A Voyage to the South Atlantic and Round Cape Horn into the Pacific Ocean
For the Purpose of Extending the Spermaceti Whale Fisheries, and Other Objects of Commerce
Cambridge Library Collection - Maritime Exploration Series

British naval officer James Colnett (1753?1806) served on many voyages during his career. He was a midshipman on Captain Cook's second voyage, and in 1774, he was first to sight New Caledonia, which led to Cook naming Cape Colnett after him. Later in his career, he was in command of the fur-trading expedition that resulted in the Nootka Crisis and near-war between Spain and England. In this book, first published in 1798, Colnett gives an account of the voyage he commanded to the Antarctic in 1793. The expedition's success at charting suitable places for ships to anchor was instrumental to the development of the whaling industry in the area. This book contains accounts and maps of the islands and coastlands visited during the expedition. Among the islands visited were the Galapagos Islands, and Charles Darwin is known to have had a copy of this book on HMS Beagle.

Dedication; Introduction; 1. Passage of the Rattler from England to Rio Janeiro; 2. Attempt to discover Isle Grand, and passage round Cape Horn; 3. Remarks on the navigation round Cape Horn; 4. Route from Cape Horn to making the Coast of Chili, and the Isles St. Felix and St. Ambrose; 5. Route of the Rattler from the Isles Saint Felix and Saint Ambrose, to the Coast of Peru; 6. The Galapagoe Isles; 7. Passage from the Galapoagoe Isles, to Isle Cocas; 8. Route from Isle Cocas, to the Coast of Mexico, and Isles Santo Barto, and Rocka Rartido, from thence to the Coast of California, and account of our cruize in the Gulf of California, with our return to Socoro after searching for Isle St. Thomas; 9. The Rattler quits the Isle of Socoro for the Coast of Mexico: some account of our transactions there, and while we lay an anchor before the Island of Quibo, in the Gulf of Panama, to our arrival at the Isles of the Galapagoes, on and near the Equator; 10. The Rattler leaves the Galapagoe Isles and Coast of Peru, for the Isles Saint Felix and Saint Ambrose, on the Coast of Chili: from thence she rounds Cape Horn, on her passage to Isle Saint Helena, in the Atlantic Ocean; 11. From Isle Saint Helena to England.