Editing Terra Australis (section)

====18th century====
[[Alexander Dalrymple]], the Examiner of Sea Journals for the British [[East India Company]],<ref>Howard T. Fry, ''Alexander Dalrymple (1737–1808) and the Expansion of British Trade,'' London, Cass for the Royal Commonwealth Society, 1970, pp.&nbsp;229–230.</ref> whilst translating some Spanish documents [[British occupation of Manila|captured in the Philippines in 1762]], found de Torres's testimony.  This discovery led Dalrymple to publish the ''Historical Collection of the Several Voyages and Discoveries in the South Pacific Ocean'' in 1770–1771. Dalrymple presented a beguiling tableau of the ''Terra Australis'', or Southern Continent:
<blockquote>The number of inhabitants in the Southern Continent is probably more than 50 millions, considering the extent, from the eastern part discovered by Juan Fernandez, to the western coast seen by Tasman, is about 100 deg. of longitude, which in the latitude of 40 deg. amounts to 4596 geographic, or 5323 stature miles [8567&nbsp;km]. This is a greater extent than the whole civilized part of Asia, from Turkey to the eastern extremity of China. There is at present no trade from Europe thither, though the scraps from this table would be sufficient to maintain the power, dominion, and sovereignty of Britain, by employing all its manufacturers and ships. Whoever considers the Peruvian empire, where arts and industry flourished under one of the wisest systems of government, which was founded by a stranger, must have very sanguine expectations of the southern continent, from whence it is more than probable Mango Capac, the first Inca, was derived, and must be convinced that the country, from whence Mango Capac introduced the comforts of civilized life, cannot fail of amply rewarding the fortunate people who shall bestow letters instead of quippos ([[quipus]]), and iron in place of more awkward substitutes.<ref>Alexander Dalrymple, [https://archive.org/details/b30411543/page/n37 ''An Historical Collection of the several Voyages and Discoveries in the South Pacific Ocean,''] Vol.I, London, 1769 and 1770, pp.&nbsp;xxviii–xxix.</ref></blockquote>
Dalrymple's claim of the existence of an unknown continent aroused widespread interest and prompted the British government in 1769 to order [[James Cook]] in [[HM Bark Endeavour|HM Bark ''Endeavour'']] to seek out the Southern Continent to the South and West of [[Tahiti]], discovered in June 1767 by [[Samuel Wallis]] in {{HMS|Dolphin|1751|6}} and named by him King George Island.<ref>Andrew Cook, Introduction to ''An account of the discoveries made in the South Pacifick Ocean&nbsp;/ by Alexander Dalrymple'' ; first printed in 1767, reissued with a foreword by Kevin Fewster and an essay by Andrew Cook, Potts Point (NSW), Hordern House Rare Books for the Australian National Maritime Museum, 1996, pp.&nbsp;38–9.</ref> The London press reported in June 1768 that two ships would be sent to the newly discovered island and from there to "attempt the Discovery of the Southern Continent".<ref>''The St. James's Chronicle'', 11 June and ''The Public Advertiser,'' 13 June 1768.</ref> A subsequent press report stated: "We are informed, that the Island which Captain Wallis has discovered in the South-Sea, and named George's Land, is about fifteen hundred Leagues to the Westward and to Leeward of the Coast of Peru, and about five-and-thirty Leagues in circumference; that its principal and almost sole national Advantage is, its Situation for exploring the Terra Incognita of the Southern Hemisphere. The Endeavour, a North-Country Cat, is purchased by the Government, and commanded by a Lieutenant of the Navy; she is fitting out at Deptford for the South-Sea, thought to be intended for the newly-discovered Island".<ref>''The St. James's Chronicle'', 18 June, ''The Gazetteer,'' 20 June and ''The Westminster Journal,'' 25 June 1768.</ref> The aims of the expedition were revealed in days following: "To-morrow morning Mr. Banks, Dr. Solano [sic], with Mr. Green, the Astronomer, will set out for Deal, to embark on board the Endeavour, Capt. Cook, for the South Seas, under the direction of the Royal Society, to observe the Transit of Venus next summer, and to make discoveries to the South and West of Cape Horn".<ref>''Lloyd's Evening Post,'' 5 August, ''The St. James's Chronicle,'' 6 August, ''Courier du Bas-Rhin'' (Cleves), 1768.</ref> The London ''Gazetteer'' was more explicit when it reported on 18 August 1768: "The gentlemen, who are to sail in a few days for George's Land, the new discovered island in the Pacific ocean, with an intention to observe the Transit of Venus, are likewise, we are credibly informed, to attempt some new discoveries in that vast unknown tract, above the latitude 40".<ref>Also in ''Lloyd's Evening Post,'' 19 August and ''The New York Journal,'' 3 November 1768.</ref> The results of this [[first voyage of James Cook]] in respect of the quest for the Southern Continent were summed up by Cook himself. He wrote in his ''Journal'' on 31 March 1770 that the ''Endeavour''{{'s}} voyage "must be allowed to have set aside the most, if not all, the Arguments and proofs that have been advanced by different Authors to prove that there must be a Southern Continent; I mean to the Northward of 40 degrees South, for what may lie to the Southward of that Latitude I know not".<ref>[http://www.gutenberg.org/files/8106/8106-h/8106-h.htm#ch6 W.J.L. Wharton, ''Captain Cook's Journal During the First Voyage Round the World,'' London, 1893.] See also J. C. Beaglehole and R. A.  Skelton (eds.), ''The Journals of Captain James Cook on His Voyages of Discovery,'' Vol. 1, ''The Voyage of the Endeavor, 1768–1771,'' Cambridge University Press for the Hakluyt Society, 1955, p.&nbsp;290.</ref>

The [[second voyage of James Cook]] aboard {{HMS|Resolution|1771|6}} explored the South Pacific for the landmass between 1772 and 1775 whilst also testing [[Larcum Kendall]]'s K1 chronometer as a method for measuring longitude.<ref name="Wales">{{cite web|last=Wales|first=William|title=Log book of HMS 'Resolution'|url=http://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-RGO-00014-00058|publisher=Cambridge Digital Library|access-date=28 May 2013}}</ref>