeal for every work of public utility, in
procuring some necessary information, and suggesting some valuable
hints, which were adopted.
It would be great injustice not to express acknowledgements to Mr
Pennant, who, besides enriching the third volume with references to his
_Arctic Zoology_, the publication of which is an important accession to
natural history, also communicated some very authentic and satisfactory
manuscript accounts of the Russian discoveries.
The vocabularies of the Friendly and Sandwich Islands, and of the
natives of Nootka, had been furnished to Captain Cook, by his most
useful associate in the voyage, Mr Anderson; and a fourth, in which the
language of the Esquimaux is compared with that of the Americans on the
opposite side of the continent, had been prepared by the captain
himself. But the comparative Table of Numerals was very obligingly drawn
up, at the request of the editor, by Mr Bryant, who, in his study,
followed Captain Cook, and, indeed, every traveller and historian, of
every age, into every part of the globe. The public will consider this
table as a very striking illustration of the wonderful migrations of a
nation, about whom so much additional information has been gained by our
voyages, and be ready to acknowledge it as a very useful communication.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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