Captain Cook's Journal During His First Voyage Round the World: Made in H. M. Bark "Endeavour", 1768-71Cook, James
History
Captain Cook's Journal During His First Voyage Round the World: Made in H. M. Bark "Endeavour", 1768-71
Cook, James
Oceania -- Discovery and exploration -- Early works to 1800; Voyages around the world -- Early works to 1800
He found nothing, and on February 26th steered for the Cape of Good Hope,
even he being glad to leave this trying, tempestuous latitude. On March
23rd he anchored in Table Bay, having learnt from some vessels outside of
the safe arrival of the Adventure in England the year before, and of her
boat's crew having been eaten by the Maoris, which cleared up the mystery
of the wrecked ship.
The Resolution finally arrived at Spithead on July 29th, 1775, after an
absence of three years and eighteen days.
Captain Furneaux had, on leaving New Zealand, sailed straight for Cape
Horn, the Cape of Good Hope, and England, arriving just a year before the
Resolution.
Cook speaks most warmly of Captain Furneaux; but one cannot help
contrasting his action with Cook's. Left, by the separation, his own
master, he might have continued exploration, as did Cook. His ship was
staunch, his provisions in much the same condition as the Resolution's;
but he went straight home. His crew had suffered from scurvy, whereas
Cook's had not; but he says not one word of this, nor does he give any
reason why he gave up any further thought of the objects of the voyage,
except a search for Bouvet's Islands, which he also looked for on his
way.
It was the indomitable perseverance that led Cook to act so differently
that raised his reputation so far above all other leaders.
Thus ended this very remarkable voyage. Never was a ship's crew exposed
to more continual hardships, with so little to keep up interest and
excitement, as the people of the Resolution; and yet Cook is able to
record, with allowable pride, that only four lives had been lost, and
only one by a sickness contracted before leaving England.
Once more the scurvy was defeated; and, without a doubt, owing to the
intelligent action and untiring supervision of the captain. He gives a
full description of the measures adopted, and while giving full
acknowledgment to the anti-scorbutics with which he was supplied, he is
of opinion that the general sanitary precautions formed the best
prevention. Cleanliness of persons, bedding, clothes, and ship, were
continually enforced. All these were foreign to the sailors of the time,
and extraordinary it is that it was a man born in the lower rank of life,
and brought up in a collier, who had the sense to perceive that in these
lay the surest preventatives against this paralysing scourge.
Cook was promoted to captain--a proud position for the collier boy--and
elected a Fellow of the Royal Society; perhaps even a greater distinction
for a man of his bringing up. He contributed papers on his methods of
preventing scurvy, and on the tides of the Pacific.
He also employed himself in publishing the account of his recent voyage,
the only one which he himself edited.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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