Narrative of the Voyages Round the World, Performed by Captain James Cook | Page 8

zeal which has always been displayed
by that learned body for the advancement of every branch of
philosophical science. Accordingly, a long memorial was addressed to
his majesty, dated February the 15th, 1768, representing the great
importance of the object, together with the regard which had been paid
to it by the principal courts of Europe; and entreating, among other
things that a vessel might be ordered, at the expense of government, for
the conveyance of suitable persons, to make the observation of the
transit of Venus, at one of the places before mentioned. This memorial
having been laid before the king by the Earl of Shelburne (now the
Marquess of Lansdown), one of the principal secretaries of state; his
majesty graciously signified his pleasure to the lords commissioners of
the Admiralty, that they should provide a ship for carrying over such
observers as the Royal Society should judge proper to send to the South
Seas; and, on the 3rd of April, Mr. Stephens informed the society that a
bark had been taken up for tire purpose.
The gentlemen who had originally been fixed upon to take the direction
of the expedition, was Alexander Dalrymple, Esq. an eminent member
of the Royal Society, and who, besides possessing an accurate
knowledge of astronomy, had distinguished himself by his inquiries
into the geography of the Southern Oceans, and by the collection he

had published of several voyages to those parts of the world. Mr.
Dalrymple being sensible of the difficulty, or rather of the impossibility,
of carrying a ship through unknown seas, the crew of which were not
subject to the military discipline of his majesty's navy, he made it the
condition of his going, that he should have a brevet commission, as
captain of the vessel, in the same manner as such a commission had
been granted to Dr. Halley, in his voyage of discovery. To this demand
Sir Edward Hawke, who was then at the head of the Admiralty, and
who possessed more of the spirit of his profession than either of
education or science, absolutely refused to accede. He said, at the board,
that his conscience would not allow him to trust any ship of his
majesty's to a person who had not regularly been bred a seaman. On
being further pressed upon the subject, Sir Edward declared, that he
would suffer his right hand to be cut off before he would sign any such
commission. In this he was, in some degree, justified by the mutinous
behaviour of Halley's crew, who refused to acknowledge the legal
authority of their commander, and involved him in a dispute which was
attended with pernicious consequences. Mr. Dalrymple, on the other
hand, was equally steady in requiring a compliance with the terms he
had proposed. Such was the state of things, when Mr. Stephens,
secretary to the Admiralty, whose discrimination of the numerous
characters, with which by his station he is conversant, reflects as much
credit on his understanding, as his upright and able conduct does on the
office he has filled for so many years, and under so many
administrations, with honour to himself and advantage to the public,
observed to the board, that since Sir Edward Hawke and Mr. Dalrymple
were equally inflexible, no method remained but that of finding out
another person capable of the service. He knew, he said, a Mr. Cook,
who had been employed as marine surveyor of Newfoundland, who had
been regularly educated in the navy, in which he was a master, and
whom he judged to be fully qualified for the direction of the present
undertaking. Mr. Stephens, at the same time, recommended it to the
board, to take the opinion of Sir Hugh Palliser, who had lately been
governor of Newfoundland, and was intimately acquainted with Cook's
character. Sir Hugh rejoiced in the opportunity of serving his friend. He
strengthened Mr. Stephen's recommendation to the utmost of his power;
and added many things in Mr. Cook's favour, arising from the

particular knowledge which he had of his abilities and merit.
Accordingly, Mr. Cook was appointed to the command of the
expedition by the lords of the Admiralty; and, on this occasion, he was
promoted to the rank of a lieutenant in the royal navy, his commission
bearing date on the 25th of May, 1768.
When the appointment had taken place, the first object was to provide a
vessel adapted to the purposes of the voyage. This business was
committed to Sir Hugh Palliser; who took Lieutenant Cook to his
assistance, and they examined together a great number of the ships
which then lay in the river Thames. At length they fixed upon one, of
three hundred and seventy tons, to which was given the name of the
Endeavour.
While preparations were making for Lieutenant Cook's