The Life of Captain James Cook, the CircumnavigatorKitson, Arthur
History
The Life of Captain James Cook, the Circumnavigator
Kitson, Arthur
Cook, James, 1728-1779; Explorers -- Great Britain -- Biography; Geographers -- Great Britain -- Biography
He again left Deptford on 20th April 1766, and arrived at Bon Bon Bay,
1st June, to survey the south-west and south coasts. At the Burgeo
Islands, near Cape Ray, which were reached on 24th July, Cook was able to
take an observation of an eclipse of the sun occurring on 5th August. On
his return to England at the end of the year, he handed the results of
his observations to Dr. Bevis, a prominent Fellow of the Royal Society,
who communicated them to that body on 30th April 1767, and the account is
to be found in the Philosophical Transactions of that year. Dr. Bevis
describes Cook as "a good mathematician, and very expert at his
business," and says he was supplied with very good instruments; that
there were three observers "with good telescopes, who all agreed as to
the moment of beginning and ending"; that he had shown Cook's results to
Mr. George Mitchell, who had calculated therefrom the difference of
longitude between the Burgeo Islands and Oxford, where another good
observation had been taken.
Cook makes no reference to the eclipse in the log of the Grenville, but
it appears that he was peculiarly lucky in the weather, for the five days
preceding are described as "foggy," and the four or five succeeding are
"raining with squalls." This observation was a most fortunate one for
Cook, as it brought him to the favourable notice of the Royal Society, a
body of eminent men, outside his own profession, which was able, soon
after, to advance his interests, and in course of time to admit him into
its own ranks as an ornament of which it is still proud.
On 4th November the Grenville left St. John's for winter quarters at
Deptford, and the log ends on 24th November, "Dungeness light North-East
by East 2 miles." Mr. Parker, his assistant, was promoted to a
lieutenancy, and Mr. Michael Lane, who was mentioned for the post by
Captain Graves in 1763, and who was now schoolmaster on the Guernsey, was
appointed in his place.
On 5th April 1767 the Grenville had completed her refit, warped out of
dock, and was at anchor waiting for the tide to turn in order to drop
down to Woolwich, when the Three Sisters, a Sunderland collier, Thomas
Boyd, Master, "fell athwart her hawse and carried away her bowsprit, cap,
and jibboom," which had to be replaced. The story is that this accident
happened to the Endeavour, and that Mr. Cook, who was naturally very
indignant, sent for the offending Master of the collier to give him a
sound rating for running foul of one of His Majesty's ships; but when he
found himself face to face with an old schoolfellow of the Ayton days, he
took him down into his cabin, treated him to the best he had on board,
and spent a good time with him talking over the old days when they were
boys together. From Cook's character the story may well be true,
excepting it has been applied to the wrong ship.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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