been thought
necessary to send another expedition to explore the coasts of a country,
concerning which it has been said, near thirty years ago--"It is no
longer a doubt, that we have now a full knowledge of the whole
circumference of this vast body of land, this fifth part of the world." *
An expression, which the learned writer could have intended to apply only
to the general extent of the new continent, and not to the particular
formation of every part of the coasts; since the chart, which accompanies
the voyage of which he was writing the introduction, represents much of
the south coast, as being totally unknown.

[* _Cook's third Voyage_, Introduction. p. xv.]

In tracing a historical sketch of the previous discoveries, I shall not
dwell upon such as depend upon conjecture and probability, but come
speedily to those, for which there are authentic documents. In this
latter, and solely important, class, the articles extracted from voyages,
which are in the hands of the public, will be abridged to their leading
heads; and the reader referred, for the details, to the original works;
but in such articles as have either not appeared before, or but very
imperfectly, in an English dress, as also in those extracted from
unpublished manuscripts, a wider range will be taken: in these, so far as
the documents go, on the one hand, and the limits of an introduction can
allow, on the other, no interesting fact will be omitted.

Conformably to this plan, no attempt will be made to investigate the
claims of the _Chinese_ to the earliest knowledge of Terra Australis;
which some, from the chart of _Marco Polo_, have thought they possessed.
Nor yet will much be said upon the plea advanced by the Abbe PREVOST,*
and after him by the President DEBROSSES,** in favour of _Paulmier de
Gonneville_, a French captain; for whom they claim the honour of having
discovered Terra Australis, in 1504. It is evident from the proofs they
adduce, that it was not to any part of this country, but to Madagascar,
that Gonneville was driven; and from whence he brought his prince
Essomeric, to Normandy.

[* _Histoire generale des Voyages_. Tome XVI. (a la Haye) p. 7-14.]

[** _Histoire des Navigations aux Terres Australes_. Tome I. p. 102-120.]

Within these few years, however, two curious manuscript charts have been
brought to light; which have favoured an opinion, that Terra Australis
had really been visited by Europeans, nearly a century before any
a