accomplished.

Cook's Journal was in triplicate. The Admiralty Orders of the day
enjoined that the captain should keep a journal of proceedings, a copy of
which was to be forwarded to the Admiralty every six months, or as soon
after as possible. In the case of this voyage the ship was two and a half
years from England before any opportunity of sending this copy occurred.
The ship was the whole of this time in new and savage lands. When Batavia
was reached the duplicate of Cook's Journal was sent home, and six months
later, when the ship arrived in England, the full Journal of the voyage
was deposited at the Admiralty.

The Secretary of the Admiralty, Sir Philip Stephens, a personal friend
and appreciator of Cook, appears to have appropriated the Batavia
duplicate, as we find it in the hands of his descendants, and passing
thence by sale, first to Mr. Cosens in 1868, and then in 1890 to Mr. John
Corner.

The other and complete copy is still in possession of the Admiralty,
though in some unexplained manner it was absent for some years, and was
only recovered by the exertions of Mr. W. Blakeney, R.N.

A third copy of the Journal also terminates a few days before reaching
Batavia. It is in the possession of Her Majesty the Queen, and from its
appearance was kept for, and probably presented to, George III, who took
great interest in the voyage.

Neither private possessors nor the Admiralty have felt moved to publish
this interesting document until Mr. Corner acquired his copy, when, being
an enthusiastic admirer of Captain Cook, he determined to do so, and was