Description
The first English edition of Cook’s rare engraved chart of the South Atlantic Ocean, from his second voyage account.
The chart shows the tracks of Cook’s ship, the HMS Resolution in the vicinity of South Georgia and South Sandwich Island in the South Atlantic.
South Georgia was first discovered by Europeans in 1675 by Anthony de la Roché, a London merchant, and named Roche Island on a number of early maps. It was later sighted by a Spanish ship named León operating out of Saint-Malo on 28 June or 29 June 1756. According to Argentine historians, it was explored on 29 June 1756, St Peter’s Day, hence its Spanish name Isla San Pedro, literally “St Peter’s Island”.. Captain James Cook in HMS Resolution made the first landing, survey and mapping of the island, and on 17 January 1775 he claimed it a British possession, naming it “Isle of Georgia” after King George III.
The results of Cook’s second voyage results extended the known areas of Antarctica.
‘This voyage produced a vast amount of information concerning the Pacific peoples and islands, proved the value of the chronometer as an aid to finding longitude, and improved techniques for preventing scurvy’ (Hill).
From Cook, J., A Voyage Towards the South Pole, and Round the World, performed in His Majesty’s Ships the ‘Resolution’ and ‘Adventure’ In the Years 1772, 1773, 1774, and 1775.
