An account of the voyage of HMS Swallow to the South Pacific from 1766 -1769 under the command of Lieutenant Philip Carteret (1793-1796). Carteret, born in Jersey, joined the Navy at the age of 14, first serving in HMS Salisbury. Later, he served as lieutenant in HMS Dolphin under Captain John Byron on his voyage of circumnavigation in 1764-1766. Tasked with exploring the Pacific in the Swallow to search for the great southern continent thought to exist there, Carteret was critical of the ship's capabilities for such a voyage and doubted whether this was in fact, the planned destination. Initially sailing in the company of the faster HMS Dolphin under the command of Captain Samuel Wallis, the ships were parted shortly after sailing through the Strait of Magellan. Carteret and the Swallow continued on independently resulting in the discovery of the Pitcairn Islands. Beset by illness on board and a lack of supplies, Swallow arrived back in England ten months after HMS Dolphin.