The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World, Vol. III. Being the First of the Second Voyage

"The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World, Vol. III" is a historical account of Captain James Cook's explorations written in the early 19th century. This volume specifically covers the first of Cook's second voyage, detailing his expeditions from England and through the southern hemisphere in search of new lands and knowledge about the continent speculated to exist in the South Pacific. The narrative is likely enriched with detail about the people, cultures, and scientific observations encountered during the journey. The opening of the work provides an introduction to Cook's second voyage, setting the stage for his ambitious goal to explore the unexplored southern hemisphere. It discusses the motivations behind the voyage, including previous explorations and hypotheses regarding a southern landmass, and provides a brief overview of prior navigational attempts. The narrative then transitions to the preparations for the journey, outlining the ship's specifications, the crew, and the scientific instruments on board, emphasizing the significance of accurate observations and new discoveries in this pivotal period of exploration. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Captain James Cook was a British explorer, cartographer and naval officer famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean and to New Zealand and Australia in particular. He made detailed maps of Newfoundland prior to making three voyages to the Pacific, during which he achieved the first recorded European contact with the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands and the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand.