had served in a similar situation in Captain Cook's last voyage; the
other William Brown, as an assistant to him.

The object of all the former voyages to the South Seas, undertaken by
command of his Majesty George III, was the increase of knowledge by new
discoveries, and the advancement of science, more particularly of
natural history and geography: the intention of the present voyage was
to derive some practical benefit from the distant discoveries that had
already been made; and no object was deemed more likely to realise the
expectation of benefit than the bread-fruit, which afforded to the
natives of Otaheite so very considerable a portion of their food, and
which it was hoped it might also do for the black population of the West
India Islands. The bread-fruit plant was no new discovery of either
Wallis or Cook. So early as the year 1688, that excellent old navigator,
Dampier, thus describes it:--'The bread-fruit, as we call it, grows on a
large tree, as big and high as our largest apple-trees; it hath a
spreading head, full of branches and dark leaves. The fruit grows on the
boughs like apples; it is as big as a penny-loaf, when wheat is at five
shillings the bushel; it is of a round shape, and hath a thick tough
rind; when the fruit is ripe it is yellow and soft, and the taste is
sweet and pleasant. The natives of Guam use it for bread. They gather
it, when full grown, while it is green and hard; then they bake it in an
oven, which scorcheth the rind and makes it black, but they scrape off
the outside black crust, and there remains a tender thin crust; and the
inside is soft, tender, and white, like the crumb of a penny-loaf. There
is neither seed nor stone in the inside, but all is of a pure substance
like bread. It must be eaten new; for if it is kept above twenty-four
hours, it grows harsh and choaky; but it is very pleasant before it is
too stale. This fruit lasts in season eight months in the year, during
which the natives eat no other sort of food of bread kind. I did never