A:\1l
T]L\~~.\(
TIOXS
OF TIIEt}uull$laqd lran"l!
or TII1:IAL
GE06RAPHICAL SOCIETY
uF
ArSTBALASIA.
~DI-r
IIt;h BEBBION~
lS95-9G.
VOL. XI.
FOR TUE ROYAL OJ:;OOR.IPHlCAL bOc.:IET\' 01" Al Ifl' HAI..ASlA , QUEENSLAND.
B"
l'OLf1, OUTRIOOE " CO" PRINTBRIl, BRlSnA~V.
,
GBOGRAPHICAL SOCIBTY
1.1.&h. BS •• ION t1895-96.
PUBLI8BED l"'NDEIi TUE .lUTBO&lTY or TRE t. Ol snL 01 TRE SOCIEn"o F:DITED BY
J. P. THOIll80N, F.R.8.0.8., PaE.IDENT.
VOL. XI.
PBlNTED FOR TRE ROYAL GEOORAPRICAL IIOCIET}' OF AU8TRALA81A, QPRRMST.Atflt
BY
<itograp bical
~odd!!
of
J\nstralazia.
QUEENSLAND
.
}lntroll :
HIS EXCELI,f;';C, TIn. RlCoilI HO:-'OOH.\BLI- LORO LAJII~OTO);, K.C.~I.G., B.A., F.R.O.S., F.IUUt-S., ETL
tlrr,i~rllt :
.J. l'. THOl\ISON, E'Q., F.n. ... G., '., ETC., Ele. l1irr·irJl'~si~rl1t :
ALEXANDEl:t ~I LH, ERQ., .1.P. 1!jon. Un'O!:iurt'r:
,JAMES IRVIXG, E'(J , ~Llt.C.Y.S.L., .J.l'. ltOl1. ~rrl'rtnl'!! :
M.UOR A .. J. BOYD, (J.A., F.1:.G.8 A. (Q.)
ì1jOl1. lf.:!brnl'inll. O. tl. ~IA'rTHEWS, E".I.
Q!,Ol1ltril for I~UIì·9i: (Er~.:(:·rEJ) ,J{l T. \. 17, HI!J!~) . . J. P. THOllfSON, E'Q., :F'.H.S.G.tl.,
E·fr.
ALE'\ \XDER :l1um, E"(J., .LP . . ). IRVING, ESQ., M.lt.C.\'.8.L .. J.1'. C. H. LETHE:lI. ESQ., C.E. ilQ"', A. C. GREGORl', C.~I.G.,
lII.L.C., F.RG . . , ETl.
ì\lA.J')k A. J. BOYD, Q.A., F.R.O.H.A. (Q.)
• JOHN l~ENWICK, ESQ., J .P. H. C. STANLEY, ESQ., C.E., ~I.Inst.
C.E.
Cwr. W. C. THO)[SON. TIfOS. ;lIYL~E, E'Q., .l.P. W. Il COX. E'Q .• C.E. .JA)!ES ALLAN. E,Q., .1.1' .
l!lOIt. l\uOltor: .JOHN FE:-.IWICK, EK<.,\, .1.1'.
CONTENTS.
VO
L.
X
I.
CAPT"UN COOI( .IND mB FIIls'!' VO'.IGE uoeND Tn~ 'VOIlLD, 1768 'l'O 1771; Wll'H Sl'EO[A], BEFEIlENO: 'l'O HIS EXI'LORA'l'ION 01-' TJlE QUEENSLANII COAST; IlY Hl, EXCELLENCY GEN!mAL SIll H"NUY W1-"LIE NOH)1.\N, a.c.R., G.c.:H.n., c...:.I.E., }',n.u.S., ETC.
ANTaRCTIC EXPJ.OIUTION; IlY MA.IOl' A. J. BOYD, Q.A., lIolI. Sec. Tng BLOSSO;\fING Or' 'l'HE EUC.U ... YPTUS AND lTS lXl'LUE:-\CE ON Tlp~
PRODUCT Olo' 'l'ilE HO);J~Y'BEI~, ]o'RO)[ A CO:;\D[EUCL\L ST.-\:snpOIN'l' j 1:Y PAOl':o
l 31
D. R. iIlCCONNEL, )LA. aH
NA.RR.!Tln~ OF CAPTo C. PE~Nr;r·.\.'l'HEH·S EXPI.JORA'1'rO~ OF TIH..! COJ.:!N, AUCRER, AND B.\TAI·I.' HII'ERS, AND m' TRE ISLANIJS ON 'l'ilE WESTEHN CO.IST OF l'Hl' GC!,I-' nF CARPENTAHIA [N 1880; ilY iiIAJOH
A. J. BOYD, Q.A., Iloll. 8el'. ·16
TRE ALLEGED LEAKAGE 01,' Al1TERI.\N 'V."·ER; BY J, P. TROMBON,
}'.H.S.G.S., ETC., Pl'esidellL 62
XOTES O~ TBE ARTICLE ENTITLEl> I( Ox l'ilE WORD 'r(\NGAROO,')) BY C. ì\. DE \'IOi, ,U. (VoI. X., Proc. and Trans. Royal Geographical Society of Australasia, Brisbane); BY EDII'.IRD TREGEAH, F.ll.G.S., ETC.
REPORT OX l'Hl!: SIXTH IXTEH~A'l'lOXAL GE00U.-\..Pl1IC.\L CONGRESS, LONDON, 189.5; BY HOGH BOBER'!' ~lrLL, D.SG., E'l'C. (Delegate oi tlle Roy(,1 Geogl'aphical Sociely 0.1' dll.lralas;u., QlIeenslalul) 77 TBE BocI< P[CTtiRE,; Ol' TH,~ ALJS1'RALIA .. 'I AnOHIGlNES (\VITH PLATES I
A"D II) ; Il' R. H. ~l.\TH~\\'';, LICENSE:D So RVEYOR 86 ARrEStiN WA'fER 8e1'1'LY; BY W. G. Cox. C.E. 106 TIlE BoYAI, GEO(;UAl'F![CAL BOCIE1'>: OF AL'S1'Hll,ASU, QUEENSLA..'ID-A.'I
HISTORle.\!, REnE\\'; BY M,EXA:'<DEll Mum, J.P., Vice·Presidellt... 118 GEOGIUPHY IN Ars'J'R.\L.\sIA-A"NII'EUSARY AVDRESS ; BY J. P. Tno)[soN,
LR.S.G.S., ETC., Presùlelll 13
PROCEEDIXGS: ELEI'E"TB SESSION.. Iii!)
Y.\LEDICTOUY A.:lJDllESS TO HlS EXCEL1.E'ICY GENERAI, Sill H. 'V.
XOIDlA!oI H:i2
ADlIHESS u,· WELcOlm 'l'O HIS EXCEJ,LENCY THE RIGBT HONBLE.
LOlW LA:lIlNGTON 164
TRE hI1'IATION CERE:lIO'lIES OF TIIE ABORIGINES o.' TUE UPPER LACllLA"; BY R. H. :lI.\T H EI\'S , LICENSED SURVEYOR 167 Ax~u.-\L GE~'EILU ... MEETIXG, PnOGEE1JIXGS . .t.T lG9 • l{ESOLUl'ION T< DIl'LOlLIH o," FELI.OII'';J[[I' (See (,Iso p. 3 cOL'er) 170
HEPOHT 0"- COONCI1., UlO5·g(j 170
ELECTro" o,. O}'FlCEHS 17 ii
LIST OF ME'lliEHS 177
SUGGESTION.
Every person desirous of bequeathillg to the Society any
l110ney is requested to make use of tbe following
FORM
.
OF BEQUEST.
I Vice ancl beqniiath to the I!onul'({/'!I '[/,('{(SlIl'el', faI' the time heillg, ol the QUEENSLAND BRANCH OF THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCI ETY OF A USTRALASJA, the S1I?J/ (~l
faI' the blmejit al the saicl BI'{/?!ch uj" the HII!Jal UI'O!frapltical Societ!) ol Austmlasia, to be e.l'pended IIS t/f(' ('ml?1cil ul tlte saitl SocietlJ ma!! deem. ervpedùmt tOI' the pl'omutiu?l
o
r
UeO!fm}JhicaL Scil!?/ce o?' the JJu1'po,e oj" e:llploration in Au,t/'a/asill.NOTE.- 1'he Geo!J1'wphical JOlt1'l!al is published monthly by the Royal' Geographical Society, London; price, Is. 6d. per copy to Members of the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia, Queensland. The prices of Supplementary Papers and othe1' publications of the former Society may be obtained on application.
1'''e Scottish Geogmphical lJlagazine is pu blished monthly by the Royal Seottish Geographical Society; price, Is. per copy to Members of the' Royal Geographical Socieiy of Australasia, Queensland.
N.B.-All Donations presented to tbe Royal Geographical
Society of Australasia, Ql1eensland, are acknowledged by
TRANSACTIONS
OF TREERISEAN"E.
Captain
Cook and
his First Voyage
round
the
World,
1768
to
1771;
with Special Reference
to his Exploration of the Queensland Coast.
By HIS EXCELLENCY GENERAI. SIR HENRY WYLIE NORi\IAN,G.C.B., G.C.M.G., C.LE., F.R.G.S., ETC. [Read at a Meeting 01 the Society, October 25th, 1895.J
LADIES Al\D GENTLEi\IEN,
Last year I received a copy of Captain Cook's J oumal, kept during his fìrst voyage l'OlUld the world, made in His Majesty's barque Endeavow' dul'ing the yeal's 1768 to 1771, being aliteraI transcript of the originaI manuscript, edited by Captain Wharton, R.N., Hydrographer to the Admiralty. Many accounts of Cook's voyages, and of this voyage in particular, have aIl'eady appeared; but, speaking genel'ally, these have been more or less compila.tions of various 10gs or journals, and have been usually what is called " edited " by persons of supposed literary ability, and not given in originaI as written at the time. I was greatIy interested in this originaI Journal, which contained in quaint Ianguage and with old·fashiùned spelling, a very full account of Cook's voyage along the coast of our Colony of Queensland from what is the southern limit of our boundary at Point Dangel' up to Torres Stl'aits, and the account is made additionally interesting by CJptain \'i"harton's introduction anc1 notes, which are given separately, anc1 not incorporated with the Journal, which latter is apparently altogether in Cook's words as written day by day.
2 CAPTAlN COOK AND HIS FIRST VOYAGE, ETC.
A perusal of tilis book added much to the admiration I had felt ever since I was a boy for Cook as a great navigator, and as one who was an honour to our nation, and I confess it had never occurred to me to suppose that any one would at the present day speak slightingly of Cook, until I happened to look at the Sydney "Evening News" of the 23rd February last, where in an account given by a writer in that newspaper of a voyage made about the South Sea Islands in a steamer from Punalou to Honolulu, there occurs the following passage ;
-"At Realakekua Bay, two stopping-places back, we had gone ashore to secure green cocoanuts, a clelicions Hawaiian clelicacy, and gaze upon tlte monument to Captain Cook, a scrubby little plaster affair, erectecl by the English, an unwol'thy memorial to a not particularly cleserving hero. The lanclscape about Realakekua Bay is not particularly beautiful, but it seems a pity that it shoulcl be stili further disfigured by this absurd €xcresence. "
It is very difficult to believe that any countryman of onr own can have written in this style about Cook, or that the remark can have been written by a person of any country who had at ali stucliecl the career of Cook, who is generally lookecl upon as one of the most distinguishecl of Englishmen, anc1 as one of the most eminent of the explorel's anc1 navigators of the world, an impression whiclt I think is added to by a perusal of his J oumal of the voyage abont which I am to aéldress yon. I am glad, therefore, to have the opportunity to-night of spea,l~ing at a meeting of the Queenslanc1 branch of the Royal Geographieal Society of Australasia, and giving some short account of Cook's life, even at the hazard of repeating what most of you know, ancl also of giving a sketch of this particnbr expedition, but €specially of showing what he says of bis voyage along the coast of Queenslanc1 with which so many of us are familiar and which we are accustomed to traverse with comfort ancl speed anc1 with a remarkable immunity h'om accident, in the fine and well founcl anc1 \Veli managec1 steamers employed in the passenger and cargo trac1e of this Colony.
BY SJR H. W. NORMAN, G.C.B., ETC. 3 grocor to whom he was apprenticed, and shipped at Whitby on board a collier. No doubt there he had hard work and little -comfort, but he learned in that severe school to be a seaman. For thirteen years nothing seems to be certainly known about him, except tbat be continued to be a sailor and that in 1755 he was mate of a vessel in the Thames, al1d then volunteered to serve on board H.M.S. Ea!Jle, of 60 guns, as an able sealllan. He was then 27 years of age aDd served on the North American and West Indian Stations until 1759, and saw some fighting at Louisburg anc1 elsewhere. What promotion he receivec1 is not clear, but he lllust have attl'actec1 the favourable notice of Captain Hugh Palliser who cOlllmanded the l'esseI, for on the return of the ship in the yeal' just mentioned, Cook was, through his captain's interest, mac1e master, that is, navigating officer
.or
H.i\I.S. J1.ercllry. The vessel \Vent to N orth America, and Cook was employed in taking sotllldings in the 8t. Lawrence Rivel', to enable the fleet then attacking Quebec to take up safe positions in covering the army under Wolfe. After this he \Vas engaged in surveyÌllg the intricate channels belo\V Quebec, and it is stated that for lllany years his chart ~as the guide of navigation in that part of the St. La\Vrence. He l11U. t have been an excellent surveyor, and that high authority, the present Hydrographer to the Admiralty, says that before Cook's c1ay " charts were of the cruc1est description," anc1 that it may be truly saic1 he originatec1 the art of modern marine slU'veying. From thE\ JIerwry he was transfel'l'ed to the important position of master of the XOTthwnbel'lancl, bearing the flag of Admiral Lord Colville, and during a winter spent by that l'esseI at Halifax, he applied himself to the stuc1y of mathelllatics and astro.aomy. He was present in this l'esseI at the capture of Newfoundland n'om the French, and \Vas again elllployed in surveying.4 CAPTAlN COOK AND ms FIRST VOYAGE, ETC.
and they are no'" yet wholly superseded by the more detailecl: surveys of modern times. Captain Whal'ton says that "the originals of these surveys fonn part of the most precious possessions of the Hyc1rographic Office of the Admil'alty."
In the sketch of Cook's life, which is contained in the book I refer to, Captain Wharton gives an interesting account of the voyages in the Pacific made prior to Captain Cook's time. They were attended by very great difficulties, anc1 few of them were intended for the purposes of exploration pure and simple ; and even those which startec1 with that purpose founc1 when they embarked on that great expanse, which Captain Wharton reminc1s us occupies nearly one-half of the surface of the globe, that prudence c1ictated that they should have a moderate-certainty of, by a certain time, falling in with a piace of sure refreshment. To quote the Hydrographer, " The provisions they carried were bac1 at starting, anc1 by the time they had fought their way thl'ough the Straits of lVIagellan were already worse; water was limited anc1 woulc1 not holc1 out more than a given number of c1ays. Every voyage that was pursued tells the same stol'y-short of water anc1 eagerly looking out for an opportnnity of replenishing it, and ever present in each captain's mind was the c1reac1 of the terrible scomge, scurvy. Every expedition sufferec1 from it. Each hopec1 they woulc1 be exempt, anc1 each in tUl'll was rec1uced to impotence from its effects."" Voyagers nowac1ays hardly realise the obstacles of former expeditions. The prevailing winc1s and currents are known, the exact c1istance and bearing from one point to another are laic1 c10wn on the chart; steam carries a vessel quickly over calm al'eas, and model'll seienee presel'ves food fl'esh and palat-able for indefinite perioc1s, anc1 the speed is so increased that an average of one huncÙ'ed and fifty miles a c1ay may be expected in a well-fittec1 sailing ves seI. It is, therefol'e, not to be wonderec1 at that enormous traets of tbe Paeifie were ullknown at the time of the voyage c1eseribec1 in this Journal.
BY SIR H. W. NORMAN, G.C.B., ETC. 5 the following worc1s :-" The whole of the east coast of Australia or New Holland, and whether it was joinecl to Tasmania on the south ancl New Guinea to the north; the c1imensions of New Zealancl; N ew Caledonia ancl the N ew Hebrides, with the exception of the fact that the N orthern Islancl of the latter existecl; the Fiji Islancls; the Sanclwich Islancls; the Phomix, Union, Ellice, Silbert arrcl Marshall groups, with innumerable small islancls scatterecl here and there; the Cook Islands ancl alI the Society Islancls, except Tahiti ; the majority of the Paumotu Group ; the Pactfic coast of North America north of 45clegs. N. was unknown, ancl there was the great unclefinecl ancl imaginary Southern Continent to clisprove."
All this was blank, ancl it was apparently only owing to the action of the Royal Society that the voyage of 1767 was uncler-taken. A transit of Venus over the sun's c1isc was to take pIace in 1769, anc1 as the CentraI Pacific afforc1ec1 a favourable position for the observation of this phenomenon, that granc1 01c1 Society memorialisec1 the King to send a ship for the purpose. The request was compliec1 with, Cook was selected for the command anc1 given the rank of Lieutenant in His Majesty's Navy, and he was allowed to choose his own ship. He selected the Endeavoltl', one of the class of vessels with which he was well acquainted, a Whitby-built collier, stout and full bottomed, of three hundred anc1 seventy tons, apparently not sheathed with ~opper. She proved a most suitable vessel. The log states she was a little crank, but an admirable sea boato Her rate of sailing was slow, but her strength and fl.at bottom stood her in good stead when she made acquaintance with a coral reef.
Mr. Banks, a gentleman of private means, a scientific botanist, and afterwards, for a long time, President of the Royal Society, volunteered for the expedition, and hac1 with him a staff of his own of artists anc1 others. Dr. Solander, a Swedish naturalist, &,nd Mr. Green, one of the assistants at the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, also accompanied him. It is no part of my design to attempt to describe the various scientific objects sought to be obtained, or that were obtained, by this expedition, but it may be observed that Cook hac1 no chronometer.
6 CAPTAI N COOK AND HIS FIRST VOYAGE, ETC.
were civilians and their staff, and of the remaining eighty-three twelve were marines. Two medicai officers formed part of the complemento The ship was provisioned for eighteen months and drew thirteen and a-haH feet of water.
Strange to say there is no exact copy of Cook's orders, which were secret, but Captain Wharton considers he is able, from various references to them, to gather their purport. Cook was to proceed direct1y to Tahiti, and afterwards to prosecute the design of making c1iscoveries in the Pacific by proceeding south-ward to the latitude of 40deg., and if he did not find lanc1 to continue his voyage to the west till he feH in with N ew Zea1and, which he was c1irectec1 to exp1ore, anc1 thence to return to
BY ~IR H. W. NORMAN, G.O.B., ETO. 7 butter anc1 eheese. At Terra c1el Fuego wilc1 eelery was eolleetec1, anc1 the breakfasts every morning were mac1e with this herb, with grounc1 wheat anc1 portable soup, and no opportunity was ever lost of getting this wild eelery and any other wild herb tbat presen tec1 i tself.
Some portion of these arrangements for c1iet seem eurions, but the result was in the highest degree satisfactory, as in the whole Yoyage, whieh lasted three years, there were only the three sligllt cases of senrvy already mentioned, and when the vessel passec1 Cape Horn the erew were as free from semvy as they were when tbey left Plymonth, five months previously. It woulc1 have been satisfaetory if some partieulars hac1 been given about the quantity of eaeh article of the daily ration. Nothing is said about eofl"ee or eoeoa or tea. A stock of beer and rum was eertainly put on board, but what quantity is not statec1. If any one here knows how the portable soup of tllose days was prepared and eomposec1, I am sure we should be very glad to hear partieu-lars when I have finishec1 this papero
It will be seen that personal eleanliness is mentioned by Mr. Peny, the surviving surgeon, and Captain Wharton states that the tradition in the navy is that unusual attention was paid to eleanliness, and that the deek was more eonstantly serubbed than hac1 been usnal, and that stoves were used to ili"] the deeks below, even in warm weather. With respeet to this washing and drying of the c1eeks, I may mention that, when in the West Indies, I had access to the 10gs of several vessels of war, in whieh a seyere epidemie of yellow fever raged, and I saw that in the on1y l'esseI whieh almost entirely eseaped the epidemie, the practiee of washing the lower decks was, for the time, entirely suspended, as the MedicaI Officer allll Captain were under the impression that the steam from the decks below, in warm weather, hac1 a bad effect, so the cleaning process, while the epidemie lastec1, was eonfined to dry sweeping and scrubbing.;'
* Betore I commence to speak of the voyage I must explain that III tbe Journal tbe day is always calculated (rom noon to noon. This canses some confusion as to the actual date, especially wben the bonr is Det stated. Tbe effect of this may be illustrated by reference to tbe fact that what Cook styles lO a.m. of tbe 21st is, accordiug to DUl' usage, lO a.m. 01 tbe 22nd af tbe month, but wbenever he refers to a. p.m. honr, tbe day is the same as our own, and it is only in tbe hours from midnight to noon that obr reekoning is disturbed. I have followed Cook's dates.
8 CAPTAlN COOK AND HIS FIRST VOYAGE, ETC.
Cook hoisted the pennant, on this voyage, in the Basin at Deptford, on the 27th May, 1768, and the cl'ew were employed in fìtting out the ship and in taking in stol'es and pl'ovisions until the 21st J uly, when the vessel movec1 into the rivel' and anchol'ed in Galleons Reach until the 30th July, when she started, and, in the deliberate fashion of those times, did not arrive in Plymouth Sound until the 14th August- a voyage of three h undred miles in fìfteen c1a ys.
The Endea'voU1', after laying in more provisions and stol'es and effecting certain repairs, put to sea on the afternoon of the 26th August, anc1 anchored in Funchal Roads, Madeira, on the 13th September. At Madeira a large quantity of fl'esh beef and greens were taken on board, a live bullock, ten tons of water and 3,000 gallons of wine. This quantity of wine, it may be observed, would be equal to a supply of half-a-pint a day to each person of the ship's company for more than a year, It is also stated that twenty pounds of onions were issued to each mano The curious entry appears in the Journal that, on the 16th Septembel', a seaman and a marine each receivec1 twelve lashes for refusing to take their allowance of fresh beef.
Cook sailed from Madeira at midnight on the 19th September, sighted the Peak of Teneriffe on the 24th, anc1 on the morning of the 30th saw the Island of Bona Vista, one of the Cape de '
Verde Islands. On the 29th October he crossed the Line in 29° 29' West from Greenwich, anc1 on the 8th November saw the land of Brazil, near Cape Santo Espiritu. On the 14th November the vessel anchored at Rio J aneiro, anc1left again on the 2nd December, having executed repail's and taken on boal'd much beef, greens and yams. The Viceroy at Rio was very suspicious of the Endect'/;02t?" and was somewhat unfl'iendly. He did not by any meaus believe in or understand the alleged mission to observe the transit of Venus.
BY SJR H. W. NORMAN, G.C.B., ETC. 9 Cook arrived at Tahiti on the 13th Aprii, 1769, and observed
the transit of Venus unc1er favourable conc1itions on the 1st
J une. He left on the 13th J uly and explorec1 anc1 mapped the
Society Islanc1s, immec1iately to the west,ward, which hac1 never
before been visited. Cook then went south as far as 40deg., c1iscovering one of the Austral group on his way, anc1 Dnc1ing no
sign of the hypothetical Southern continent, and the weather being Yery bac1, he mac1e for New Zealanc1, anc1 on the 7th
Dctober he arrivec1 at Poverty Bay, and c1uring the ensuing six months he completely circumnavigatec1 anc1 mappec1 the islands
of New Zealand. In bis communications with the natives, he
was greatly helped by a very intelligent natiye named Tupia, whom he took on board at Tahiti, as it was found that his
language anc1 that of the New Zealanders were sufficiently
identical to enable him to act as a most efficient interpreter.
Cook's account of New Zealand is interesting and comprehensive,
and it occupie~ just one hundred pages of his book.
On leaving New Zealand, he determinec1 to explore the
unknown eastern coast of New Holland, anc1 the health of his
men and the good order on board enabled him to make this
good use of his time, instead of having to hurry on to a civilized
porto He took his c1eparture on the 1st Aprii, 1770, from the
neighbomhood of Cape Farewell, and decic1ed to sail to the westward, until he fell in with the east coast of New Hollanc1,
and then to follow the line of that coast to the northward, or
whatever other direction it might take, until he al'l'ived at its
northern extremity, and if this should be found impracticable,
then to endeavour to find the land or islands discoverec1 by
Quiros, the Spanish navigator, which island, Captain Wharton explains, is Espiritu Santo, the northern island of the New Hebrides, which Quiros supposed to be a part of the great southern continent.
On the 19th Aprii land was seen, when the vessel was ili
37ùeg. 58min. south latitude, and longitude 210deg. 39min. W., io which the name of Point Hicks was given, because Lieutenant
Hicks first discovered the land. Point Hicks Hill is the name now bome by an elevation that 8eems to agree with this position.
-Captain Cook was of opinion that from his longitude compared with
lO
CAPTAIN COOK Al'lD ms FIRST YOYAGE, ETC.due south, but no land was visible in that quarter, although the weather was clear. Captain Wharton remarks tbat hac1 not a gale on the previous c1ay forced Cook to the northward, he \Vould have mac1e the nOl'th enc1 of the Furneallx Grollp, anc1 probably have c1iscoverec1 BaO's's Strait, which woulc1 have clearecl up the doubt as to whetherTasmania was an islanc1 01' not- adollbt which remained llnsolvec1 until Dr. Bass sailec1 throllgh the Strait in a whaleboat in 1799.
On the night of the 20th he brollght to, two leaglles from a small island, now caUed Gabo Islanc1, anc1 close to a point which he callec1 Cape Howe, the position of which as given by Cook is almost exact. Cook now coasted along the shore anc1 c1escribes the coast, but hac1 no opportunity of landing- though he saw, on the 25th Aprii, a bay which appearec1 to be shelterec1 from the north-east winds, now callec1 J ervis Bay, but he was not able to look into it a8 he hac1 the wind with him anc1 the appearance was not favourable enollgh to inc1uce him to 1088 time by beating up to it. On the 29th Aprii he sto od into another bay anc1 anchol'ed unc1er the south shore, two miles within the entrance anc1 remained until the 6th May, when he weighed anchor anc1, on leaving the 'bay, steered N.N.E. This bay he called Botany Bay, from the quantity of plants founc1 there by Mr. Banks anc1 Dr. Solander. In the 10gs the bay was entered as Stingray Bay, no c10ubt from the large stingrays found there. While in Botany Bay Captain Cook anc1 parties constantly landec1 anc1 mac1e excursions, and men were employec1 in Clltting wood, obtaining water, anc1 fishing. Natives were seen anc1 presents left for them, bllt they avoided the white men and only seemec1 anxious that the latter should go away. Some conversation went on from a distauce, but Tupia could not understanc1 a word. The naLives were armed with darts, and possessed some primitive canoes. They are also saic1 to have had wooden swords, but I suppose thes e were really clubs. Dr. Solander had sight of a small animai, !lind found traces of one that fed on gl'ass and which was thought to be a deer, but was probably a kangaroo .
BY SIR H. W. NORMAN, G.C.B., ETC. 11 then one of the secl'etaries to the Admiralty. This is, of course, the famous Sydney Hal'bour, and Cook's chart gives the shape of \Vhat he could see very accurately, but the main al'm of the harbour is hidden from the sea.
The pl'ogl'ess now made was very slow. On the 7th May some broken land \Vas seen that appeared to fOl'm a bay to \Vhich Cook gave the name of Broken Bay, and a little further on he observed some high land, which projected out in three bluff points which occasioned him to caU it Cape Three Points. On the 8th the lati tu de was the same as on the previous day, owing to the fresh northerly breeze. On the 11th tbere was a southerly wind, and in the afternoon a low rocky point was passed, to which Cook gave the name of Point Stephens after one of the secretaries to the Admiralty, anc1 on the north side \Vas an inlet which appeared to be sheltered from all winc1s. Cook caUed this Port Stephens. Next morning the vessel \Vas abreast of a high point of land \Vith two hillocks. This point he caUed Cape Hawke after the First Lord of the Admiralty, Sir Edward Ha\Vke. Cook records that constantly along the coast the smoke of native fires \Vas observec1.
At sunset on the 12th three remarkable large high hills \Vere observed near each other anc1 not far from the shore. To these hills Cook gave the name of The Three Brothers. On the 13th a point 01' headland \Vas passed, on which \Vere fires that caused a great quantity of smoke, so Cook gave it the name of Smoky Cape. Cook describes the nature of the coast land as he goes along, but I must reserve all long references on this subject until we reach Qneensland.
12 CAPTAlN COOK AND HIS FIRST VOYAGE, ETC.
Re states that these breakers were in latitude 28° 8' S, and stretched off two leagues from a point under which is a small island. Re adds tbat tbe position of these breakers may be found by observing the peakec1 mountain just mentionec1, wbich bears from them S.W. by W. This peak be namec1 Mount Warning, and I fancy most of you have seen this conspicuous hili from the deck of a steamer on tbe voyage to or from Sydney. Incidentally, I may remark tbat I am astonishec1 tbat so few persons in Brisbane bave ever mac1e tbat very pleasant trip, easily accomplished in four days, across tbe Macpberson's Range viii Nerang, to Murwillumbah, on tbe Tweed, anc1 near Mount Warning, then dropped down the Tweed River to the coast, returning along the splendic1 beach from Coolungatta, viii Burleigh Read to Southport, and thence home by rail. It is a .cbarming trip, and every facility is affol'ded for it by coach and rail, anc1 by steam launcb on the Tweec1. I have only heard of ,one Brisbane gentleman having ascended Mount Warning since
I bave been here.
Cook gave the name of Point Danger to the point ofr' whicb othese shoals lay, anc1, on the 16th May, after a voyage which had lastec1 twenty-one and a-balf months Cook reachec1 what was to be the Southern bounc1ary of tbat Colony in which 'We live, and which we are prouc1 to call Queenslanc1, anc1 names will now be familiar to uso At noon Cook was about two Jeagues from the land, and by observations in latituc1e 27c1eg. 46min. and 10ngituc1e 206c1eg. 26min., while Mount Warning .bore S. 20deg. W., c1istant about fourteen leagues.
BY SIR H. W. NORMAN, G.C.B., ETC. 13-bad a great sea from the southward, which broke prodigious high upon them." The northernmost lanc1 Cook saw at night be named Cape Morton. It is to be observed that Cook spells the word Morton without an e. This is apparently accurate, for the name was given aner the Earl of Morton, in which word there is no e. The Earl of Morton was President of the Royal Society in 1764, and one of the Commissioners of LongItude. How or when the e came to be inserted n,s it is in present use I c10 no~ know. Certainly the Earls of Morton to the present day spell their name without an e.
From Cape Morton the land trenc1ed more to the West than could be seen, and there was a small space where no land was visible, anc1 some on board thought there was a river. This point was not cleared up, as the wind was favourable; but Cook remarks that any one c1esirous of ascertaining whether there is a riyer or not can always fmd the pIace by seeing the three hills to the northwarc1 in latituc1e 26deg. 53mill. S. Cook called these hills, which are so familiar to us anc1 which he thought remarkable on account of their singular form, the Glass Houses, as tbey resemble what in those days were called glass houses, not because the houses were mac1e of glass, but because of their being used and having furnaces for the making of glasso Re noticed other hills inlanc1, but not such remarkabl e-ones.
14 CAPTA1N COOK AND mB FIRSl' VO~AGE, ETC.
in tbe bottom of wbicb tbe land appeared to be very low. Tbis bay is the present Wide Bay. Cook c1escribes tbe land there -abouts as more barren than any he bad seen on tbat coast and tbere were few signs of inhabitants. At tbis time 1l1any birds were seen, of a kind tbat Cook c1id not re1l1ember to bave observec1 elsewbere, anc1, as be says, of tbe kind callec1 "boobies." From before sunrise to half an hom after, 1lights of them were continually coming from the N.N.W., anc1 flying to the S.S.E., and not one of them was seen to 1ly in any other c1irection. From tbis Cook surmised that there was a lagoon or river or inlet of shallow water to the sQuthward, to whicb these birds resorted in the c1ay, and that not far to the nortbward lay some islanc1s, to which they retirec1 in the night. On the 20th, the Endeat"O'nl" passec1, at a distance of four miles, a black bluff beac1, or p01l1t of lanc1, on which a number of natives were assemblec1, so Cook namec1 it Indian Heac1 ; the land generally was low, anc1 people were seen in various places, and smoke in the c1ay anc1 fires at night. At c1aylight breakers were discoverec1, which reachec1 close to the land upon the lee bow. The vessel edgec1 away N.W. anc1 N.N.W. alongsic1e of the sboal, at a c1istance of one or two miles. At noon the yessel was in latituc1e 24c1eg. 26min. S., anc1 the extreme point of the shoal bore due S.
-i
W., c1istant twenty miles. Cook namec1 this point Sanc1y Cape, on account of two very large patches ofwhite sand upon it. As yon know, this is the north8)"l1 point of Great Sanc1y Island. Senc1ing a boat aheac1 to sound, tbe vessel crossec1 the tail of the slloal in six fathoms, but the water very soon increasec1 to twenty fathoms. He callec1 this shoal Breaksea Spit, because as he states, .. we now hac1 smooth water, whereas 011 the whole coast to the southwarc1 of it we always hac1 a high sea or swell from the south-east."BY SIR H. W. NORMAN, G.C.B., ETO. 15 Next morning Cook continued his course and anchored at 8 o'clock in a large open bay. Re landed with a small partyand saw no people but several smokes, but alI alI too far off for him to visit them, excepting one where he found ten small fires close together, with some cockle-shells lying about, but he saw no people. On the windward or soutll side of one of the fires was stuck up a little bark about a foot and a·half high, and some few pieces lay about in other places. These, he concluc1ed, were alI the shelter they had in the night. Tupia, the Tahitian, said that the people were taata ino- that is, bad or poor people. Cook thought this pIace, which I may remark is the first at which he landec1 in what is now this Colony, to be visibly worse than the last pIace he was at, which was Botany Bay. Re says that here the soi! was c1ry and sandy, and the wooc1s free from underwoods of every kinc1, but tbere were trees of tbe same description as they saw at 'Botany Bay, with a few other sorts. Re triec1 to take the boats up a lagoon here, but the water was too shallow. On the skirts of the lagoon he found the true Mangrove, such as is founc1 in the West Indies, anc1 which he hac1 not seen before in this voyage. Re also founc1 a sort of palm tree, wbich grows in low, barren, sa11dy places in the South Seas. Re saw most of the land and water fowl he had obsel'Yec1 in Botany Bay anc1 some bustarc1s, one of which was killec1 and weigbed seventeen and a-half pounc1s. This caused him to give the name of Bustard Bay to the pIace. Re also saw black and whiLe c1ucks, Bome small oysters sticking to the rocks, stones anc1 trees, ancl mussels, pearl oysters anc1 cockles.
Next morning he made sail out of the bay, and when abreast of the nortb point Cook cliscovered breakers stretcbing out from it about N.N.E. two or tbree miles, with a rock just above water at the outermost point.
16 CAFTAIN COOK AND HIS FIRST VOYAGE, ETC.
land to be seer from here bore from Cape Capricorn N. 24degs. W_ and appeared to be, and indeed was, an island called Rummocky Island, but the mainland trended W. by N., which course they steerec1, passing low and sandy land near the sea, except the points which are moderately high anc1 rocky. Inland, he states, the country is hilly, and affords but a very indifferent prospect.
Cook anchorec1 on the afternoon of the 26th four leagues from the coast, having the mainland and islands in a manner aH round. Cook was now within the large chain of islanc1s anc1 reefs, callec1 the Barrier Reef, which l'un up to Torres Straits, but was then unaware of their existence. In the morning he-weighed anc1 passec1 between the outermost range of islands and the mainlanc1. At noon the latitude was 23c1eg. 7min. S. and the vessel was eighteen miles west of Cape Capricorno The mainlanc1 here Cook descl'ibes as toìel'ably high anc1 mountain -ous, anc1 the islanc1s pretty high anc1 of small cirouit. Smokes were observec1 anc1 Cook concludec1 that thel'e must be a l'iver or lagoon or inlet, anc1 he says he passec1 two places that hac1 the appeal'ance of such this morning, but the c1epth of water was small and he dic1 not like to stanc1 in nearer to the shore for the purpose of obsel'vation. Inc1eec1 he soon founc1 that he was in six-teen feet of water, which was only two feet more than the ship drew, anc1 he sent away boats to sounc1, by which means a passage was founc1 and on the morning of the 27th the vesselmade sail to the northward. Captain Wharton says this passage was between Great Keppel Island anc1 Little Keppel Island. At noon the northernmost point of land visible bore N.N.W., distant ten miles and Cook called it Cape Manifolc1 from the number of high hills over it. Between these points the shore forms a large bay which Cook called Keppel Bay and he gave the name of Keppel also to the islands. Re recorc1s that thel'e "is good anchol'age wherever there is a sufficient depth of water; what refreshment it may afforc1 for shipping I know noto It can hardly be c1oubtec1 but what it afì'ordec1 fresh water in several places, as both mainlanc1 and islancls are inhabited. We saw smokes by c1ay ancl fires by night from the maintop ancl people upon one of the islanc1s."
BY sm H. W. NORMAN, G.O.B., ETC. 17
-and Oook descl'ibes the cape anc1 the islanc1s near it. At 6 in the evening Oook bl'ought to, and at daylight made sail again, Cape Manifold bearing S. by E., distance eigbt leagues. Tbe furtbest point of tbe mainland bore N. 67c1eg. W., c1istant twenty-two miles, but islands were seen to tbe northwarc1 of it, four 01' five leagues out at sea. At 9 a.m. the vessel was abreast of the point wbich be namec1 Oape Townsbenc1, after Cbarles Townshend, wbo was Cbancellor of the Exchequel' in 1767. At three or four leagues to the south-east he states the shore forms a bay, in the bottom of whicb there appeared to be an inlet or barbour. This is what is called Shoal Water Bay. On rounding the cape, tbe vessel hauled her winc1 to the westwarc1, to get insic1e the islands, which Cook says, " are scattered up anc1 down in this bay in great numbel's, .anc1 extenc1 out to sea as far as we coulc1 see from the mastheac1." Slloal water was soon met with, ancl the ship was tackec1 to avoic1 it, anc1 sent a boat ahead to sound. A little before noon the water suc1c1enly shoaled, and the Endeavott1' ancbored in three and a-half fathoms. Tbe vessel had been carried upon this shoal, wbich is now called the Donovan Shoal in Broad Sounc1 Channel, by a strong cmrent setting to the N. W. by W.
t
IV. at the l'ate of between two anc1 three miles an homo In the afternoon, as be found there was sufTIcient water, Cook passec1 over the shoal, and at 6 p.m. on the 29tb anchored in ten fathoms with sandy bottom. Rere he remainec1 until 6 a.m. of the 31st May. Cook boped here to fincl fresh water, and c1esired to lay the ship ashore to clean her bottom, and he explored the coast. Re found suitable places in which to lay her ashore, but did not do so, as he could find no fresh water, and the country seemecl to afford no sort of refreshment. Only two natives were seen at a distance, but there were traces of others ancl smokes at a distance. Oook saw no sign of fertility. Re named the inlet which he visited Thirsty Sound. When he lancled at tbe entrance of the inlet be founc1 bis azimuth compass greatly affected, and as the loose stones which lay on tbe ground dld not affect tbe needle, be concludec1 that the disturbance arose from the iron ore upon the hills, signs of which he saw in severalplaces.
18 CAPTAIN COOK AND HIS FIRST VOYAGE, ETC.
islands which lay inshore, but at the same time had a number of islands outsic1e, the northern inland islands extending as far as conlc1 be seen. Feeling his way careful1y along, he came to an anchor under the lee of three smaU islands, now caUed the Bedwell Islanc1s. The vessel was put under sail again at 7 a.m. on the 1st June, and stood to the north-west, and now had the western inlet beforementioned and caUed' Broad Sound, all open, nine or ten leagues wide at the entrance, with several islanc1s lying in and before it. At noon the latituc1e was 21deg. 29min. S., and a point of land which forms the north-west entrance into Broac1 Sound bore W., distant three leagues. This point Oook called Oape Palmerston, after the then Viscount Palmerston, a Lord of the Admiralty. Between this cape and Oape Townshend lies what Oook caUec1 the Bay of Inlets, but this name has c1isappeared from the charts. Oaptain Wharton says that Oook "appliec1 it to a whole mass of bays in this locality, covering over 60 miles," and he ac1c1s, " to look at a moc1ern chart causes amazement how Oook managed to keep his ship oH the ground, as the whole sea in his track was strewed with c1angers."
At noon on the 2nc1 the ves sei was in 20deg. 56mil1. S., anc1 a pretty high promontory bore W.
t
N., c1istant seven miles. This he caUed Oape HiUsborough, after Lord Hillsborough, \\'ho was First Secretary of State for the Oolol1ies when Oook hacl sailecl. Oook says: "The mainlanc1 he1'8 is much di versifiecl with monntains, hills, plains ancl valleys, anc1 seemecl to be tolerably clothed with wood and verc1ure." The islancls pal'allel with the coast, which are caUec1 the Onmberlanc1 Islancls, he remarks, are of various height anc1 circuito He saw same smokes on the mainland.BY SIR H. W. NORMAN, G.O.B., ETa. 19 says: "The Iand on the mainland and islands, especiaUy on the
former, is tolerably high, and distinguished by hills and vaUeys, which are diversified with woods and lawns that looked green and pleasant." He says that the anchorage in the passage was everywhere good. On a sandy beach on one of the islands he saw a canoe with an outrigger, which appeared to be larger than those be had previausly seen on the coast, and differently built. By 6 p.m. the vessel was nearly aut of the passage, and he kept at the distance of three leagues from the land, under easy sail,
sounding aU night. Oook says: "This passage I have named Whitsunday Passage, as it was discovered on the day the Ohurch commemorates that festival, and the isles which form it Oum-berland Islands, in honour of His Royal Highness the Duke of Oumberland." At daylight the ves seI was abreast of a point which Oook caUed Oape Gloucester, after the Duke of Gloucester, a younger brother of King George III. This cape may be known, Oook says, by an island which lies out at sea N. by W.
t
W. five 01' six Ieagues from it. He caUed this HolbournIsland, after an Admiral who commanded the fleet in which Oook served in 1757. From Oape Gloucester the land trended south and south-south-west, and formed a deep bay with very low land at the bottom. He called this Edgcumbe Bay. In this bay the town of Bowen now lies. Oook continued his COUl'se to the westward and had high land in sight, which bore from him W. by N.~N. At 6 o'clock next morning he was abreast of this point, which he caUed Cape UpsLart, as it is surrounded by low land from which it starts up singly. This point is about fourteen leagues W.N.W. of Oape Gloucester. Under Cape Upstart Oook observed a considerable variation in the needle, and "j udged that it was owing to iron 01' other magnetical matter 10dgec1 in the earth."
Oook next passed a bay which he callec1 Cleveland Bay, and the east point of it he named Oape Oleveland, and the west point Magnetical Head or Island, as he said it had much the appear
-ance of an island, as we know it is. The compass did nut traverse wel! when near it. He remarks on the ruggec1 rocky and ban'eu appearance of the land, but he judged that there were inhabitants from the sUlokes he saw.
20 CAPTAIN COOK AND BIS FIRST VOYAGE, ETC.
group of islands, now caned Palm Islands, and as Cook saw people and canoes, and, as iL was thought, cocoanut trees upou Qne of the islands, a boat was sent ashore to see what cOlùd be procured, but the trees turned out to be only a small kind of <labbage palmo Some of the natives were heard but none were seen. Cook then stood away N. by W. for the northernmost land in sight, and was abreast of it at three in the morning of the 8th. He named it Point Hillock, on account of its figure. lt i8 the east point of Hinchinbrook Island. The bay which lies between this and Cape Cleveland he called Halifax Bay, after a Secretary of State. Tbree homs later he was abreast of a point which he called Cape Sandwich, after Lord Sandwich, a First Lord of the Admiralty, and the land then trending west and afterwards north formed a fine bay, which he called Rock -ingham Bay, after the Marqnis of Rockingham, Prime Minister in 1705-66. Cook conld 110t wait to land, but sailed fJ,long the 8hore to the 110rth \Vard in the direction of some small islands, which he passed through, now known as the Family Islands. On one of these a number of natives were collected, looking attentiyely at the ship. They were qUlte nalced a.nc1 of a c1a,rk colour.
The vessel kept under easy sail 011 the niglJt of the 9Lh at a .aistance of three or fonr leagues from the land, and in the morning was. abreast of some islands, which he called the Franklaud Islands, and later 011 the vessel p,tssed between what i8 called Fitzroy Island and the mainland, and by noon was abreast of a high point, which Cook named CapPo Grafton, after the Duke of Grafton, who was Prime Minister when Cook sailed. The RncleavottT anchored about three miles to the west -ward of the cape, and Cook landed, but as no fresh water was fonnd cOl1venient, or any other refreshment, Cook weighed at mic1night and stood ~way to the north-west and passed islands <lalled Low Island and Snapper Islal1d. Cook called the ba,y, which is formed by Cape Grafton and the next point of htnc1, Trinity Bay, after the day on which it was discovered, am1 the northern point he called Cape Tribulation, as here bega n his troubles.
BY sm H. W. NORMAN, G.O.B., ETa. 21 water with aH hands at their stations at a little before 11 p.m. on the 11th the ship struck and stuck fast. Every effort was made to get the ship off and some forty or fifty tons weight of articles were thrown overboard, but it appeared that it was the top of lligll water when the ship went ashore. At 11 a.m.
efforts were made to heave the ship off, the stream anchor and coasting ancho!' having been carried out, but without success, she
not being afioat by a foot or more, and as the tide feH the ship began to make water and had a heel of three or four streaks to starboard. Two pumps had to be kept going. Fortunately there was little wind and a smooth sea, but as the tide rose in
the afternoon of the 12th the leak increased and a third pump had to be worked. At 9 at night the ship righted as the tide rose, but the leak gained upon the pumps considerably and the
situation became alarming. Cook determined to risk aH and hea\"e her off if possible, so he turned as many hands to the
capstan alld windlass as could be spal'ed from the pumps. At
abont 20 minutes past lO o'clock the ship fioated and was hove into deep water, having three feet nine inches of watel' in her
hold. Cook then sent the longboat to take up the stream anchor, wllich was effected, but tlle cable was lost among the rocks. AH hands then turned to the pumps as the leak was increasing, but by 8 o'clock in the morning the leak was being gained on and at 11 a.m. the vessel was put un del' sail and stood for the land; tlle pumps were going and gaining on the leak and preparatiol1s made by sewing oakum, wool, etc., into a sail to fother the ship, that is, to put a specially prepared sail under the ves seI. In the afternoon this was efIected, the sail being put under the starboard main chains where the ship was suspected to leak most, and soon after it was found that one pump could
keep the ship cIear. When this was accomplished the spirits of
aH were l'aised, and it was hoped that some hal'bour migbt be found where damages could be l'epaired. As Captain Whal'ton says, " the situation was indeed sufficiently awkward. When it is considered that the coast was wholly unknown, the nati ves decidedly hostile, the land unproductive of any means of
subsistence, and the distance to the nearest Dutch settlement,
even if a passage could be found south of New Guinea, 1,500
miles, there was ampIe cause for apprehension if they could not
22 CAPTAlN COOK AND BIS FlRST VOYAGE, ETO.
On the 14th June the master was sent ahead to sound and to look out for a harbour where the ship could have defects repaired and be put in proper trim, and at 8 o'clock one of the mates returned to the ship and reported that they had found a good harbour about two leagues to leeward. This was the present Cook Rarbour on the Endeavom River. On the 15th and 16th there were strong gales, and some people were seen on shore, but it was the morning of the 18th before it was possible to l'un into the harbour and in doing this the vesselran ashore twice. She was fioated at 1 p.m. and was warped into the harbour and moored alongside of a steep beach.
Sto1'es were then landed; the sick, eight or nine in number, placed in a tent; a forge set up, and other preparations made, and on the 22nd the vessel was wa1'ped a little higher up the harbom to the pIace Cook fixed upon to lay her asho1'e to stop the leak, she then drawing 7 feet 9 inches forward and 13t feet aft. It was the 4th August bafore the vesselleft the Endeavour River.
BY SIR H. W. NORMAN, G.C.B., ETC. 23 at times established, but on occasions they were very troubl e-some and mischievous. Rere kangaroos were seen, it is believed for the firRt time, by Europeans, and are described with tolerable accuracy. One or two were shot. The name was taken by MI'. Banks from the natives. The natives spoken to or seen were never above
5t
feet high, with small limbs. Their hair was black, lank and cropped short. They were quite naked ; their skins the colour of wood soot, anc1 none of their fore teeth were wanting, as was the case with those seen by Dampier on the western sic1e of Australia. Some of their boc1ies were paintec1 red. Their features were far from c1isagreeable, anc1 their voices were pleasant. They could easily repeat any worc1s spoken to them, but none of Cook's people or Tupia coulc1 unc1erstanc1 one word they said.Cook gives a full account of the Endeavour Rivel; anc1 country near it.
After putting out to sea Cook encountered great risks owing to the numerous and difficult shoals, anc1 boats were constantly ahead sounding and observing. Cookhimself landed on the 12th August on an island, which he callec1 Lizard Island, and ascendec1 .a hili whence he saw a reef of rocks extending in a line N. W.
and S.E. further than he coulc1 see, on which the sea broke very high. This was the outwarc1 ridge of the Barrier Reef. Cook was much disappointed with his observation, but he found some fresh water anc1 also ruins of huts and some shells, which showed that natives resortec1 there at certain seasons.
24 CAPTAIN COOK AND BIS FIRST VOYAGE, ETC.
Wheu outslde the chaunel the vessel was headed E.N.Ky and the large holiow sea iuto which it came now showed that the ship had received more damage thau was previously thought, and one pump had to be kept constantly at work.
On the 16th the vessel had a very narrow escape from wreck, being nearly carried on to a reef on which the sea broke tremendously, aud the Endeavott1' was only saved by a smali air which sprung up, when, aided by boats and sweeps, a passage was managed through another openiug and the vessel was again iusic1e tbe Barrier Reef. As Oook says, it was but a "few days ago that I rejoiced at having gOL without the reef, but that joy was nothing when compared to what I now felt at being safe' at anchor within it." Oook was much impressed with the dangel' of one ship alone being engaged iu these explorations, and in his subsequent voyages he asked for and obtained two vessels.
On the 17th a pretty high promontory was observec1, which Oook called Oape Weymouth, after Viscount Weymouth, who was a Secretal'y of State. On the 18th boats sent to a reef returnec1 with two hundred and fifty pounds of cockle-shell meat. Some of these shells were as large as two men could move, and
contained about twenty pounds' weight of very good meat. You
have all seen some of these shells, no doubt.
After passing many shoals and islanc1s, which I neec1 not mention in detail, the Endeavour reachec1 the promontory which
is the Northern point of Australia, and which Oook calieù Oape York. Some islands were close by, which Oook called York
Islands, now callec1 Mount Ac10lphus Islands, anc1 Oook passed
between them and the mainland, and was not ve1'y far from the
rock on which the Qttetta struck and was c1estl'oyed in 1890. Within the entl'ance Oook anchored, and, landing on an island,
took a sUl'vey from the high est hill, and satisfied himself that
there was probably a passage through, and that there was no ne ed for more landing on the east coast of Australia, while on the western si de he coulc1 make no discovery, as the honour of such already belonged to Dutch navigators. He was confident
BY sm H. W. NORMAN, G.O.B., ETO.
hoisted English colours, and in the name of King George III.. took possession of the whole eastern coast. From the above latitude of 38deg. to this pIace he gave the name of New Wales, together with all the bays, harboill's, rivers, and islands situated upon the said coast, after which three volleys of small arms were fired and answered from the ship. The island was called Possession Island, and about here anc1 on the mainland a go od many natives were seen. The point he named Cape Cornwall was passed on the 22nd August, and later on a small island, now called Booby Island, was just in sight, bearing N.W. t W. The channel through which Cook passed is called the Endeavour Strait. lt is, however, little used now on account of the great bank which nearly bars its western parto As there is a deep though narrow channel north of h-ince of Wales Island, the other passage is abandoned. As Captain Wharton says, the passage of Torres Straits is still an anxious bit of navigatiOll. About noon on the 23rd the vessel was within a mile of Booby Island, and as there was little wind, Captain Cook and Mr. Banks landed on it and found it to be mostly a b'arren rock with a few birds on it, chiefly boobies, from WhlCh Cook named the island. It is now the great landmark for ships malùng Torres Straits from the westwarc1, anc1 there is a light upon it main-tained by the Queensland Government.
Cook hac1 now no doubt that he had got to the westward of Carpentaria, 01' the northe1'n extremity of New Holland, anc1 hltd an open sea to the westwa1'c1, wrnch gave him much satisfaction, and proved that N ew Hollanc1 and N ew Guinea are two separate lands or islands, which, up to that time, had been a c10ubtful point.
At Booby Island Cook may be consic1erec1 to have finally left the sho1'es and islands of what we call Queensland- the coast of which he arrived off on the 16th May, 1770, and left on the 23rd August. This includes the detention of nearly seven weeks in the Endeavour River.
26 CAPTAIN COOK AND HIS FIRST VOYAGE, ETC.
two months, only three men died, but three were drowned and
two negro servants frozen to death. This rate of mortality, which was extraordinarily low under the circumstances, was not to last thl'oughout the voyage.
As Oook now left Queensland ancl steered for the New Guinea coast, I must be very brief with the l'est of this voyage.
Leaving Booby Island on the 23rd August, the land of
N ew Guinea was seen from the masthead, bearing
W.N.W.; and standing off for the night, at 6 a.m. on the 29th
August a small island was seen in latitucle 8deg. 13min. S., and longitucle 221deg. 25min. W. Oook says this island is laic1 down on the chart as St. Bartholomew or Whermoysen .and is near the Princess Marianne Strait which is between the
Main Islanc1 and Prince Frederick Remy Island. Shoal water
caused much difficulty, and even now the charts are very
imper-fect; but pursuing a course mainly to the north, on the morning
of the 3rd September Oook went ashore, accompaniec1 by Mr.
Banks and Dr. Solander, having as he says "a minc1 once to
land in this country before I qui t it altogether, which I am now
determined to do without delay, for I find it is only spending time to little purpose and carrying us far out of our way, staying upon this coast which is so shallow that we can hardly keep within sight of land." As soon as they landed they heard the voices of nati ves before some appearecl, and at last they were followec1 by about sixty and had to fire on them, after which the
natives allowed Oook and his party to retire to their boats with-out molestation. The natives had darts and carried hollow canes with tinc1el' for making fire. These at first Oook's people thought were firearms, as smoke carne from them as they swung them round. Oook's lanc1ing pIace was in 6deg. 15min. S.
on the western sic1e of N ew Guinea. The coast here was
luxuri-ously clothed with wooc1s anc1 verc1ure. Oook was urgec1 by
some of his officers to remain anc1 cut clown some of the cocoanut trees for the Duts, ut he wished to avoic1 the possibility of collision with the natives, and in the leaky state of the ship he
desirec1 to reach Batavia early and dicl DOt think it worth while to delay for any purpose of discovery, for he knew from chal'ts published by the French in 1756 that the Spaniards anc1 Dutch
BY SIR H. W. NORMAN, G.C.B., ETC. 27 though there was still a c10ubt as to whether New Holland and New Guinea were not one continuec1land until Cook cleared it up. On the 10th September Cook saw the IsIand of Timor and coasted along it for some elays, and on the 17th, being much preesed by his people to obtain refreshments, he with difficulty obtained some at the IsIand of Suva, whicb was under Dutch control, and he entel'tained the Dutch Governor on board. Leaving Suva on the 21st September and passing through the Straits of Sunda, the Endeavo1t1' anchored in Batavia Roads on the afternoon of the 11th October.
Cook remained at Batavia until the 26th December, repairing and refreshing, meeting very serious hindrances from the Dutch authorities and paying heaviIy for everything. The season
was very unhealthy, and when the Enc/.eavo1tt· left Batavia, she was, as Cook says, in tbe condition of an hospital ship, and whereas only three mel1 hael elieel in the twenty-six months prior to arrivaI at Batavia, seven elied at that pIace, and the seeels of disease were taken away so tbat eIeven men died in the following month of January, 1771, anel ten in the month of February,
alter which tbere were onIy five deaths in all.
Cook reached Table Bay, Cape of Good Hope, on the 14th March, 1771, anel remained until the 15th April, when he left in company with other ships, anchored at St. Helena from the 2nd to the 6th May, saw lanel near the Land's End on 11th July,
and on tbe 13th was abreast of Dover, where he landed in order to repair to Lonc1on. Thus eneleel this remarkable voyage, after having lastec1 more than three years n'om the commissioning of the ship.
To tbose who wish to reac1 in detail Cook's very interesting Journal, I commenel the perusal of this book, which I have great
pleasure in presenting to this Society.
Of ninety-four souls wbo left England in the Endeavow', fifty-eight returned. Of those wbo died, three were elrowneel,
thirty-one died after reaching Batavia-most of them
from fever and dysentery contracted at that pIace. The ves seI
was sold in 1775, and sailed as a collier in the N orth Sea for many years.
28 OAPTAIN OOOK AND HIS FIRST VOYAGE, ETO.
Resohttion, ana with her ana the Advent~tre, both Whitby-built
colliers, of 462 ana 336 tons respectively, he was airectea to explore the whole region about the South Pole, starting from
the Cape of Gooa Hope and sailing eastward. The winter in
the Soutbel'll Hemisphere was to be spent as Cook thought fìt. Some alterations had to be matle in the vessels, and the expe di-tion did not leave Plymouth until the 13th J uly, 1772. This voyage, in which Cook penetrated to 67deg. of south latitude, lasted three years and eighteen days, Cook reaching Plymouth
on 31st July, 1775, after most careful explorations and some
discoveries in the South Seas. By Cook's precautions scurvy.
was again avoided, and his services were so much appreciated
that he was promoted to Captain and elected rt Fellow of the
Royal Society.
Cook was again sent away in July, 1776, in the Resol1btion,
accompanied by the Discovery, a vessel very similar to the
A clvent1lTe , Cook's consort on the previous voyage. His orders
were to the effect that he was to proceec1 by way of the Cape of Good Hope to search in the Indian Ocean for the land recently
8een by M. Kerguelen; thence 'via Tahiti on to the coast of North America in about latituc1e 45c1eg., which he was to follow to . about latituc1e 65deg., searching especially for ally channel which
might lead to the south-east, as it was supposed there might be a passage communicating with Hudson's B'l.y. He was further to look for any passage north of North America to the Atlantic, anc1 to make such other explorations as might seem fit to him.
A money rewarc1 of ,Q20,OOO was also offered in case of bis success in fìnding such a passage.
This voyage, as you are aware, was never completed, and you are no c10ubt acquainted witb the circumstances under which he was most lillfortunately killed at Kealakekua Bay, in the Sand -wich Islands, on the 14th February, 1777.
I am quite unable for want of time to quote all that has been
said of Cook by those who served with him, or were in some
way well acquainted with his character and achievements. One
passage that seems to me most touching and convincing is that of Captain King, who was serving under Cook at the time of his
BY SIR H. W. NORMAN, G.O.B., ETO. 29 turn him aside, anc1 he took personal pains in everything. This latter qualiLy is especiaUy observable by the manne l' in which health was preserved in vessels he commanc1ed. Other ships had the same provisions and comforts and yet had scurvy. He insistec1 in aHlanc1s on finc1ing greens of some kinc1 for his men, and boiling them with their ordinary food. He kept the c1ecks clean by constant washing and thell c1rying below with hot stoves. He required wet clothing to be changec1 and aH bec1c1ing to be airec1, though aH this \Vas repugnallt to the seamen of the day, anc1 it required constant supervision to enforce the ac1option of these oc1c1 fooc1s and Cllstoms.
I think I bave in this imperfect skf:tch shown that notbing coulc1 be further from the trutb tban the sneer about Cook containec1 in tbe newspaper extract I reac1 to you at the beginniDg of tlllS lecture, amI I cannot conclude better than by quoting the last portion of the sketch of Cook's life given by
Captain
Wharton:-" Cook c1ic1 more, incomparably more, than any other navigator to discover new lanc1s. This \Vas only accomplishec1 by c1int of hard work; amI yet his men sufì"erec1 less tban in any ships, British or foreign, in similar expec1itions. Though his tracks were in ne\V amI unkno\Vn "aters we never hear of starvation; he always manages to ha,e an al.mnc1ant supply of water."
"rfhe completeDess and accnracy of bis charts are no less remarkable. "
SO CAPTAIN COOK AND HIS FIRST VOYAGE, ETC.
So says the distinguished officer who is head of the Hydro-graphical Department of our Admiralty, and I think you will agree in this estimate and earnestly desire that some one may come forward with equal zeal, enthusiasm for exploration, and
_ go od judgment combined with scientific skill that Cook could not have possessed, ana be made use of for that Antarctic exploration
which all geographers desire, which is ready to our hand and which we in Australia may be looked to to specially advocate
Antal'ctic Exploration.
By lYlAJOR A. J. BoYD, Hon. Sec. [Read al a Meeting of the Society, August 31, 1895.JThe interest whieh is again being exhibited in Polar ex-ploration amongst the seientifie soeieties all over the worId lS a hopeful sign tbat tbe furtber exploration of tbe Aretie regions will not oeeupy the attention of seientists to th e
exelusion of the Antaretie terra. incognitct. We in Australasia haye a speeial interest in promoting by every means in our power the fitting out of expeditions to make fresh c1iseoveries
soutb of latitude 78 deg., and to make furthel' valuable additions to our geographieai knowledge, anc1 doubtless also to the commeree
of the colonies. How much we have yet to leam concerning the atmospheric pbenomena, concerning the fauna and flora of these uuknown regions! How imperfect is om knowledge
of tbe meteorology of the Antarctic! Wbilst our meteoro-logical observers are enablec1 to forecast to a certain extent the probable atmospberic changes al! over Australasia and tbe \Vell-knowll portions of tbe South Pacific, they are
greatly in the c1ark as to tbc c1isturbing causes which operate
to alter certain conc1itions in the higb latitudes. Doubtless the establishment of meteorological stations in suitable
situations witbin the Antarctic eircle \Vould be fraught with difficulty, but it is in oyercoming diffieulties that science glories, and it is quite possible to construct instruments
which wonld be self-registering and \Voulc1 only require
attending to at long intervais. Sonth of Iatitude 40 c1eg.
there exists a belt of 10\V pressure that encircles the globe, the barometer sinking to 29 deg. in latituc1e 60 deg. This
OCCUl'S in no other part of the \Vorld. Mr. Bruce anc1 Dr.
Donald found soutb and sonth-east anc1 east winc1s prevailing in these latitudes, showing that tbe area of low pressure does not extend, as some scientists maintain, over the South
Pole, but tbat the South Pole, like the North Pole, was
