William Ellis described himself as “assistant surgeon to the Resolution and the Discovery.” The note of Sir Maurice Holmes to his account of the first edition of this book reads: The rank of “Assistant Surgeon” assumed by Ellis was unknown in the Navy of his time. He was actually Surgeon’s Mate, first in the Discovery and later in the Resolution. Clerke in his famous dying letter to Banks commended Ellis to his notice, but Ellis forfeited Banks’ regard by publishing this account of the voyage in contravention of the instruction to surrender all journals and logs. In a letter dated January 23rd 1782, Banks wrote to Ellis regretting that he had “engaged in so imprudent a business” and stating “I fear that it will not in future be in my power to do what it might have been, had you asked and followed my advice.”

John Ledyard, 1751-1789, was born in Connecticut. In 1776 he was in London and enlisted in the marines, and eventually embarked on board the Resolution, which sailed from Plymouth under Captain Cook for his third voyage in July 1776. Ledyard kept a journal during the voyage, which, with all the other journals of the voyage, was confiscated by the Admiralty, to prevent the official history of the voyage being forestalled. In 1782 the ship on which Ledyard was serving was sent to North America, whereupon Ledyard deserted and returned to his family at Hartford. His journal was still with the British Admiralty, but Ledyard wrote his account of the voyage from memory and had it published by Nathaniel Patten. The book was originally issued in parts to subscribers, the first part appearing in June and the second in July, 1783. It was the first book to be issued under the Connecticut state copyright law of 1783, itself the first of its kind to be passed in this country. Other states followed suit until 1790 when the national copyright law was passed.

Much has been written concerning Ledyard’s Journal. See Sir Maurice Holmes, op. cit. See also, the Notes for Bibliophiles by Lawrence C. Wroth in the Book Section of the New York Herald Tribune, February 12, 1939.

Jefferson was acquainted with John Ledyard; he knew him in Paris, and had some correspondence with him. A rumor of Ledyard’s death was circulated in 1788. On May 21, 1789, in a letter to Thomas Paine, Jefferson wrote from Paris: “ . . . I this moment receive a letter from Ledyard dated Cairo Nov. 15. he therein sais ‘I am doing up my baggage & most curious baggage it is, & I leave Cairo in two or three days. I travel from hence SW about 300. leagues to a Black king. there my present conductors leave me to my fate. beyond I suppose I go alone. I expect to hit the continent across between the parallels of 12 ^o. & 20 ^o N. Lat. I shall, if possible write you from the kingdom of this black gentleman.’ this seems to contradict the story of his having died at Cairo in January, as he was then probably in the interior parts of Africa. if S ^r. Joseph Banks has no news from him later than the letter of Septemb. it may do him pleasure if you will communicate the above. if he or any other person knows whether there is any foundation for the story of his death, I will thank you to be informed of it . . . ”

Paine replied from London on June 17, and quoted to him a letter he had received from Sir Joseph Banks. Paine wrote: “. . . In the Close of his [i.e. Sir Joseph’s] letter he says “We have lost poor Ledyard--he had ”