Summary

Though the first three voyages described did not add a great deal to our knowledge of Polynesia, the Wilkes Expedition more than made up for them. The work of the expedition was up to the standard inaugurated by Captain James Cook, and in the perspective of time, the opposition, antagonism, and criticism of the day are dissipated by the wealth of scientific material handed down to a more appreciative posterity. Though the voyages took place after Polynesia had been combed by other countries, new islands were discovered in the Tuamotus, Tokelaus, Ellices, and Phoenix Islands, and both seamen and scholars can pore over the volumes of the expedition with feelings of gratitude for the entry of the United States into the field of Pacific exploration.