The discovery of a supposed north-west passage from the North Atlantic
to the North Pacific Oceans, had for many years been ardently sought
for, both by the English and the Dutch. Frobisher, in 1576, made the
first attempt, and his example was in succeeding times followed by many
others. But though much geographical information had been gained in the
neighborhood of Hudson's Bay, Davis' Strait, Baffin's Bay, and the coast
of Greenland, yet no channel whatever was found. By act of parliament,
£20,000 was offered to the successful individual. But though Captain
Middleton, in 1741, and Captains Smith and Moore, in 1746, explored
those seas and regions, the object remained unattained. The Honorable
Captain Phipps (afterwards Earl Mulgrave) was sent out in the
_Racehorse_, accompanied by Captain Lutwidge, in the _Carcase_ (Lord
Nelson was a boy in this latter ship), to make observations, and to
penetrate as far as it was practicable to do so. They sailed June 2,
1773, and made Spitzbergen on the 28th; but after great exertions, they
found the ice to the northward utterly impenetrable. Once they became
closely jammed, and it was only with great difficulty they escaped
destruction. On August 22, finding it impossible to get further to the
northward, eastward, or westward, they made sail, according to their
instructions, for England, and arrived off Shetland on September 7.
Notwithstanding these numerous failures, the idea of an existing passage
was still cherished; and Earl Sandwich continuing at the head of the
Admiralty, resolved that a further trial should be made, and Captain
Cook offered his services to undertake it. They were gladly accepted,
and on February 10, 1776, he was appointed to command the expedition in
his old, but hardy ship, the _Resolution_, and Captain Clerke, in the
_Discovery_, was ordered to attend him. In this instance, however, the
mode of experiment was to be reversed, and instead of attempting the
former routes by Davis' Strait or Baffin's Bay, etc., Cook, at his own
request, was instructed to proceed into the South Pacific, and thence to
try the passage by the way of Behring's Strait; and as it was necessary
that the islands in the Southern Ocean should be revisited, cattle and
sheep, with other animals, and all kinds of seeds, were shipped for the
advantage of the natives.
Every preparation having been made, the _Resolution_ quitted Plymouth on
July 12, taking Omai, the native, from the Society Isles. Having touched
at Teneriffe, they crossed the equator September 1, and reached the Cape
on October 18, where the _Discovery_ joined them on November 10.
The ships sailed again on November 30, and encountered heavy gales, in
which several sheep and goats died. On December 12 they saw two large
islands, which Cook named Prince Edward's Islands; and three days
afterwards several others were seen; but having made Kerguelen's Land,
they anchored in a convenient harbor on Christmas day. On the north side
of this harbor one of the men found a quart bottle fastened to a
projecting rock by stout wire, and on opening it, the bottle was found
to contain a piece of parchment, on which was an inscription purporting
that the land had been visited by a French vessel in 1772-3. To this
Cook added a notice of his own visit; the parchment was then returned to
the bottle, and the cork being secured with lead, was placed upon a pile
of stones near to the place from which it had been removed. The whole
country was extremely barren and desolate, and on the 30th they came to
the eastern extremity of Kerguelen's Land.
On January 24, 1777, they came in sight of Van Diemen's Land (now
Tasmania), and on the 26th anchored in Adventure Bay, where intercourse
was opened with the natives, and Omai took every opportunity of lauding
the great superiority of his friends, the English. Here they obtained
plenty of grass for the remaining cattle, and a supply of fresh
provisions for themselves. On the 30th they quitted their port,
convinced that Van Diemen's Land was the southern point of New Holland.
Subsequent investigations, however, have proved this idea to be
erroneous, Van Diemen's Land being an island separated from the mainland
of Australia by Bass's Strait.
On February 12, Captain Cook anchored at his old station in Queen
Charlotte's Sound, New Zealand; but the natives were very shy in
approaching the ships, and none could be persuaded to come on board. The
reason was, that on the former voyages, after parting with the
_Resolution_, the _Adventure_ had visited this place, and ten of her
crew had been killed in an unpremeditated skirmish with the natives. It
was the fear of retaliatory punishment that kept them aloof. Captain
Cook, however, soon made them easy upon the subject, and their
familiarity was renewed; but great caution was used, to be fully
prepared for a similar attack, by keeping the men well-armed on all
occasions. Of the animals left at this island in the former voyages,
many were thriving; and the gardens, though left in a state of nature,
were found to contain cabbages, onions, leeks, radishes, mustard, and a
few potatoes. The captain was enabled to add to both. At the
solicitation of Omai, he received two New Zealand lads on board the
_Resolution_, and by the 27th was clear of the coast.
After landing at a number of islands, and not finding adequate supplies,
the ships sailed for Anamocka, and the _Resolution_ was brought up in
exactly the same anchorage that she had occupied three years before. The
natives behaved in a most friendly manner, and but for their habits of
stealing, quiet would have been uninterrupted. Nothing, however, could
check this propensity, till Captain Cook shaved the heads of all whom he
caught practicing it. This rendered them an object of ridicule to their
countrymen, and enabled the English to recognize and keep them at a
distance. Most of the Friendly Isles were visited by the ships, and
everywhere they met with a kind reception. On June 10 they reached
Tongataboo, where the King offered Captain Cook his house to reside in.
Here he made a distribution of animals amongst the chiefs, and the
importance of preserving them was explained by Omai. Two kids and two
turkey-cocks having been stolen, the captain seized three canoes, put a
guard over the chiefs, and insisted that not only the kids and turkeys
should be restored, but also everything that had been taken away since
their arrival. This produced a good effect, and much of the plunder was
returned.
[Illustration: Deliverance. (Page 194.)]
Captain Cook remained at the Friendly Islands nearly three months, and
lived almost entirely during that period upon fresh provisions,
occasionally eating the produce of the seeds he had sown there in his
former visits. On July 17, they took their final leave of these
hospitable people, and on August 12 reached Otaheite, and took up a
berth in Oaiti-piha Bay, which, it was discovered, had been visited by
two Spanish ships since the _Resolution_ had last been there.
Animals of various kinds had been left in the country by the Spaniards,
and the islanders spoke of them with esteem and respect. On the 24th the
ships went round to Matavai Bay, and Captain Cook presented to the king,
Otoo, the remainder of his live stock.
They here witnessed a human sacrifice, to propitiate the favor of their
gods in a battle they were about to undertake. The victim was generally
some strolling vagabond, who was not aware of his fate till the moment
arrived, and he received his death-blow from a club. For the purpose of
showing the inhabitants the use of the horses, Captains Cook and Clerke
rode into the country, to the great astonishment of the islanders; and
though this exercise was continued every day by some of the _Resolution's_
people, yet the wonder of the natives never abated.
On the return of Omai to the land of his birth, the reception he met
with was not very cordial; but the affection of his relatives was strong
and ardent. Captain Cook obtained the grant of a piece of land for him
on the west side of Owharre harbor, Huaheine. The carpenters of the
ships built him a small house, to which a garden was attached, planted
with shaddocks, vines, pineapples, melons, etc., and a variety of
vegetables, the whole of which were thriving before Captain Cook quitted
the island. When the house was finished, the presents Omai had received
in England were carried ashore, with every article necessary for
domestic purposes, as well as two muskets, a bayonet, a brace of
pistols, etc.
The two lads brought from New Zealand were put on shore at this place,
to form part of Omai's family; but it was with great reluctance that
they quitted the voyagers, who had behaved so kindly to them.
Whilst lying at Huaheine, a thief, who had caused them great trouble,
not only had his head and beard shaved, but, in order to deter others,
both his ears were cut off. On November 3, the ships went to Ulietea,
and here, decoyed by the natives, two or three desertions took place;
and as others seemed inclined to follow the example, Captain Clerke
pursued the fugitives with two-armed boats and a party of marines, but
without effect. Captain Cook experienced a similar failure; he therefore
seized upon the persons of the chief's son, daughter, and son-in-law,
whom he placed under confinement till the people should be restored,
which took place on the 28th, and the hostages were released. One of the
deserters was a midshipman of the _Discovery_, and the son of a brave
officer in the service. Schemes were projected by some of the natives to
assassinate Captain Cook and Captain Clerke; but though in imminent
danger, the murderous plans failed.
At Bolabola, Captain Cook succeeded in obtaining an anchor which had
been left there by M. Bougainville, as he was very desirous of
converting the iron into articles of traffic. They left this place on
December 8, crossed the line, and on the 24th stopped at a small island,
which he named Christmas Island, and where he planted cocoa-nuts, yams,
and melon seeds, and left a bottle enclosing a suitable inscription.
On January 2, 1778, the ships resumed their voyage northward, to pursue
the grand object in Behring's Strait. They passed several islands, the
inhabitants of which, though at a great distance from Otaheite, spoke
the same language. Those who came on board displayed the utmost
astonishment at everything they beheld, and it was evident they had
never seen a ship before. The disposition to steal was equally strong in
these as in the other South Sea islanders, and a man was killed who
tried to plunder the watering-party, but this was not known to Captain
Cook till after they had sailed. They also discovered that the practice
of eating human flesh was prevalent. To a group of these islands (and
they were generally found in clusters) Captain Cook gave the name of the
Sandwich Islands, in honor of the noble earl at the head of the
Admiralty.
The voyage to the northward was continued on February 2, and the
long-looked-for coast of New Albion was made on March 7; the ships,
after sailing along it till the 29th, came to anchor in a small cove. A
brisk trade commenced with the natives, who appeared to be well
acquainted with the value of iron, for which they exchanged the skins of
various animals, such as bears, wolves, foxes, deer, etc., both in their
original state and made up into garments. But the most extraordinary
articles were human skulls, and hands not quite stripped of the flesh,
and which had the appearance of having been recently on the fire.
Thieving was practiced at this place in a more scientific manner than
they had before remarked; and the natives insisted upon being paid for
the wood and other things supplied to the ships, with which Captain Cook
scrupulously complied. This inlet was named King George's Sound, but it
was afterwards ascertained that the natives called it Nootka Sound.
After making every requisite nautical observation, the ships being again
ready for sea on the 26th, in the evening they departed, a severe gale
of wind blowing them away from the shore. From this period they examined
the coast, under a hope of finding some communication with the Polar
Sea; one river they traced a long distance, which was afterwards named
Cook's River.
They left this place June 6, but notwithstanding all their watchfulness
and vigilance, no passage could be found. The ships ranged across the
mouth of the strait. The natives of the islands, by their manners, gave
evident tokens of their being acquainted with Europeans--most probably
Russian traders. They put in at Oonalaska and other places, which were
taken possession of in the name of the King of England. On August 3, Mr.
Anderson, surgeon of the _Resolution_, died from a lingering
consumption, under which he had been suffering more than twelve months.
He was a young man of considerable ability, and possessed an amiable
disposition.
Proceeding to the northward, Captain Cook ascertained the relative
position of the two continents, Asia and America, whose extremities he
observed. On the 18th they were close to a dense wall of ice, beyond
which they could not penetrate. The ice here was from ten to twelve feet
high, and seemed to rise higher in the distance. A prodigious number of
sea-horses were crouching on the ice, some of which were procured for
food. Captain Cook continued to traverse these icy seas till the 29th.
He then explored the coasts in Behring's Strait both in Asia and
America; and on October 2 again anchored at Oonalaska to refit; and here
they had communication with some Russians, who undertook to convey
charts and maps, etc., to the English Admiralty, which they faithfully
fulfilled. On the 26th the ships quitted the harbor of Samganoodah, and
sailed for the Sandwich Islands, Captain Cook purposing to remain there
a few months, and then return to Kamtschatka. The island of Mowee was
discovered on November 26; and on the 30th they fell in with another,
called by the natives Owyhee (now Hawaii); and being of large extent,
the ships were occupied nearly seven weeks in sailing round it, and
examining the coast; and they found the islanders more frank and free
from suspicion than any they had yet had intercourse with; so that on
January 16, 1779, there were not fewer than a thousand canoes about the
two ships, most of them crowded with people, and well-laden with hogs
and other productions of the place. A robbery having been committed,
Captain Cook ordered a volley of musketry and four great guns to be
fired over the canoe that contained the thief; but this seemed only to
astonish the natives, without creating any great alarm. On the 17th the
ships anchored in a bay called by the islanders, Karakakooa. The natives
constantly thronged to the ships, whose decks, consequently, being at
all times crowded, allowed of pilfering without fear of detection; and
these practices, it is conjectured, were encouraged by the chiefs. A
great number of the hogs purchased were killed and salted down so
completely, that some of the pork was good at Christmas, 1780. On the
26th, Captain Cook had an interview with Terreeoboo, King of the
islands, in which great formality was observed, and an exchange of
presents took place, as well as an exchange of names. The natives were
extremely respectful to Cook; in fact, they paid him a sort of
adoration, prostrating themselves before him; and a society of priests
furnished the ships with a constant supply of hogs and vegetables,
without requiring any return. On February 3, the day previous to the
ships sailing, the King presented them with a quantity of cloth, many
boat-loads of vegetables, and a whole herd of hogs. The ships sailed on
the following day, but on the 6th encountered a very heavy gale, in
which, on the night of the 7th, the _Resolution_ sprung the head of her
foremast in such a dangerous manner, that they were forced to put back
to Karakakooa Bay, in order to get it repaired. Here they anchored on
the morning of the 11th, and everything for a time promised to go well
in their intercourse with the natives. The friendliness manifested by
the chiefs, however, was far from solid. They were savages at a low
point of cultivation, and theft and murder were not considered by them
in the light of crimes. Cook, aware of the nature of these barbarians,
was anxious to avoid any collision, and it was with no small regret that
he found that an affray had taken place between some seamen and the
natives. The cause of the disturbance was the seizure of the cutter of
the _Discovery_ as it lay at anchor. The boats of both ships were sent
in search of her, and Captain Cook went on shore to prosecute the
inquiry, and, if necessary, to seize the person of the King, who had
sanctioned the theft.
The narrative of what ensued is affectingly tragical. Cook left the
_Resolution_ about seven o'clock, attended by the lieutenant of marines,
a sergeant, a corporal, and seven private men. The pinnace's crew were
likewise armed, and under the command of Mr. Roberts; the launch was
also ordered to assist his own boat. He landed with the marines at the
upper end of the town of Kavoroah, where the natives received him with
their accustomed tokens of respect, and not the smallest sign of
hostility was evinced by any of them; and as the crowds increased, the
chiefs employed themselves as before, in keeping order. Captain Cook
requested the King to go on board the _Resolution_ with him, to which he
offered few objections; but in a little time it was observed that the
natives were arming themselves with long spears, clubs, and daggers, and
putting on the thick mats which they used by way of armor. This hostile
appearance was increased by the arrival of a canoe from the opposite
side of the bay, announcing that one of the chiefs had been killed by a
shot from the _Discovery's_ boat. The women, who had been conversing
familiarly with the English, immediately retired, and loud murmurs arose
amongst the crowd. Captain Cook, perceiving the tumultuous proceedings
of the natives, ordered Lieutenant Middleton to march his marines down
to the boats, to which the islanders offered no obstruction. The captain
followed with the king, attended by his wife, two sons, and several
chiefs. One of the sons had already entered the pinnace, expecting his
father to follow, when the king's wife and others hung round his neck,
and forced him to be seated near a double canoe, assuring him that he
would be put to death if he went on board the ship.
Whilst matters were in this position, one of the chiefs was seen with a
dagger partly concealed under his cloak, lurking about Captain Cook, and
the lieutenant of marines proposed to fire at him; but this the captain
would not permit; but the chief closing upon them, the officer of
marines struck him with his firelock. Another native, grasping the
sergeant's musket, was forced to let it go by a blow from the
lieutenant. Captain Cook, seeing the tumult was increasing, observed,
that "if he were to force the king off, it could only be done by
sacrificing the lives of many of his people;" and was about to give
orders to re-embark, when a man flung a stone at him, which he returned
by discharging small-shot from one of the barrels of his piece. The man
was but little hurt; and brandishing his spear, with threatenings to
hurl it at the captain, the latter, unwilling to fire with ball, knocked
the fellow down, and then warmly expostulated with the crowd for their
hostile conduct. At this moment a man was observed behind a double
canoe, in the act of darting a spear at Captain Cook, who promptly
fired, but killed another who was standing by his side. The sergeant of
marines, however, instantly presented, and brought down the native whom
the captain had missed. The impetuosity of the islanders was somewhat
repressed; but being pushed on by those in the rear, who were ignorant
of what was passing in front, a volley of stones was poured in amongst
the marines, who, without waiting for orders, returned it with a general
discharge of musketry, which was directly succeeded by a brisk fire from
the boats. Captain Cook expressed much surprise and vexation; he waved
his hand for the boats to cease firing, and to come on shore to embark
the marines. The pinnace unhesitatingly obeyed; but the lieutenant in
the launch, instead of pulling in to the assistance of his commander,
rowed further off at the very moment that the services of himself and
people were most required. Nor was this all the mischief that ensued;
for, as it devolved upon the pinnace to receive the marines, she became
so crowded, as to render the men incapable of using their fire-arms. The
marines on shore, however, fired; but the moment their pieces were
discharged, the islanders rushed _en masse_ upon them, forced the party
into the water, where four of them were killed, and the lieutenant
wounded. At this critical period Captain Cook was left entirely alone
upon a rock near the shore. He, however, hurried towards the pinnace,
holding his left arm round the back of his head, to shield it from the
stones, and carrying his musket under his right. An islander, armed with
a club, was seen in a crouching posture cautiously following him, as if
watching for an opportunity to spring forward upon his victim. This man
was a relation of the king's, and remarkably agile and quick. At length,
he jumped forward upon the captain, and struck him a heavy blow on the
back of his head, and then turned and fled. The captain appeared to be
somewhat stunned: he staggered a few paces, and, dropping his musket,
fell on his hands and one knee; but whilst striving to recover his
upright position, another islander rushed forward, and with an iron
dagger stabbed him in the neck. He again made an effort to proceed, but
fell into a small pool of water not more than knee-deep, and numbers
instantly ran to the spot, and endeavored to keep him down; but by his
struggles he was enabled to get his head above the surface, and casting
a look towards the pinnace (then not more than five or six yards
distant), seemed to be imploring assistance. It is asserted that, in
consequence of the crowded state of the pinnace, (through the withdrawal
of the launch), the crew of the boat were unable to render any aid; but
it is also probable that the emergency of this unexpected catastrophe
deprived the English of that cool judgment which was requisite on such
an occasion. The islanders, perceiving that no help was afforded, forced
him under water again, but in a deeper place; yet his great muscular
power once more enabled him to raise himself and cling to the rock. At
this moment a forcible blow was given with a club, and he fell down
lifeless. The savages then hauled his corpse upon the rock, and
ferociously stabbed the body all over, snatching the dagger from each
others' hands to wreak their sanguinary vengeance on the slain. The body
was left some time exposed upon the rock; and as the islanders gave way,
through terror at their own act and the fire from the boats, it might
have been recovered entire. But no attempt of the kind was made; and it
was afterwards, together with the marines, cut up, and the parts
distributed amongst the chiefs. The mutilated fragments were
subsequently restored, and committed to the deep with all the honors due
to the rank of the deceased. Thus, February 14, 1779, perished in an
inglorious brawl with a set of savages, one of England's greatest
navigators, whose services to science have never been surpassed by any
man belonging to his profession. It may almost be said that he fell a
victim to his humanity; for if, instead of retreating before his
barbarous pursuers, with a view to spare their lives, he had turned
revengefully upon them, his fate might have been very different.
The death of their commander was felt to be a heavy blow by the officers
and seamen of the expedition. With deep sorrow the ships' companies left
Owyhee, where the catastrophe had occurred, the command of the
_Resolution_ devolving on Captain Clerke, and Mr. Gore acting as
commander of the _Discovery_. After making some further exploratory
searches among the Sandwich Islands, the vessels visited Kamtschatka and
Behring's Strait. Here it was found impossible to penetrate through the
ice either on the coast of America or that of Asia, so that they
returned to the southward; and on August 22, 1779, Captain Clerke died
of consumption, and was succeeded by Captain Gore, who, in his turn,
gave Lieutenant King an acting order in the _Discovery_. After a second
visit to Kamtschatka, the two ships returned by way of China, remained
some time at Canton, touched at the Cape, and arrived at the Nore,
October 4, 1780, after an absence of four years, two months, and
twenty-two days, during which the _Resolution_ lost only five men by
sickness, and the _Discovery_ did not lose a single man.
By this, as well as the preceding voyages of Cook, a considerable
addition was made to a knowledge of the earth's surface. Besides
clearing up doubts respecting the Southern Ocean, and making known many
islands in the Pacific, the navigator did an inestimable service to his
country in visiting the coasts of New South Wales, Van Diemen's Land,
New Zealand, and Norfolk Island--all now colonial possessions of
Britain, and rapidly becoming the seat of a large and flourishing nation
of Anglo-Australians--the England of the southern hemisphere.
The intelligence of Captain Cook's death was received with melancholy
regrets in England. The king granted a pension of £200 per annum to his
widow, and £25 per annum to each of the children; the Royal Society had
a gold medal struck in commemoration of him; and various other honors at
home and abroad were paid to his memory.
"Thus, by his own persevering efforts," as has been well observed by the
author of the 'Pursuit of Knowledge under Difficulties,' "did this great
man raise himself from the lowest obscurity to a reputation wide as the
world itself, and certain to last as long as the age in which he
flourished shall be remembered by history. But better still than even
all this fame--than either the honors which he received while living, or
those which, when he was no more, his country and mankind bestowed upon
his memory--he had exalted himself in the scale of moral and
intellectual being; had won a new and nobler nature, and taken a high
place among the instructors and benefactors of mankind."
Honor and fame are not to be achieved by seeking for them alone, nor are
their possession the end and aim of human existence. It is only by an
unwearied striving after a new and nobler nature; only by being useful
to our fellows, and making the most of those qualities of mind which God
has given us, that happiness is to be attained, or that we fulfill the
ends of our being.
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