mess I have kept, for which, together with the money I have remaining in my hands, I shall account with you for, when I come to Town.

Taught by experience not to trust to the knowledge of servants the whole of every necessary article wanting in such a voyage, I had, independent of what I purchased for the mess, laid in a stock of most articles, which will be now quite sufficient for me, and is the reason why I have not kept more of yours.

"The cook and two French-horn men are at liberty to go whenever they please. Several of the casks your things are in belong to the King, are charged to me, and for which I must be accountable. I shall be much obliged to you to send them to the Victualling-Office when they are emptied, but desire that you will by no means put yourself to any illconveniency on this head, as I shall not be called upon to account for them until my return.

66 'If it should not be convenient to send down for what may be still remaining in the ship of yours, they shall be sent you by

Sir,

"Your most obedient and very humble servant, JAMES COOK."

66

'My best respects to the Doctor; and since I am not to have your company in the 'Resolution,' I most sincerely wish you success in all your exploring undertakings."

"DEAR SIR,

CAPT. COOK TO MR. BANKS.

RESOLUTION,' CAPE OF GOOD HOPE, "18th Nov., 1772.

"Some cross circumstances which happened at the latter part of the equipment of the 'Resolution' created, I have reason to think, a coolness betwixt you and I; but I can by no means think it was sufficient to me to break off all correspondence with a man I am under many obligations to.

"I wish I had something interesting to communicate, but our passage here has rather been barren on that head. We touched at St. Jago, where we remained two days, and Mr. Forster got some things there new in your way. Mr.

Brand has got for you a fine collection, as I am told. I depart from hence in a day or two well stored with every necessary thing, but I am told the French from the Mauritius have got the start of me. About eight months ago two ships from that island discovered land in the latitude of 48 degrees, and about the meridian of the Mauritius, along which they sailed forty miles till they came to a bay, into which they were about to enter, when they were separated, and drove off the coast by a gale of wind. The one got to the Mauritius soon after, and the other is since arrived from Batavia with a cargo of arrack, as the report goes here; also, in March last, two frigates from the same island touched here in their way to the South Sea, having on board the man Bougainville brought from Otaheite, and who died before the ships departed hence, a circumstance I am really sorry for. These ships were to touch some where on the coast of America, and afterwards to proceed round Cape Horn.

"I am in your debt for the pickled and dried salmon which you left on board, which a little time ago was most excellent; but the eight casks of pickled salted fish I kept for myself proved so bad that even the hogs would not eat it. These hints may be of use to you in providing for your intended expedition, in which I wish you all the success you can wish yourself; and am, with great esteem and respect, "Dear Sir,

"DEAR SIR,

"Your most obliged humble servant, "JAMES COOK."

CAPT. COOK TO MR. BANKS.

"FLYMOUTH SOUND, July 10th, 1776. "As you was so obliging as to say you would give a description of the New Zealand spruce tree, or any other plant, the drawing of which might accompany my Journal, I desired Mr. Strahan and Mr. Stuart, who have the charge of the publication, to give you extracts out the manuscript of such descriptions as I had given (if any), for you to correct or describe yourself, as may be most agreeable. I know not what plates Mr. Forster may have got engraved of natural history that will come into my books; nor do I know

of any that will be of use to it, but the spruce tree and tea plant and scurvy grass; and I know not if this last is engraved. The flax plant is engraved: but whether the publishing of this in my Journal will be of any use to seamen I shall not determine. In short, whatever plates of this kind falls to my share, I shall hope for your kind assistance in giving some short account of them. On my arrival here I gave Omai three guineas, which sent him on shore in high spirits: indeed he could hardly be otherwise, for he is very much caressed here by every person of note; and, upon the whole, I think he rejoices at the prospect of going home.

"I now only wait for a wind to put to sea; unless Capt. Clarke makes good haste down, he will have to follow me. Sir John Pringle writes me that the Council of the Royal Society have decreed me the Prize Medal of this year. I am obliged to you and my other good friends for this unmerited honour.

"Omai joins his best respects to you and Dr. Solander with,

"Dear Sir,

"Your most obedient and very humble servant, "JAMES COOK."

These letters are given out of their place, not having come into my possession until after the Life of Sir J. Banks was printed. They appeared sufficiently interesting to be here inserted. The same reason must justify the inserting, also out of its place, the following extract from a letter of Dr. Black to Mr. Smith, on his Wealth of Nations.' The rest of the letter regards Mr. Hume's health. It was written apparently in August, 1776. Nothing can be more interesting than to mark the sentiments of a great and original genius respecting the exertions of another and congenial spirit in a different walk of science.

DR. BLACK TO ADAM SMITH.

'Though I sit down to write to you upon another account, I cannot help expressing the pleasure and satisfaction

I frequently meet with in hearing the opinions of good judges concerning your book. I most heartily rejoice in the prospect of the additional credit and reputation which you cannot miss to gain by it, and which must increase as long as you live; for I have no doubt that the views you have given of many parts of your subject will be found by experience to be as just as they are new and interesting. And although it be admired immediately by discerning and impartial judges, it will require more time before others who are not so quick-sighted, or whose minds are warped by prejudice or interest, can understand and relish such a comprehensive system, framed with such just and liberal sentiments."

NOTE TO THE LIVES

OF

CAVENDISH, WATT, AND BLACK.

I HAD not read M. Cuvier's 'Eloge de M. Cavendish' when these Lives were first published. That Eloge is contained in the Memoirs of the Institute for 1811.* Its composition certainly justifies the title of Eloge; for it is a very indiscriminate, and not very accurate panegyric of an illustrious man, whose memory was best preserved and honoured by a correct statement of the facts. M. Cuvier makes no mention whatever of Watt in connection with the discovery of the composition of water. But he is not much more just to Black himself on that of fixed air; or, as he calls him, Blake clearly showing that he had never taken the trouble even to look at any work of that great man. As to Mr. Cavendish, he gives it for part of his Eulogy that he explained his doctrines "dans une manière plus étonnante encore que leur découverte même," (p. cxxvi.) Now if M. Cuvier had read the paper upon the combustion of inflammable air, he certainly would have found that this remark in no respect whatever applies to it, for the composition of water is but darkly shadowed out in that celebrated Memoir.

He proceeds to say, that in 1766 Mr. Cavendish undertook, in his paper read before the Royal Society, to establish propositions, "presqu'inouies jusque là; l'eau n'est pas un élément; il existe plusieurs sortes d'airs, essentiellement

*Nothing can be more confused, more inconsistent, than the manner of publishing the volumes of this great work. It is generally a year or two and even three or four, after the real date of the papers; thus this twelfth volume of the new series is called 'Mem. année 1811,' yet it contains only two papers of 1810-11; all the rest were received in 1812-13. I have remarked this more fully in the Lives of Lavoisier and D'Alembert.