A voyage of discovery (2)

These two illustrations provide a concise summation of European associations with North and South America and of the range of Vancouver's explorations along the eastern shores of the Pacific. To the north is the vast unpeopled landscape of the Pacific northwest (and mountains hiding Northwest Passages), while to the south is the Spanish port of Valparaiso, where 'all conspired at once to announce, that we were again approaching towards the civilized world' (6.236). These images also aim for a high degree of verisimilitude, to complement Vancouver's constant quest for accuracy, a trait he may well have learned from his captain while sailing on Cook's second and third voyages