French King, and by Dr. Benjamin Franklin, the American Ambassador at Paris, directing the Commanders of ships, of their respective countries, not to molest Capt. Cook, if they should fall in with him in the course of his voyage.
It was on the 8th of July, that the Captain received his Instructions for the voyage; marking out the course he should steer, the places which he should endeavour to visit, the objects which he should keep in view, &c.; at the same time leaving a great deal, as before, to his own judgment and discretion. The principal object to be kept in view was, of course, the discovery of a passage from the Pacific to the Atlantic, by way of Behring's Straits: and it may be remarked, that to encourage this attempt, the Parliament had lately passed an Act, securing a reward of £20,000 to any officer and his crew who should discover this passage, by sailing from the one sea to the other.
To facilitate the success of their main undertaking, Lieut. Pickersgill was sent out in the Lion brig, a few weeks before Capt. Cook sailed, with orders to protect the British whalers, and explore Baffin's Bay; and after his return, Lieut. Young was sent out to that quarter, in the same vessel, next spring, with instructions to search for a passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific; in order, if possible, to meet Capt. Cook. These voyages led to no satisfactory result.
It was at Plymouth, on the 7th of July, as noticed above, that our navigator put the finishing hand to the General Introduction to his second voyage. The publishing of his work was a subject that was now much on his mind, together with the grand object of his present voyage, as appears
