cious compliment.
Sailing from Simon's Bay on 9th May, the trades were picked up on the
14th, and on 13th June the line was crossed in longitude 26 degrees 16
minutes West. The coast of Ireland was sighted on 12th August, and an
attempt was made to get into Galway Bay, but strong southerly winds drove
them to the north, and at length, rounding the north of Scotland, they
put into Stromness, whence Captain King was despatched overland to the
Admiralty. The ships arrived off the Nore on 4th October, after an
absence of "four years, two months, and twenty-two days."

KING MEETS KING.

On 14th February 1781, the second anniversary of Cook's death, King,
accompanied by Mr. Banks, was presented to His Majesty, who was pleased
to accept the Journals of the Resolution and Discovery kept during this
eventful voyage.

CHAPTER 19. APPRECIATION AND CHARACTER.

Of course as nothing had been heard of the expedition for a considerable
time, a certain amount of anxiety was felt, which at length found vent in
paragraphs in the public press, and on 11th January 1780 the London
Gazette contained the following:

"Captain Clerke of His Majesty's Sloop the Resolution, in a letter to Mr.
Stephens, dated the 8th of June 1779, in the harbour of St. Peter and St.
Paul, Kampschatka, which was received yesterday, gives the melancholy
account of the celebrated Captain Cook, late Commander of that Sloop,
with four of his private Marines having been killed on the 14th of
February last at the island of Owhyhe, one of a Group of new-discovered
Islands in the 22nd degree of North Latitude, in an affray with a
numerous and tumultuous Body of the Natives."

"Captain Clerke adds, that he received every friendly supply from the
Russian Government; and that as the Companies of the Resolution and her
Consort, the Discovery, were in perfect Health, and the two Sloops had
twelve months Stores and Provisions on board, he was preparing to make
another Attempt to explore a Northern Passage to Europe."

THE EMPRESS OF RUSSIA.

The London Gazette of 8th February says:

"The Empress of Russia expressed a most deep concern at the Loss of
Captain Cook. She was the more sensibly affected from her very partial
regard to his merits; and when she was informed of the hospitality shown
by the Russian Government at Kamschatka to Captain Clerke, she said no
Subject in her Dominions could show too much Friendship to the Survivors
of Captain Cook."

The letter wri