Page 6 - eMuse Vol.9 No.06_Classical

qualifying him to navigate and handle a ship of the King’s fleet.
During the Seven Years’ War, Cook served in North America as
master aboard the fourth-rate Navy vessel HMS Pembroke.
With others in Pembroke’s crew, he took part in the major am-
Capt James Cook — phibious assault that captured the Fortress of Louisbourg from the
French in 1758, and in the siege of Quebec City in 1759.
Master Mariner Throughout his service he demonstrated a talent for surveying
(7 November 1728 – and cartography and was responsible for mapping much of the en-
14 February 1779) trance to the Saint Lawrence River during the siege, thus allowing
General Wolfe to make his famous stealth attack during the 1759
Battle of the Plains of Abraham.
Cook married Elizabeth Batts, on 21 December 1762 at St Mar-
garet’s Church, Barking, Essex. The couple had six children.
Back in North America, he produced maps which were still in
use well into the early 20th Century. He commented that he in-
tended to go not only “farther than any man has been before me,
but as far as I think it is possible for a man to go”.
On 25 May 1768, the Admiralty commissioned Cook to com-
mand a scientific voyage to the Pacific Ocean. The purpose of the
voyage was to observe and record the 1769 transit of Venus across
the Sun which, when combined with observations from other plac-
es, would help to determine the distance of the Earth from the Sun.
Cook, at age 39, was promoted to lieutenant to grant him suf-
ficient status to take the command. For its part, the Royal Society
agreed that Cook would receive a one hundred guinea gratuity in
addition to his Naval pay.
The ship chosen for the expeditions was a refitted and renamed
colliery bark Earl of Pembroke now called HMB Endeavour. (HMS is
technically incorrect as the Endeavour was a bark.) She departed
Capt James Cook portrait by Sir Nathaniel Dance-Holland, c. 1775 England on 26 August 1768.
As a youngster, I was taught that Capt Cook discovered Austral- Cook and his crew rounded Cape Horn arriving at Tahiti on 13
ia, which of course, even then, we knew was not exactly true. At April 1769, where the observations of the Venus Transit were made.
roughly the same time we were also taught that the Dutch were However, the result of the observations was not as conclusive
making occasional visits on the West Coast over a century before or accurate as had been hoped. Once the observations were com-
him. pleted, Cook opened the sealed orders, which were additional in-
But Cook was revered as a hero. So, that didn’t seem to matter. structions from the Admiralty for the second part of his voyage: to
Closer to the present, indigenous people and their supporters cry search the south Pacific for signs of the postulated rich southern
foul and talk of Cook’s arrival as the beginning of an invasion. continent of Terra Australis.
It seems the approach of everyone on the subject of the great Cook then sailed to New Zealand, where he mapped the coun-
English mariner, is somewhat like that of the proverbial bull in a try’s complete coastline. He took with him Tupaia, an exception-
chinashop. ally accomplished Tahitian aristocrat and priest as a guide. Then
Keep the prejudice intact! Don’t let the facts get in the way of a Cook voyaged west, reaching the south eastern coast of Australia
good story! Is that how we are destined to see his story or is there on 19 April 1770, and in doing the crew of the HMB Endeavour be-
a more balanced point of view between these extremes? Is he ac- came the first recorded Europeans to have encountered its eastern
tually neither a saint or a villian, but a man of science recording the coastline.
events he took part in? (Some historians dispute this claim in the belief that Portuguese
From his journals it can be seen he was aware of the impact of navigators charted the east coast of Australia 200 years before
his first contacts and he held a very responsible attitude to them. Cook. Some believe that Cook actually used Portuguese maps on
James Cook was born 7 November 1728 at Marton, Yorkshire, his historic voyage. However concrete evidence of such claims has
England. After a few years formal schooling he worked for his fa-
ther before moving to the fishing village of Staithes to be appren-
ticed as a shop boy to a grocer and haberdasher.
It is believed here he fell in love with the sea as he watched ships
arrive and depart in the nearby harbour. Not being suited to shop
work, Cook moved to Whitby and was soon taken on as a merchant
navy apprentice. During his three year apprenticeship he applied
himself to the study of algebra, geometry, trigonometry, navigation
and astronomy.
He progressed through the ranks serving on a number of mer-
chant ships until 17 June 1755 when he volunteered for the Royal
Navy, when Britain was re-arming for what was to become the
Seven Years’ War. Even though this change meant starting again
at the bottom, Cook realised his career prospects were better in
military service.
While serving on a number of ships during his first years in the
Royal Navy he studied for and passed his master’s examinations, HMB Endeavour
6 eMuse May 2020