ABSTRACT
The southern continent itself was reckoned to lie a mere 5° south of Isla Grande and was destined to fulfil the same role as the most flourishing of the North American colonies. In 1772 the geographer Alexander Dalrymple attempted to get government backing for an expedition to the south Atlantic, by outlining for Lord North the benefits accruing to Britain from the discovery of Terra Australis Incognita. The publication was untimely. In July of that year Cook returned from his second great voyage of discovery and the reality of the southern continent was finally denied. As each region was worked out, or as the whales became 'wilder' as the memorialists put it, the ships moved to a new region, eventually spanning the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Since 1785 the government had shown itself willing to encourage the new 'southern whale' fishery, and was giving the industry determined backing against the monopolies of the East India and South Sea Companies.
