Page 7 - eMuse Vol.9 No.06_Classical

Cook came ashore three times more on his first voyage. Once at
Continuing Bustard Head (Near the today’s township of Seventeen-Seventy);
Capt James Cook — next at Endeavour River for repairs after the disastrous encounter
Master Mariner with the Great Barrier Reef; and, before turning west and eventu-
ally homeward, he had the Union Jack raised at Possession Island
to claim the whole of the East coast of Australia for Britain.
The Endeavour finally completed its epic journey 12 July 1771.
Cook and Joseph Banks were heroes. When his journal of the voyage
was published, Cook won the respect of the scientific community.
In August the Admiralty promoted him to the rank of Com-
mander. In spite of Cook’s discoveries, the matter of whether Terra
Australia actually existed or not was still unresolved. So in 1772,
the Royal Society commissioned him to lead an expedition with the
HMS Resolution and HMS Adventure under Capt Tobias Furneaux.
“Capt Cook landing at Botany Bay” Lithograph by unknown artist, The two ships separated in Antarctic fog with the Adventure soon
first published in the Town and Country Journal New South Wales, returning to England while Cook continued mapping southern
21 December 1872. Oceans to put the Terra Australis theory to rest once and for all.
either been destroyed in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake or never ex- He returned in 1775 having proven the value of newly designed
isted.) chronometers in navigation. Cook was promoted to the rank of
Following the coast line north Cook made landfall on 29 April, post-captain.
Cook at a place now known as the Kurnell Peninsula. Cook original- His goal on his third voyage (1776 — 1779) in HMS Resolution
ly named the area “Stingray Bay”, but later he crossed this out and and HMS Discovery was to discover a northwest passage around
named it “Botany Bay” after the unique specimens collected by the North America. On this voyage, on 18 January 1778, he discovered
botanists Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander. It is here that Cook Hawaii naming the archipelago “Sandwich Islands” after the fourth
made first contact with an aboriginal tribe known as the Gweagal. Earl of Sandwich—the acting First Lord of the Admiralty. (Renamed
There were two Gweagal warriors on the small beach, shout- Hawaiian Islands.)
ing in opposition to Cook’s landing party. Some say the Gweagal About a fortnight later, after taking on board fresh provisions,
shouting, “Warra warra wai!” were defending their land from the Cook travelled north mapping the West Coast of America to the
approaching Englishmen. Chukchi Sea where he was driven back by sea ice. He returned to
Naturally, Cook’s party could not understand the words but the Hawaii to wait out the northern Winter and to resupply his ships.
actions were clear enough. Undoubtedly it was something like, Initially he circumnavigated part of the archipelago before mak-
“Leave! Leave our land! Leave us!” ing landfall at Kealakekua Bay on Hawaii Island. Cook’s party ar-
Another school of thought was that Cook unknowingly breached rived during an Hawaiian harvest festival of worship for the Polyne-
indigenous protocols for approaching another’s country. Whatev- sian god Lono. Hawaiians believed Cook, his ships and part of his
er the reason, Cook fired at one of the warriors and spears were crew were deified as the reincarnation of Lono legend.
thrown. After a month of generous hospitality, Cook’s expedition recom-
Cook must have been aware of the impacts his unwelcome visits menced. However shortly after leaving the Resolution’s forsemast
had to indigenous people during his travels. As journo and author, broke. A return to Hawaii was necessary. They were not as wel-
Peter FitzSimons, recently wrote: “On his second expedition four come as they were on the previous stay.
One of Cooks small boats was stolen. He went ashore 14 Feb-
ruary 1779 where he unsuccessfully attempted to kidnap king
Kalaniʻōpuʻu. Cook and four of his marines were killed. Cook’s
bones were later returned for burial at sea.
There are many fascinating twists and turns in the life story of
Capt James Cook. He is hated and blamed for the invasion of Aus-
tralian and Pacific nations. Regardless of such accusations being
justified or not, he is to be admired as a scientist, cartographer and
naval pioneer without equal.

HMB Endeavour passing the Glasshouse Mountains, Queensland.
A 19th-century engraving
years later, Cook returned to New Zealand, where he was devastat-
ed to see something of the trade going on between the previously
chaste Maori women and visiting European sailors — their sexual
services in return for such things as a single spike nail.
‘Such are the consequences,’ Cook wrote with bitter regret, ‘of
a commerce with Europeans and what is still more to our shame,
civilised Christians. We debauch their morals ... and we introduce
among them wants and perhaps diseases which they never before
knew and which serves only to disturb that happy tranquillity they
and their forefathers have enjoyed.
‘If anyone denies the truth of this assertion let him tell me what
the natives of the whole extent of America have gained by the com- Death Of Capt. Cook.
merce they have had with Europeans.’” by George Carter, 1783

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