| Description | The draft of Sir Stephens' letter announces and summarizes the secret instructions given to Capt. Cook by the Lord Commissioners of the Admiralty - the draft of which is enclosed.
In this document, the Lord Commissioners inform Capt. Cook that the Earl of Sandwich has approached them to communicate the wish of the King to find a northern passage by sea from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. The Lord Commissioners have, thus, declared Capt. Cook to be the fittest for this mission and they are here giving him detailed instructions on how to proceed. |