He left Oxford in 1763, and almost instantly set out on a scientific voyage to Newfoundland and Labrador. [Sidenote: THE FIRST VOYAGE OF EXPLORATION TO NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR.] Here he laid the first substantial groundwork of his future collections in natural history. He sailed with PHIPPS, who was already a captain in the Navy, and had been charged with the duty of protecting the Newfoundland fisheries. [Sidenote: 1763.] The voyage proved to be one of some hardship, but its privations rather sharpened than dulled the youthful naturalist’s appetite for scientific explorations. He had learned thus early to endure hardness, for a worthy object. [Sidenote: THE SECOND VOYAGE;—TO THE SOUTH SEAS.] His second voyage was to the South Seas, and it was made in company with the most famous of the large band of eighteenth century maritime discoverers—James COOK, [Sidenote: 1768.] and also with a favourite pupil of LINNÆUS (the idol of BANKS’ youthful fancy), Daniel Charles SOLANDER, who, though he was little above thirty years of age, had already won some distinction in England, and had been made an Assistant-Librarian in the British Museum.[20] To make the voyage of _The Endeavour_ as largely conducive as was possible to the interests of the natural sciences, Mr. BANKS incurred considerable personal expense, and he induced the Admiralty to make large efforts, on its part, to promote and secure the various objects of the new expedition. One of those objects was the observation at Otaheite of a coming transit of Venus over the Sun; another was the further progress of geographical discovery in a quarter of the world to which public interest was at that time specially and strongly turned. BANKS, individually, was also bent on collecting specimens in all departments of natural history, and on promoting geographical knowledge by the completest possible collection of drawings, maps, and charts of all that was met with. He engaged Dr. SOLANDER as his companion, and gave him a salary of four hundred pounds a year. With them sailed two draughtsmen and a secretary, besides four servants. [Sidenote: THE BOTANICAL EXPLORATIONS AT TERRA-DEL-FUEGO.]