Archives of Historical Documents

1. John Hawkesworth's 'Particular Description of the Island (of Tahiti)'.

Text of chapters seventeen, eighteen and nineteen of the first edition of the second volume of Hawkesworth's Account of the Voyages undertaken by the Order of His Present Majesty for making Discoveries in the Southern Hemisphere... (3 vols., London: Stahan and Cadell, 1773), vol. 2, pp. 185-248.

The text has been reproduced so as to allow comparison and contrast with the two major manuscript sources used by Hawkesworth: Cook's 'Description of King George's Island', Australian National Library Manuscript; and Joseph Bank's 'Manners & Customs of S. Sea Islands', Mitchell Library Manuscript.

2. The Transit of Venus

Astronomical Observations made, by Appointment of the Royal Society, at King George's Island in the South Sea; by Mr. Charles Green, formerly Assistant of the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, and Lieut. James Cook,of His Majesty's Ship the Endeavour.

Read to the Royal Society in 1771. Text reproduced from C. Hutton, G. Shaw and R. Pearson, The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, from their Commencement, in 1665, to the Year 1800; abridged, with Notes and Biographic Illustrations..(London: C. and R. Baldwin, 1809), XIII, pp. 173-78. 

The Transits of Venus and Mercury over the Sun's Disk, June 4 and Nov. 10, 1769, observed by John Maurits Mohr. Communicated by Captain James Cook. From the Latin. p. 433.

Read to the society in 1771. Text reproduced from C. Hutton, G. Shaw and R. Pearson, The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, from their Commencement, in 1665, to the Year 1800; abridged, with Notes and Biographic Illustrations..(London: C. and R. Baldwin, 1809), XIII, pp. 180-1.