After the return of the Endeavour it was decided that a full and
comprehensive account of the voyage should be compiled. COOK'S JOURNAL
dealt with matters from the point of view of the seaman, the explorer,
and the head of the expedition, responsible for life, and for its general
success. The Journals of Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander looked from the
scientific side on all that presented itself to their enthusiastic
observation.

What could be better than to combine these accounts, and make up a
complete narrative from them all?

The result, however, according to our nineteenth-century ideas, was not
altogether happy. Dr. Hawkesworth, into whose hands the Journals were
put, not only interspersed reflections of his own, but managed to impose
his own ponderous style upon many of the extracts from the united
Journals; and, moreover, as they are all jumbled together, the whole
being put into Cook's mouth, it is impossible to know whether we are
reading Cook, Banks, Solander, or Hawkesworth himself.

The readers of the day were not, however, critical. Hawkesworth's book,*
(* "Hawkesworth's Voyages" 3 volumes quarto 1773.) which undoubtedly
contains all the most generally interesting passages of the three
writers, gave a clear description of the events of the voyage in a
connected manner, and was accepted as sufficient; and in the excitement
of devouring the pages which introduced so many new lands and peoples,
probably few wished for more, and the Journals were put away as dealt
with.

Since that time it has been on several occasions in contemplation to
publish Mr. (after Sir Joseph) Banks' Journal; but this has never been