SOUTH SEA, or Pacific Ocean, is that vast body of water interposed between Asia and America. It does not, however, strictly speaking, reach quite to the continent of Asia, excepting to the northward of the peninsula of Malacca; for the water interposed between the eastern coast of Africa and the peninsula just mentioned has the name of the Indian Ocean. The South-Sea, then, is bounded on one side by the western coast of America, through its whole extent, from the unknown regions in the north to the Straits of Magellan and Terra del Fuego where it communicates with the southern part of the Atlantic. On the other side, it is bounded by the coast of Asia, from the northern promontory of Tschouki Nofs, to the peninsula of Malacca already mentioned. From thence it is bounded to the southward by the northern coasts of Borneo, Celebes, Macassar, New Guinea, New Holland, and the other islands in that quarter, which divide it from the Indian Ocean. Then, washing the eastern coast of the great island of New Holland, it communicates with that vast body of water encompassing the whole southern part of the globe, and which has the general name of the Southern Ocean all round. Thus does this vast
South. vast ocean occupy almost the femicircumference of the globe, extending almost from one pole to the other, and about the equatorial parts extending almost 180° in longitude, or 12,500 of our miles.
The northern parts of the Pacific Ocean are entirely destitute of land; not a single island having yet been discovered in it from the latitude of 40° north and upwards, excepting such as are very near the coasts either of Asia or America; but in the southern part there are a great number, the situation and distances of which will appear from the annexed map. A geographical account of these islands, together with the manners and customs of the inhabitants, is given under the different articles as they occur in the alphabetical order; and the plate shows their figure and dresses better than could be expressed by any verbal description.
Till very lately the South-Sea was in a great measure unknown. From the great extent of ice which covers the southern part of the globe, it was imagined that much more land existed there than in the northern regions; but that this could not be justly inferred merely from that circumstance, is plain from what has been advanced under the article AMERICA, n° 3—24; and the southern continent, long known by the name of TERRA AUSTRALIS, has eluded the search of the most expert navigators sent out from Britain and France by royal authority.
The first of these voyages was made by commodore now admiral Byron, in the Dolphin, a man of war of the sixth rate, accompanied by the Tamar frigate, captain Mouat. He sailed from Plymouth the 21st of July 1764; and, passing through the straits of Magellan, discovered several islands in the southern hemisphere. He then proceeded to the Ladrones islands; refreshed his crew at Tinian, which is one of them; proceeded to Batavia; and, returning to Europe by the Cape of Good Hope, cast anchor in Plymouth Sound the 9th of May 1766. In the August following, captain Wallis, in the Dolphin, sailed on a second circumnavigation of the globe, accompanied by captain Carteret in the Swallow sloop. Having passed the straits of Magellan, the two ships parted company. Captain Wallis directed his course more westwardly than any former navigator within the tropics; he discovered several islands, but particularly O-Taheitee, which he named King George's Island. Captain Carteret, besides several islands, discovered the straits which divide New Britain from what is now called New Ireland. Captain Wallis returned to England by the East Indies in May 1768, and captain Carteret by the same route in March 1769. In November 1766, commodore Bougainville sailed from France with a frigate and a store-ship: he entered the Pacific Ocean by the Straits of Magellan; touched at O-Taheitee, the northern part of Tierra del Espíritu Santo; refreshed his crews in the very port which captain Carteret had not long left in New Ireland, touched at Batavia soon after the Swallow's departure from thence, fell into company with that sloop after leaving the Cape of Good Hope, and returned to France much about the same time. In 1766, the Royal Society preferred a memorial to his majesty, representing the advantages that would be derived to science, if an accurate observation of the transit of Venus over the sun, which was to happen in June 1769, was taken in some part
of the South-Sea; in consequence of which, orders were given for the Endeavour bark, of 370 tons, to be fitted out for that purpose, the command of which was given to lieutenant James Cook. This gentleman, and Mr Charles Green, were appointed by that learned body to make observations on the transit. Mr Banks, a gentleman of large fortune, and zealously devoted to the acquisition of knowledge, accompanied by Dr Solander, a learned disciple of the great Linnaeus, embarked on this expedition; and captain Wallis returning just as they were about to sail, the island of O-Taheitee, which he had discovered, was pointed out as the most eligible spot for the purpose of making the observation. Lieutenant Cook failed in July 1768, and went round Cape Horn. With indefatigable zeal he traversed the southern regions of the great Pacific Ocean, and minutely examined the coast of New Zealand: With undaunted courage he persevered amidst rocks and shoals in tracing the eastern coast of New Holland; and having found it to be separated from New Guinea by a strait, he returned to England by the way of the East Indies, and came to an anchor in the Downs on the 12th of July 1771. Soon after the return of the Endeavour, a voyage to determine, with precision, the existence of a southern continent, was resolved upon under the same royal auspices which had given birth to the former expeditions. Two vessels, the Resolution and Adventure, were fitted out as king's ships for that purpose: captain Cook had the conduct of the expedition, and had the Resolution for his ship; captain Furneaux, who had already sailed round the world with captain Wallis as his first lieutenant, had the command of the Adventure. Dr Forster, and his son Mr George Forster, were appointed to embark in this expedition, to collect, describe, and draw the objects of natural history which should present themselves; Mr Wales was appointed astronomer on board the Resolution, and Mr William Bayley on board the Adventure; also Mr William Hodges, a very able artist, whose department it was to take drawings of persons and prospects that were curious and important. On the 13th of July 1772, the two ships sailed on their voyage round the world, than which none was ever more productive of valuable information, or more beneficial to the advancement of science. The Adventure having twice parted company from the Resolution, returned to England in 1774; but the Resolution did not arrive till the 3d July 1775. Neither ship touched at any of the East India settlements. In 1776 Captain Cook was once more sent out to explore the Pacific Ocean; but was ordered to direct his chief attention to the northern part, especially where the continents of Asia and America approach each other. This task he executed with the same intrepidity and success which have all along distinguished him from other navigators: but his unfortunate death, and that of Capt. Clerk who succeeded him, have undoubtedly rendered that voyage much less useful to science than otherwise it would have been; and no authentic account of the discoveries actually yet made has appeared.