Editing James Cook (section)

===Transit of Venus===
The expedition departed England on 26 August 1768.{{sfn|Collingridge|2003|p=140}} Cook and his crew rounded [[Cape Horn]] and continued westward across the Pacific, arriving at [[Tahiti]] on 13 April 1769, where the [[1769 Transit of Venus observed from Tahiti|observations of the transit]] were made.{{sfn|Collingridge|2003|pp=101-102,146, 158-165}} However, the result of the observations was not as conclusive or accurate as had been hoped.{{sfn|Collingridge|2003|p=165}} Once the observations were completed, Cook opened the sealed orders, which instructed him to search for the postulated southern continent of ''Terra Australis''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Secret Instructions to Captain Cook, 30 June 1768 |publisher=[[National Archives of Australia]] |url=http://www.foundingdocs.gov.au/resources/transcripts/nsw1_doc_1768.pdf |access-date=3 September 2011 |archive-date=27 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200427203030/https://www.foundingdocs.gov.au/resources/transcripts/nsw1_doc_1768.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>