by Rob Mundle
No doubt Elizabeth had looked forward to the days when she and her husband would enjoy their retirement, surrounded by their children and grandchildren. But that wasn’t to be. This was the final, grief-laden chapter in the story of Elizabeth and James Cook’s family, a family she had so doggedly and determinedly nurtured, more often than not alone. Elizabeth was to remain a widow until her death, in 1830, at the age of ninety-three.
James Cook left an extraordinary legacy: expanding the outline of the world map like no other, and naming around 300 landmarks across the Pacific, from South America to Australia and New Zealand, and from the Antarctic Circle to the Arctic Circle. He was, without doubt, the world’s greatest maritime explorer.
PICTURE SECTION
SLNSW, Dixson Library, DL Pf 83, a928960
The fishing village of Staithes circa 1840–75, where Cook went to work as an assistant to a grocer in 1745 and was lured to a life on the sea.
National Library of Australia, NLA MS 5
A sketch of Harbour Grace and Carbonere in Newfoundland’, signed and dated 1762, from an original notebook kept by Cook.
Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-2771
A view of Louisbourg during the siege of 1758. As master of the Pembroke, Cook was involved in the transportation of men and equipment for Admiral Boscawen and General Wolfe’s attack on the French fortress; as an emerging maritime surveyor he also helped sound and map the waters of Nova Scotia. (Drawn on the spot by Captain Ince of the 35th Regiment, and engraved later in London.)
National Library of Australia, nla.pic-an2280897
The bark Earl of Pembroke, later HM Bark Endeavour, leaving Whitby Harbour in 1768, as painted by Tomas Luny (1759–1837).
HM Bark Endeavour. (Artist David Hobbs; reproduced courtesy of the Australian National Maritime Museum, owner of the Endeavour replica.)
National Library of Australia, nla.pic-an7351768
An imagining by John Mortimer (1740–79) of some of the main participants in Cook’s first voyage to observe the transit of Venus’: from left to right Dr Daniel Solander, Joseph Banks, Cook, Dr John Hawkesworth (who earned Cook’s disapprobation for his edited account of Cook’s first voyage), and Lord Sandwich, First Lord of the Admiralty and another of Cook’s patrons. Banks’ two dogs are also shown.
SLNSW, Mitchell Library, Q78/10, a039010
The idyllic islands of Tahiti had been discovered by Captain Samuel Wallis on his journey of 1766. He recommended them as an ideal place at which to measure the transit of Venus. The crew of Endeavour were not disappointed by the island in any way. This drawing by Sydney Parkinson, artist on Cook’s first voyage was titled ‘House and Plantation of a chief of the Island of Otaheite’.
SLNSW, Mitchell Library, Q78/10, a039008
While the officers, crew and gentlemen of Endeavour partook of all the comforts Otaheite had to offer, there was work to be done on the purpose of the visit. A fortified observatory was erected, as illustrated by Sydney Parkinson (above), and the transit of Venus duly observed, as recorded by Cook (below).
SLNSW, Mitchell Library, Safe 1/66, a128755
SLNSW, Mitchell Library, Q78/10, a039022
In New Zealand waters, Endeavour was frequently confronted by war canoes manned by aggressive Maoris.
SLNSW, Mitchell Library, Q78/10, a039021
The visitors were greatly impressed by the Maoris, particularly their thirst for fighting. Endeavour artist Sydney Parkinson recorded this impression titled ‘The manner in which the New Zealand Warriors defy their Enemies’.
SLNSW, Mitchell Library, Q78/10, a039026
‘View of the great Peak, & the adjacent Country, on the West Coast of New Zealand’. (Sydney Parkinson)
SLNSW, Dixson Library, Spencer 166, a6281001
On his first voyage of discovery, Cook became the first European to circumnavigate and map both the North and South Islands of New Zealand.
SLNSW, Dixson Library, Spencer 166, a6281001
National Library of Australia, MS1 s227
A page from Cook’s journal, 29 April 1770, Endeavour’s first day in Botany Bay.
SLNSW, Mitchell Library, Q78/10, a039031
Two of the natives of New Holland ‘advancing to combat’. (Sydney Parkinson)
Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
This specimen of Banksia serrata was collected by Banks and Solander from Botany Bay and is now in the Royal Botanical Gardens collection, Sydney.
SLNSW, Mitchell Library, X980/26, Plate 20, a6430023
‘An animal found on the coast of New Holland called kanguroo’, from the account of Cook’s voyage edited by John Hawkesworth, after a painting by George Stubbs.
SLNSW, Mitchell Library, x980/26, a6430022
Cook camped for seven weeks at the mouth of the Endeavour River to make repairs after hitting the reef; from the Hawkesworth edition of the account of the voyage.
SLNSW, Mitchell Library, Safe 1/82, a5585004
A letter from Cook to the Earl of Sandwich, Lord of the Admiralty, dated 6 February 1772; it came with a map (below) and a document giving his opinion of the proposed route for the second voyage.
SLNSW, Mitchell Library, Safe 1/82, a127069
The map of the southern hemisphere from 1772 showing tracks of Abel Tasman (1642), Louis-Antoine de Bougainville (1767), Samuel Wallis (in HMS Dolphin 1766–68), Cook in Endeavour, and ships of the East India Company. Cook’s proposed route for Resolution and Adventure is traced in yellow.
Getty Images 143686248
A painting of Sir Joseph Banks in 1773, by Benjamin West (held in the Lincolnshire County Council Usher Gallery, Lincoln, UK). Cook had been delayed on his second voyage, thanks to modifications made to Resolution by Banks to accommodate the large party he intended to take on ‘his’ voyage.
SLNSW, Dixson Galleries, DG 22, a2827001
Resolution and Adventure in the Long Reach on the Thames, 1772, as painted by Francis Holman (1729–84).
SLNSW, Safe/PXD 11, a156043
On his second voyage Cook ventured south of the Antarctic Circle three times; William Hodges, artist on Resolution, captured the event of harvesting water for the ships from an iceberg.
National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, 2009.55
The unpopular naturalist Dr Johann Reinhold Förster and his son Georg, who travelled with Cook on the second voyage, painted in 1780 by Jean F. Rigaud.
National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, 2000.25
The famous John Webber portrait of the great mariner, in full regalia with his right hand gloved.
SLNSW, Dixson Galleries, DGD 27/6, a4472006
At the Society Islands. These pictures, c. 1786, attributed to John Cleveley from sketches made by his brother James – a marine painter – show the industry that occurred when Cook’s ships landed and underwent repairs.
SLNSW, Dixson Galleries, DGD 27/4, a4472004
Ship Cove in Queen Charlotte Sound was a frequent port for Cook.
SLNSW, Dixson Library, DL PXX 2/32, a1673035
The crew of Resolution shooting ‘sea horses’ during the voyage to find the ‘Northwest Passage’. (John Webber)
SLNSW, Dixson Library, DL PXX 2/35, a1673038
Cook’s reception in Hawaii on his return from the Arctic was exceptional. The locals came out in force to inspect the ships, and trade and offer gifts.
SLNSW, Dixson Library, DL PXX 2/4, a1673007
These illustrations by John Webber show King Terre’oboo being rowed to Resolution to offer Cook gifts, and a reception for Cook on Hapeea.
SLNSW, Dixson Library, DL PXX 2/39, a1673042
The Resolution’s master, William Bligh, recognised Kealakekua Bay as the best place in ‘O-why-he’ to anchor the ships. (John Webber)
SLNSW, Dixson Galleries, DG26, a2087004
‘The death of Captain Cook’, painted circa 1781–83 by George Carter.
GLOSSARY
abaft Towards the stern of a ship. ‘Abaft the beam’ means aft of abeam.
abeam A
point 90 degrees out from anywhere along the centre-line of a ship.
anchor Bower, the biggest anchor; stream, the next largest anchor; kedge, a smaller anchor for special purposes, usually stored below decks.
anchor stock The heavy timber crossbar at the top of an anchor.
arrack A distilled alcoholic drink usually made from fermented coconut-palm sap.
athwartships Directly across the ship, from side to side.
baffling winds An erratic wind that frequently changes direction.
ballast Any heavy material (such as gravel, iron, lead, sand or stones) placed in the hold of a ship to provide stability.
beam ends The sides of a ship. ‘On her beam ends’ is used to describe the rolling effect of very rough seas on a vessel: the ship is almost on her side and possibly about to capsize.
beat, to To sail upwind.
belaying pin Wooden pins found around the mast at deck level, or at the side of a ship, that are used to secure a rope.
bend/unbend sails To attach or remove sails from their yards.
best bower The starboard of the two anchors carried at the bow of the ship. That on the port side was known as the smaller bower, even though the two were identical in weight.
bilge The curved part of a ship’s hull immediately above the keel.
block A single- or multiple-sheaved pulley.
bosun/boatswain Warrant or non-commissioned officer responsible for the maintenance of the ship’s rigging, anchors and cables.
bower Bow anchor or cable.
bowsprit A pole extending forward from a vessel’s bow.
brace A rope or line attached to the end of a yard which is either eased or hauled in, so that the sail is trimmed to suit the wind direction.
brig A two-masted square-rigger.
bulwarks The planking along the sides of a ship above the upper deck that acts as a railing to prevent crew and passengers from going overboard.
buntlines Ropes tied to the foot of a square sail that keep it from opening or bellying when it is being hauled up for furling to the yard.
burthen Displacement.
cable 1. A long, thick and heavy rope attached to the ship’s anchor. 2. A naval unit of distance – 10 cables is 1 nautical mile.
capstan A large waist-high vertical winch turned by crewmen manning the capstan bars, which lock into the head of the winch. The crew then walk in a circle to work the winch. Used to raise the anchor and other heavy objects.
careen To heel a ship over on one side for cleaning, caulking or repairing.
carronade A short-barrelled, limited-range gun, used for close-quarter action, that was enormously destructive to an enemy ship’s timbers.
carvel planking A method of shipbuilding whereby the planks are laid flush and edge to edge.
cat-built Defines a ship’s shape: usually a hull with round, bluff bows, a wide deep waist, and lines that taper towards the stern. The name was derived from the Norwegian ‘kati’, meaning a ship.
cathead A sturdy timber projection near the bow to hold the anchor.
cat-o’-nine-tails A lash used as a form of punishment aboard a naval ship.
caulking Material making the ship watertight (such as cotton fibres or oakum) that is forced between the planks to stop leaks.
cay A low bank or reef of coral, rock or sand.
chains The area outside the ship where the dead-eyes, rigging and other hardware come together to support the mast.
clew The bottom corners of the square sail, or the lower back corner of a triangular sail.
clinker A construction method for ships and boats where the external planks overlap each other and are fastened together with clenched copper nails.
close-hauled Sailing with the sails trimmed in as close as possible to the centre-line. This allows the ship to sail as close as possible to the direction of the wind.
collier A cargo ship that hauled coal.
commander The next rank above lieutenant in the Royal Navy prior to the introduction of the rank of lieutenant-commander in the early twentieth century.
coxon/coxswain The helmsman of a ship’s boat.
cutter A fast sailboat with one mast that carries several headsails.
dead reckoning A method for estimating a vessel’s current position, based on its previously determined position and advanced by estimating speed and course over an elapsed time.
deck beams Timbers running from side to side of a ship to support the deck.
Doldrums A region of the ocean near the Equator, characterised by calms, faint breezes or squalls.
Downs, The An anchorage off the coast of England at Kent, between Dover and Deal.
draught The measurement from the waterline to the deepest point of the vessel in the water.
dreadnought A person who fears nothing – hence the adoption of the name as a generic term for battleships of the early twentieth century.
driver boom The yard carrying the driver, which is a square sail set from the peak of the gaff on the mizzenmast.
fathom A unit of measurement for depth – 1 fathom is 1.83 metres or 6 feet.
fire-ship A vessel filled with combustibles and explosives, which, having been set aflame, is released to drift among enemy ships.
forecastle/foc’sle/fo’c’s’le The living quarters in the bow of the ship where crew are accommodated.
foremast The first mast, or the mast fore of the mainmast.
fothering To seal a leak by lowering a sail over the side of the ship and positioning it to be sucked into the hole by the rushing sea.
frigate A three-masted sailing warship with two full decks, with only one gun deck. Usually armed with 30–44 guns, located on the gun deck.
futtock An iron plate in the ship’s topmast for securing the rigging.
great cabin An interior, windowed area of the ship spanning the width of the stern. Traditionally, this was the captain’s private quarters, subdivided by partitions at his discretion.
grog A mixture of rum and water served to a ship’s crew.
guinea An English gold coin worth £1 1 shilling.
gunwale/gunnel The top edge of the planking at the sides of a ship – named for the place where a crewman rested his gun to take aim.
halyard A rope used for raising or lowering a sail, yard, spar or flag.
haul up/haul onto the wind To change a ship’s course so that it is sailing closer to the direction from which the wind is blowing. At the same time, the ship’s sails are trimmed to suit the new course.
hawsehole A cylindrical hole in the bow of a vessel for the anchor cable to run through.
headed When the wind changes direction so that it is coming from a point closer to the ship’s bow, causing the vessel to change course to leeward, so that it can continue sailing effectively.
heel To tilt to one side.
helm The apparatus used to steer a vessel by moving the angle of the rudder.
HMS His/Her Majesty’s Ship.
hove Raised or lifted with effort or force, particularly the anchor.
hove to Slowing a ship’s forward progress by fixing the helm and fore sail so that the vessel does not need to be steered – a procedure usually applied in very rough weather.
jib A triangular headsail set from the foremast which is the foremost sail.
junk A name given to any remnants or pieces of old cable, which is usually cut into small portions for the purpose of caulking seams in wooden ships, creating padding, etc.
jury rig A temporary rig put up in place of a mast that has broken or been carried away.
kedge A small anchor used to keep a ship steady and clear from her bower anchor.
knot A unit of speed equal to 1 nautical mile per hour, or 1.151 miles (1.852 kilometres) an hour.
larboard The old name for port, the left-hand side of a ship. The term ‘fine on the larboard bow’ refers to an area just off the vessel’s centre-line, looking forward on the port side.
lay-to/lying-to Wai
ting out a storm by lowering all sails and letting the vessel drift.
lead-line A sounding line with a lead weight at one end, used to record the depth of water under the ship.
leadsman The man who, standing in the chains, heaves the lead to take soundings.
league A unit of distance in the eighteenth century equal to 3 nautical miles.
lee The sheltered side.
leeward The direction away from the wind; the opposite of windward.
lieutenant The lowest rank of commissioned officer in the Royal Navy, prior to the introduction of the rank of sub-lieutenant in the twentieth century.
log 1. A device for measuring a ship’s speed. 2. A record of a ship’s movements, the weather for navigational purposes, and general and pertinent information regarding incidents, observations and shipboard routine. Usually kept by the captain, masters and lieutenants.
luff 1. The leading edge of a fore-and-aft sail. 2. To change course into the wind so that the sails flap.
mainmast The tallest mast on a vessel.
make fast To secure a line.
mal de mer Seasickness (French).
marines Seaborne contingent of soldiers.
master The most senior non-commissioned officer or warrant officer in the Royal Navy at the time, responsible for the navigation of the ship, subject to the command of its officers.
masthead The very top part of a mast.
mate Assistant warrant officer to a senior warrant officer – hence bosun’s mate and master’s mate.