A missionary voyage to the southern Pacific Ocean, performed in the years 1796, 1797, 1798, in the ship Duff, commanded by Captain James Wilson

documentary heritage

The London Missionary Society was founded in 1795 and this is the attractively illustrated account of its attempt to establish a mission in Tahiti. The settlement was initially befriended by the king, Pomaire I, but "within two years eleven of the missionaries had become so unpopular with the natives they were sent off the island, and travelled to Sydney" (Howgego). "The voyagers made many important discoveries of islands, including Timoe, Mangareva, and Pukarua in the Tuamoto Archipelago.; Ongea and Fulanga Islands; Vanua Mbalavu, and Satawal, Lamotrek, Elato, Ifalik, and Woleai atolls in the Western Carolines, before putting in at Macao. A new group of islands, named the Duff Group, was discovered among the Santa Cruz Islands. On the outward voyage, the expedition visited Rio de Janeiro. The narrative is fresh, although sometimes naive, and provides a glimpse of everyday life on the islands that the mariner or naturalist didn't consider worth reporting" (Hill). William Wilson, first mate on the Duff and nephew of the captain, is identified in the Advertisement as being responsible for the composition of "the body of the journal" from his own papers, Captain Wilson's, and the Missionaries' reports; Howgego noting that he was "reputedly given ·2,000 for the copyright". Hill points out that the anonymous editor was the Rev. Thomas Haweis, a founder of the London Missionary Society, and that the lengthy "preliminary discourse" was the work of Samuel Greathead, "using the then-unpublished narrative of James Morrison, one of the pardoned Bounty mutineers. Morrison's manuscript was also the source for the extensive appendix on Tahiti".

Last Update: 12 Oct 2026
Other Name

Missionary Voyage - Spine title (Alternate title)

A missionary voyage to the southern Pacific Ocean - Spine title (Alternate title)

A missionary voyage to the southern Pacific Ocean, Etc - Spine Title (Alternate title)

Place
London, England, United Kingdom
Other Id

G926.W55 MIS 1799 (Library of Congress Call Number)

20347 (Cat ID)

14420 (DBTextworks system ID)

11495 (Presto content ID)

Department

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[n.k.], A missionary voyage to the southern Pacific Ocean, London 1799, G926.W55 MIS 1799, No known copyright restrictions
[n.k.], A missionary voyage to the southern Pacific Ocean, London 1799, G926.W55 MIS 1799, No known copyright restrictions No Known Copyright Restrictions
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