THE CRITICAL REVIEW. SEPTEMBER, 1798. A Voyage of Difcovery to the North Pacific Ocean, and round the World; in which the Coaft of North-Weft America has been carefully examined and accurately furveyed. Undertaken by his Majesty's Command, principally with a View to ascertain the Exiftence of any navigable Communication between the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans; and performed in the Years 1790, 1791, 1792, 1793, 1794, and 1795, in the Difcovery Sloop of War, and armed Tender Chatham, under the Command of Captain George Vancouver. 3 Vols. Royal 4to. With a Volume of Maps and Charts done up Separately in Folio. 61. 6s. Boards. Robinfons. 1798. THE confident affertions of fome pretended navigators, the hints and fufpicions of philofophers, and, above all, the great importance of the discovery of a paffage from the Northern Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic, induced the government of this country to fend two veffels to renew the examination of the coaft in different latitudes. When we investigated the subject in our review of Cook's last voyage *, we were confident that no fuch paffage could exift. From a comparison of his easternmoft longitudes with the obfervations in Hudfon's Bay, it was highly probable that more than 1500 miles of land intervened between the two feas. When Mr. Meares revived, with fo much apparent probability, the existence of the ftraits of John de Fuca, in the fame parallel with lake Winnipeg, and when we again confidered Slave Lake as the poffible fource of Cook's river, we expreffed our doubts whether at least fome inland communication might not exist. Thefe doubts, however, vanifhed, and our former confidence was restored, when the members of the Hudfon's Bay company published accounts of the land to the weft of their factories. We not only find, from their information, that the distance between the feas is much greater than we had fuppofed, but that very high mountains, from north to fouth, *See Crit. Rev. Vol. LVIII. p. 1. AP4 C87 ser. 2 24 |
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