The volume consists of 49 letters from William Beresford ("a person on board the Queen Charlotte") to his friend Hamlen, edited by Dixon, who also added an introduction and two appendices and the important maps. Dixon's voyage is important as a supplement to the voyages of Captain Cook and for its contributions to the natural history of the Pacific northwest. While intended to be a fur trading expedition in North America, the itinerary also included the Isle of Guernsay, Cape Verde Islands, Falkland Islands, Cape Horn, Sandwich Islands, Cook's River, King George's Sound, Prince William Sound, Macao, Canton, and St. Helena. Dixon discovered the Queen Charlotte Islands, Port Mulgrave, Norfolk Bay, and Dixon Entrance and Archipelago while continuing along the coast and trading with the natives. Much here of interest on the geography, ethnography, and natural history of the American coast from Nootka Sound northward. Hill 117. Howes D376. Sabin 20364.
