First Voyage Round the World

First Voyage Round the World

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Captain Cook's Journal During the
First
Voyage Round the World, by James Cook #2 in our series by James
Cook
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Title: Captain Cook's Journal During the First Voyage Round the
World
Author: James Cook

Release Date: May, 2005 [EBook #8106] [Yes, we are more than one
year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on June 15, 2003]
Edition: 10
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FIRST
VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD ***

Produced by Sue Asscher

CAPTAIN COOK'S JOURNAL.
FIRST VOYAGE.
(PLATE: PORTRAIT OF CAPTAIN JAMES COOK WITH A
FACSIMILE OF HIS SIGNATURE. Collotype, Waterlow & Sons
Ltd.)
CAPTAIN COOK'S JOURNAL
DURING HIS
FIRST VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD
MADE IN
H.M. BARK "ENDEAVOUR"
1768-71
A Literal Transcription of the Original MSS.
WITH
NOTES AND INTRODUCTION
EDITED BY
CAPTAIN W.J.L. WHARTON, R.N., F.R.S. Hydrographer of the
Admiralty.
Illustrated by Maps and Facsimiles.
LONDON ELLIOT STOCK, 62 PATERNOSTER ROW 1893
43931
DEDICATED BY PERMISSION
TO

ADMIRAL H.R.H. THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH,
K.G., ETC.,
WHOSE DEEP INTEREST IN ALL MATTERS CONNECTED
WITH THE RISE AND PROGRESS OF THE BRITISH NAVY IS
WELL KNOWN TO ALL WHO HAVE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF
SERVING WITH HIM.
PREFACE.
STRANGE it must appear that the account of perhaps the most
celebrated and, certainly to the English nation, the most momentous
voyage of discovery that has ever taken place--for it practically gave
birth to the great Australasian Colonies--has never before been given to
the world in the very words of its great leader. It has fallen out in this
wise.
After the return of the Endeavour it was decided that a full and
comprehensive account of the voyage should be compiled. COOK'S
JOURNAL dealt with matters from the point of view of the seaman, the
explorer, and the head of the expedition, responsible for life, and for its
general success. The Journals of Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander looked
from the scientific side on all that presented itself to their enthusiastic
observation.
What could be better than to combine these accounts, and make up a
complete narrative from them all?
The result, however, according to our nineteenth-century ideas, was not
altogether happy. Dr. Hawkesworth, into whose hands the Journals
were put, not only interspersed reflections of his own, but managed to
impose his own ponderous style upon many of the extracts from the
united Journals; and, moreover, as they are all jumbled together, the
whole being put into Cook's mouth, it is impossible to know whether
we are reading Cook, Banks, Solander, or Hawkesworth himself.
The readers of the day were not, however, critical. Hawkesworth's
book,* (* "Hawkesworth's Voyages" 3 volumes quarto 1773.) which
undoubtedly contains all the most generally interesting passages of the
three writers, gave a clear description of the events of the voyage in a
connected manner, and was accepted as sufficient; and in the
excitement of devouring the pages which introduced so many new
lands and peoples, probably few wished for more, and the Journals
were put away as dealt with.

Since that time it has been on several occasions in contemplation to
publish Mr. (after Sir Joseph) Banks' Journal; but this has never been
accomplished.
Cook's Journal was in triplicate. The Admiralty Orders of the day
enjoined that the captain should keep a journal of proceedings, a copy
of which was to be forwarded to the Admiralty every six months, or as
soon after as possible. In the case of this voyage the ship was two and a
half years from England before any opportunity of sending this copy
occurred. The ship was the whole of this time in new and savage lands.
When Batavia was reached the duplicate of Cook's Journal was sent
home, and six months later, when the ship arrived in England, the full
Journal of the voyage was deposited at the Admiralty.
The Secretary of the Admiralty, Sir