The Vancouver Voyage exemplifies the extraordinary upsurge in optimism and adventure in the last two decades of the 18th century. Four men were the lynch-pins of that enterprise and this volume examines their achievements and sufferings. It particularly examines the interplay and stress between the men, both physical and psychological, during the voyage. Evidence as to the nature of Vancouver's own chronic disease (which killed him in his 41st year) is presented, and his psychological state is analysed. The achievement of both Vancouver and Menzies in defeating scurvy during the voyage is described. Menzies' largely unpublished and voluminous journal provides the major source of information on the lands explored and the peoples encountered, and the work also contains original material about Whidbey's later life and relationships. Although unusual in format, this work seeks to illuminate the history of those times by applying a physician's eye to four outstanding representatives of an age of optimism. With nineteen photos and eight maps.

Biographies, Discoveries in geography, Nord-Ouest, Côte (Amérique du Nord) Découverte et exploration, North America Northwest Coast of North America, Northwest Coast of North America Discovery and exploration, Vancouver Expedition (1791-1795), Vancouver Expedition (1791-1795) Biography, Vancouver, Expédition de (1791-1795) Biographies

Ch. I. Four Staunch Men Ch. II. The Sea Otter Determines the Future of the Pacific Coast of America Ch. III. Vancouver. His Early Life and Naval Career Ch. IV. Archibald Menzies Becomes a Botanist Explorer Ch. V. The Lives of Joseph Whidbey and Peter Puget Before the Voyage Ch. VI. The Voyage Begins Ch. VII. Half Way Round the World: Falmouth to New Zealand Ch. VIII. Tahiti Resisted Ch. IX. First Contacts with Sandwich Islands and New Albion Ch. X. The Discovery of Admiralty Inlet and Puget Sound Ch. XI. Proving the Insularity of Vancouver Island Ch. XII. Vancouver and his Spanish Friends at Nootka and in California Ch. XIII. Recreation, Refreshment and Repairs in the Sandwich Islands Ch. XIV. The Northern Survey of Summer, 1793 Ch. XV. California 1793 Ch. XVI. Hawaii 1794 Ch. XVII. The Climbing of Mauna Loa Ch. XVIII. Alaska 1794 Ch. XIX. Farewell to Nootka and North America Ch. XX. Homeward Bound