A General History & Collection of Voyages and Travels ... - Nauticus

First Voyage, &c., second edition. "I am very sorry," says he, "for the discontented state of this goodgentleman's mind, and most sincerely wish that a southern continent may be found, as I amconfident nothing else can make him happy and good-humoured!" Mr Dalrymple seems to have setno bounds to his expectations from the discovery, and accordingly thought that no bounds ought tobe set to the endeavours to accomplish it. Witness the very whimsical negative and affirmativededication of his Historical Collection of Voyages, &c. "Not to, &c. &c., but to the man, who,emulous of Magalhaens and the heroes of former times, undeterred by difficulties, and unseduced bypleasure, shall persist through every obstacle, and not by chance, but by virtue and good conduct,succeed in establishing an intercourse with a southern continent, &c.!", A zeal so red-hot as this,could scarcely be cooled down to any thing like common sense, on one of the fields of iceencountered by Cook in his second voyage; but what a pity it is, that it should not be accompaniedby as much of the inventive faculty, as might serve to point out how impossibilities can beperformed, and insuperable obstructions removed! It is but justice to this gentleman to say, that hiswillingness to undertake such a task, was as enthusiastic as his idea of its magnitude and importance.His industry, besides, in acquiring information in this department of science, and his liberality inimparting it, were most exemplary. On the whole, therefore, saving the circumstances of fortune andsuccess, he may be ranked with any of the heroes of former times!It would be well to remember, that the Deity is not bound to act according to our notions of fitness;and that though it may not always be easiest, yet it is certainly most modest to form our theoriesfrom a survey of his works, rather than the nursery of our own prejudices. The followingobservations may be of utility to some readers. The motion of the earth about its axis is uniform, andquite unaffected by the irregularities on its surface or of its density. This is a fact to be admitted, notan opinion to be proved. But in point of reasoning, it is quite demonstrable, that the highestmountain on the surface of the earth, bears no larger a proportion to the magnitude of the earth, thana grain of sand does to that of one of our largest globes, and can have no more effect on its motion:Besides, as is noticed by Mr Wales, every body will be in equilibrio, however irregular, when it issuspended or revolves on a line passing through its centre of gravity, and will not have either its restor motion disturbed by any irregularities lying in the direction of that line, which may be safelysupposed the case with our earth. The simple addition of any fluid matter to a body socircumstanced, will not cause any aberration, as it will distribute itself in the parts nearest to thecentre of gravity, without regard to the centre of the body, which may or may not be the same. Theprincipal tracts of both land and sea may be held to extend from the North towards the South Pole,and are accordingly in the direction of the earth's axis. Obviously, therefore, there is no necessity fora southern continent to answer as a counterpoise; and it is even conceivable that the matter in theregions of the South Pole, is specifically lighter than that of any other part, in perfect consistencywith what is known of the earth's motion. The reasons of a different kind from what have now beenmentioned, for the existence of southern lands, fall to be elsewhere considered.--E.But, in order to give the reader a clear idea of what has been done in it, and to enable him to judge moreaccurately, how far the great object that was proposed, has been obtained, it will be necessary to prefix ashort account of the several voyages which have been made on discoveries to the Southern Hemisphere,prior to that which I had lately the honour to conduct, and which I am now going to relate.The first who crossed the vast Pacific Ocean, was Ferdinand Magalhaens, a Portuguese, who, in the serviceof Spain, sailed from Seville, with five ships, on the 10th of April, 1519. He discovered the straits whichbear his name; and having passed through them, on the 27th of November, 1520, entered the South PacificOcean.In this sea he discovered two uninhabited islands, whose situations are not well known. He afterwardscrossed the Line; discovered the Ladrone Islands; and then proceeded to the Phillipines, in one of which he