COOK (Captain James), a late celebrated navigator, was born at Marton, a village about four miles from Great Ayton, in the county of York, and christened there, as appears from the parish register, November 3. 1728. His father formerly used to be employed as a fisherman, and sometimes as a day-labourer; and his son divided his early life between the lowest duties in husbandry and the little school-learning which could be afforded him. He afterwards lived with a grocer in that country: but not liking his situation, he bound himself an apprentice to the master of a collier trading from Newcastle to London; with whom he might have continued, had not the want of seamen in the royal navy occasioned his removal into the service of his sovereign before the expiration of his indentures.
The time which intervened between this and his being raised to be a commission-officer, was not passed in such a manner as to render it worthy of any detail. He soon acquired all the requisites which belonged to his profession; and deported himself so much to the satisfaction of his superiors, that he received a commission as lieutenant on the first day of April 1760; and soon after gave a specimen of those abilities which recommended him to the commands which he executed so highly to his credit.
In the year 1765 he was with Sir William Burnaby on the Jamaica station; and that officer having occasion to send dispatches to the governor of Jucatan, relative to the logwood cutters in the Bay of Honduras, lieutenant Cook was selected for that employment; and he performed it in a manner which intimated him to the approbation of the admiral. A relation of this voyage and journey was published in the year 1769, under the title of "Remarks on a Passage from the River Balise, in the Bay of Honduras, to Merida, the capital of the province of Jucatan in the Spanish West Indies, by Lieutenant Cook," in an 8vo pamphlet.
To a perfect knowledge of all the duties belonging to a sea-life, Mr Cook had added a great skill in astronomy. In the year 1767, the Royal Society resolved, that it would be proper to send persons into some part of
of the South Seas, to observe the transit of the planet Venus over the sun's disk; and by a memorial delivered to his majesty, they recommended the islands of Marquesas de Mendosa, or those of Rotterdam or Amsterdam, as the properest place then known for making such observation. To this memorial a favourable answer was returned; and the Endeavour, a ship built for the coal-trade, was put in commission, and the command of her given to lieutenant Cook. But before the vessel was ready to sail, captain Wallis returned from his voyage, and pointed out Otaheite as a place more proper for the purpose of the expedition than either of those mentioned by the Royal Society. This alteration was approved of; and our navigator was appointed by that learned body, with Mr Charles Green, to observe the transit. On this occasion lieutenant Cook was promoted to be captain, and his commission bore date the 25th of May 1768. He immediately hoisted the pennant, and took command of the ship; in which he sailed down the river on the 30th of July. In this voyage he was accompanied by Joseph Banks, Esq; and Dr Solander; and on 12th June 1771 returned to England, after having been absent almost three years. The narrative of this expedition was written by Dr Hawkesworth.
Soon after captain Cook's return to England, it was resolved to equip two ships to complete the discovery of the southern hemisphere. It had long been a prevailing idea, that the unexplored part contained another continent. To ascertain the fact was the principal object of this expedition; and that nothing might be omitted that could tend to facilitate the enterprise, two ships were provided, furnished with every necessary which could promote the success of the undertaking. The first of these ships was called the Resolution, under the command of captain Cook; the other the Adventure, commanded by captain Furneaux. Both of them sailed from Deptford on the 9th of April 1772, and arrived at the Cape of Good Hope on the 30th of October. They departed from thence on the 22d of November; and from that time until the 17th of January 1773, continued endeavouring to discover the continent, when they were obliged to relinquish the design, observing the whole sea covered with ice from the direction of S. E. round by the south to west. They then proceeded into the South Seas, and made many other discoveries, and returned to the Cape of Good Hope on the 21st of March 1774, and from thence to England on the 14th of July; having, during three years and eighteen days (in which time the voyage was performed), lost but one man by sickness in captain Cook's ship; although he had navigated throughout all the climates from 52° north to 71° south, with a company of 118 men.
The relation of this voyage was given to the public by captain Cook himself, and by Mr George Forster, son of Dr Forster, who had been appointed by government to accompany him for the purpose of making observations on such natural productions as might be found in the course of the navigation. That published by captain Cook has generally been ascribed to a gentleman of great eminence in the literary world; but if the testimony of one who was on board the ship, and who made an extract from the journal in its rude
uncorrected state, may be relied on, there seems no reason to ascribe the merit of the work to any other person than him whose name it goes under.
The want of success which attended captain Cook's attempt to discover a southern continent, did not discourage another plan being resolved on, which had been recommended some time before. This was no other than the finding out a north-west passage, which some had conceived to be a practicable scheme. The dangers which our navigator had twice braved, would have exempted him from being solicited a third time to venture his person in unknown countries, amongst desert islands, inhospitable climates, and in the midst of savages; but, on his opinion being asked concerning the person who would be most proper to execute this design, he once more relinquished the quiet and comforts of domestic life, to engage in scenes of turbulence and confusion, of difficulty and danger. His intrepid spirit and inquisitive mind induced him again to offer his services; and they were accepted without hesitation. The manner in which he had deported himself on former occasions, left no room to suppose that a fitter man could be selected. He prepared for his departure with the utmost alacrity, and actually sailed in the month of July 1776.
A few months after his departure from England, notwithstanding he was then absent, the Royal Society voted him Sir Godfrey Copley's gold-medal, as a reward for the account which he had transmitted to that body, of the method taken to preserve the health of the crew of his ship; and Sir John Pringle, in his oration of 30th November, pronounced an high eulogium upon him.
This honourable testimony to the merit of our gallant commander, never came to his knowledge. While his friends were waiting with the most earnest solicitude for tidings concerning him, and the whole nation expressed an anxious impatience to be informed of his success, advice was received from captain Clerke, in a letter dated at Kamtschatka, the 8th day of June 1779; from which, and from other accounts, we learn, "That captain Cook, after he had passed the Cape of Good Hope, had continued his course along Van Diemen's Land and New Zealand. He arrived happily in August 1777 at the island of Otaheite, where he landed Omiah, a native of the island, in perfect health: That since the last voyage of captain Cook to that island, the Spaniards had been there twice, and staid some months, and their ships had left all sorts of birds and domestic animals, but only of the male species; so that they received the cows and the she-goats that captain Cook brought with great pleasure. He left that island in the month of December following; and after having made several new discoveries in the South Sea, he arrived in the month of March 1778 on the coasts of America, situated in the south of Kamtschatka. A leak being discovered in captain Cook's ship the Resolution, and finding a very stormy sea, he was obliged to anchor in a bay in that part of the coast. After having repaired his own ship, they both put to sea; and sailing along the coast, they at last distinctly discovered the strait between Asia and America. The two parts of the world presented only, at that height of latitude, a low barren land without any shelter, and a sea of a very
very middling depth. They continued their route till they perceived distinctly the American coast extending to the north-east. He then thought himself arrived near to the bounds of his wishes; but when he came to 70° 45' Lat. and 198° of Long. (probably reckoning from Greenwich), he met with impenetrable mountains of ice, which obliged him to turn towards the south. He cast anchor near the island Unalashka, whence his letter is dated. He fixes that island in 53, 55 Lat. and 192, 30 Long. consequently giving that island a more western and southern position than is in the new general chart of Russia.
“As he then found himself to the east of Sandwich Island, which he had passed in his voyage, he reasonably thought he must meet with other islands; he therefore sailed again, in order to pass the autumn and the winter in a more temperate climate. He actually discovered divers other islands, which appeared to him extremely fertile, and where the inhabitants had raised stone-walls upon the heights for their defence. He cast anchor at one of these islands, named O-wy-be, in the gulph of Caracah-Cossa, and treated very amicably with the natives, who paid him almost divine honours. After he had refreshed his people, one of whom only had died in the voyage, and two others had fallen sick, he was already got under sail, when a furious storm hurt his mizen-mast, which obliged him to return to the gulph to repair it. The islanders became every day more bold, and most clearly demonstrated their inclination for theft; which went so far as to steal one of his boats. Captain Cook, willing to seek justice for this robbery, went on shore with his lieutenant, and ten or twelve of his crew. He advanced towards a large body of the inhabitants, who always paid him great respect, and accosted their chief. Whilst the negotiation was carrying on, the insolence of one of the islanders, who was in the throng, obliged him to fire on him with his musket, loaded only with small-shot, which did not even penetrate the mat with which he was covered. The Indians began then to be enraged; and when the lieutenant had at length fired and killed his man, the whole troop fell on the body: and as soon as the sailors had discharged their pieces, they did not give them time to load again, but killed captain Cook and four of his people, forcing the others, partly wounded, to make their escape under the favour of the fire of their pinnace.
“This fatal event happened on the 14th February 1779. A council was then called of the officers, to determine whether their commander's death should not be revenged in an exemplary manner; but it was thought most advisable to keep on the defensive until the mast was repaired. In the mean time captain Clerke made friends with the savages, and quitted the island to return to Kamchatka, where he wintered in Port Awatscha, from the 1st of January that year till the month of June, and then failed to discover (as he writes word) more exactly the islands between Kamchatka and America.”
Captain Cook was a married man, and left several children behind him. On each of these his majesty has settled a pension of 25 l. a-year, and 200 l. a-year on his widow. It is remarkable, if true as reported, that captain Cook was godfather to his wife; and at the very time she was christened, declared that he had
determined on the union which afterwards took place between them.
Few men have been more regretted than captain Cook. He possessed all the qualities which could insure the esteem of mankind. To the most undaunted courage he added a most persevering resolution. He acquired the love of his seamen, as well by the soft as by stern virtues; being equally gentle and humane as he was commanding and intrepid. Without being possessed of much literature, or cultivating letters, he acquitted himself with credit even where the talents of writing were required. No man seemed so well formed for enterprises such as he was engaged in. He was fond of the pursuit, and sacrificed every consideration to them. He owed his rise entirely to his merit; and retained the modesty of his early state after he had risen beyond the expectations of his friends, and equal to his own.