James Cook

Cook was an established explorer-cartographer — some of his astonishing charts were used until the mid-20thC — and had presented an astronomical paper to the Royal Society, before he led three famous voyages of scientific exploration. Banks (paying his own way) and Solander were naturalists on Cook’s first voyage, the Forsters taking their place on the second after Cook baulked at Banks’s demands; unfortunately, the elder Forster and Cook quickly became disenchanted with one another. Maskelyne supported and corresponded with Cook. Boswell met him at Pringle’s, and “felt a strong inclination to go with him on his next voyage.”