Page:Captain Cook's Journal during His First Voyage Round the World.djvu/305

March 1770.] signs of land, for if he had he certainly would have stood to the Southward, in order to have satisfied himself before he had gone to the Northward, for no man seems to have had discoveries more at heart than he had. Besides this, this was the ultimate object of his Voyage. If Quiros was in the Latitude of 26° and Longitude 146° W., then I am certain that no part of the Southern Continent can no where extend so far to the Northward as the above mentioned Latitude. But the Voyage which seems to thrust it farthest back in the Long. I am speaking of, viz., between 130° and 150° W., is that of Admiral Roggeween, a Dutchman, made in 1722, who, after leaving Juan Fernandes, went in search of Davis's Island; but not finding it, he ran 12° more to the W., and in the Latitude of 28½° discover'd Easter Island. Dalrymple and some others have laid it down in 27° S. and 106° 30′ W., and supposes it to be the same as Davis's Isle, which I think cannot be from the Circumstance of the Voyage; on the other hand Mr. Pingre, in his Treatise concerning the Transit of Venus, gives an extract of Roggeween's Voyage and a map of the So. Seas, wherein he places Easter Island in the Lat. of 28½° S., and in the Long. of 123° W.; his reason for so doing may be seen at large in the said Treatise. He likewise lays down Roggeween's rout through those So. Seas very different from any other Author I have seen; for after leaving Easter Island he makes him to steer S.W. to the height of 34° S., and afterwards W.N.W. If Roggeween really took this rout, then it is not probable that there is any Main land to the Northward of 35° S. However, Mr. Dalrymple and some Geographers have laid down Roggeween's track very different from Mr. Pingre. From Easter Isle they have laid down his Track to the N.W., and afterwards very little different from that of La Maire; and this I think is not probable, that a man who, at his own request, was sent to discover the Southern Continent should take the same rout thro' these Seas as others had done before who had the same thing in View; by so doing he must be Morally certain of not finding what he was in search of, and of course must fail as they had done. Be this as it may, it is a point that cannot be clear'd up from the published accounts of the Voyage, which, so far from taking proper notice of their Longitude, have not even mentioned the Latitude of several of the Islands they discover'd, so that I find it impossible to lay down Roggeween's rout with the least degree of accuracy.