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Part I. Comprehending the occurrences that happened from the ship's departure from England to its arrival in the South-Seas

Parkinson describes coming on board Endeavour on 22 July 1768 and sailing from Plymouth on 26 August 1768, Banks and Solander having joined on 14 August. The ship sails so Madeira, and Parkinson describes the stay at Funchal, where they take on provisions. Parkinson describes an accident:

While the ship lay in this harbour, we had the misfortune of losing Mr. Ware, the chief-mate, who was a very honest worthy man, and one of our best seamen. His death was occasioned by an unlucky accident which happened to him while he stood in the boat to see one of the anchors slipped. The buoy-rope happening to entangle one of his legs, he was drawn overboard and drowned before we could lend him any assistance.

After passing the Canary Islands, they sail southwest and come to the coast of Brazil on 8 November, arriving at Rio de Janeiro on 13 November. The Portuguese viceroy did not permit them to go ashore; however, "notwithstanding all the viceroy's precautions, we determined to gratify our curiosity, in some measure, and having obtained a sufficient knowledge of the river and harbour, by the surveys that we had made of the country, we frequently, unknown to the centinel, stole out of the cabin window at midnight, letting ourselves down into a boat by a rope; and, driving away with the tide till we were out of hearing, we then rowed to some unfrequented part of the shore, where we landed, and made, excursions up into the country, though not so far as we could have wished to have done." They leave Rio on 7 December 1768. As they leave the harbour, the experienced seaman Mr Flowers falls into the sea and drowns before they can help him. They sail south along the coast of South America. On 11 January 1769, they arrive at Tierra del Fuego, where they lay anchor in the Bay of Good Success on 17 January 1769.