A Voyage Towards the South Pole and Round the World, Volume 1 by James Cook
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James Cook >> A Voyage Towards the South Pole and Round the World, Volume 1
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27 VOLUME I
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LONDON:
PRINTED FOR W STRAHAN AND T CADELL IN THE STRAND.
MDCCLXXVII
(1777)
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CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME.
GENERAL INTRODUCTION.
BOOK I.
From our departure from England to leaving the Society Isles the
first time.
CHAPTER I. Passage from Deptford to the Cape of Good Hope, with an Account
of several Incidents that happened by the Way, and Transactions there.
CHAPTER II. Departure from the Cape of Good Hope, in search of a Southern
Continent.
CHAPTER III. Sequel of the Search for a Southern Continent, between the
Meridian of the Cape of Good Hope and New Zealand; with an Account of
the Separation of the two Ships, and the Arrival of the Resolution in
Dusky Bay.
CHAPTER IV. Transactions in Dusky Bay, with an Account of several
Interviews with the Inhabitants.
CHAPTER V. Directions for sailing in and out of Dusky Bay, with an Account
of the adjacent Country, its Produce, and Inhabitants: Astronomical and
Nautical Observations.
CHAPTER VI. Passage from Dusky Bay to Queen Charlotte's Sound, with an
Account of some Water Spouts, and of our joining the Adventure.
CHAPTER VII. Captain Furneaux's Narrative, from the Time the two Ships
were separated, to their joining again in Queen Charlotte's Sound, with
some Account of Van Diemen's Land.
CHAPTER VIII. Transactions in Queen Charlotte's Sound, with some Remarks
on the Inhabitants.
CHAPTER IX. Route from New Zealand to Otaheite, with an Account of some
low Islands, supposed to be the same that were seen by M. de Bougainville.
CHAPTER X. Arrival of the Ships at Otaheite, with an Account of the
critical Situation they were in, and of several Incidents that happened
while they lay in Oaiti-piha Bay.
CHAPTER XI. An Account of several Visits to and from Otoo; of Goats
being left on the Island; and many other Particulars which happened
while the Ships lay in Matavai Bay.
CHAPTER XII. An Account of the Reception we met with at Huaheine,
with the Incidents that happened while the Ships lay there; and of
Omai, one of the Natives, coming away in the Adventure,
CHAPTER XIII. Arrival at, and Departure of the Ships from, Ulietea: With
an Account of what happened there, and of Oedidee, one of the Natives,
coming away in the Resolution.
CHAPTER XIV. An Account of a Spanish Ship visiting Otaheite; the present
State of the Islands; with some Observations on the Diseases and Customs
of the Inhabitants; and some Mistakes concerning the Women corrected.
BOOK II.
From our Departure from the Society Isles, to our Return to and leaving
them the second Time.
CHAPTER I. Passage from Ulietea to the Friendly Islands, with an Account
of the Discovery of Hervey's Island, and the Incidents that happened at
Middleburg.
CHAPTER II. The Arrival of the Ships at Amsterdam; a Description of a
Place of Worship; and an Account of the Incidents which happened while we
remained at that Island.
CHAPTER III. A Description of the Islands and their Produce; with the
Cultivation, Houses, Canoes, Navigation, Manufactures, Weapons,
Customs, Government, Religion, and Language of the Inhabitants.
CHAPTER IV. Passage from Amsterdam to Queen Charlotte's Sound, with an
Account of an Interview with the Inhabitants, and the final Separation
of the two Ships.
CHAPTER V. Transactions at Queen Charlotte's Sound; with an Account of
the Inhabitants being Cannibals; and various other Incidents.--Departure
from the Sound, and our Endeavours to find the Adventure; with some
Description of the Coast.
CHAPTER VI. Route of the Ship from New Zealand in Search of a Continent;
with an Account of the various Obstructions met with from the Ice, and the
Methods pursued to explore the Southern Pacific Ocean.
CHAPTER VII. Sequel of the Passage from New Zealand to Easter Island, and
Transactions there, with an Account of an Expedition to discover the
Inland Part of the Country, and a Description of some of the
surprising gigantic Statues found in the Island.
CHAPTER VIII. A Description of the Island, and its Produce, Situation, and
Inhabitants; their Manners, and Customs; Conjectures concerning their
Government, Religion, and other Subjects; with a more particular
Account of the gigantic Statues.
CHAPTER IX. The Passage from Easter Island to the Marquesas Islands.
Transactions and Incidents which happened while the Ship lay in Madre
de Dios, or Resolution Bay, in the Island of St Christina.
CHAPTER X. Departure from the Marquesas; a Description of the Situation,
Extent, Figure, and Appearance of the several Islands; with some
Account of the Inhabitants, their Customs, Dress, Habitations, Food,
Weapons, and Canoes.
CHAPTER XI. A Description of several Islands discovered, or seen in the
Passage from the Marquesas to Otaheite; with an Account of a Naval
Review.
CHAPTER XII. Some Account of a Visit from Otoo, Towha, and several other
Chiefs; also of a Robbery committed by one of the Natives, and its
Consequences, with general Observations on the Subject.
CHAPTER XIII. Preparations to leave the Island. Another Naval Review, and
various other Incidents; with some Account of the Island, its Naval
Force, and Number of Inhabitants.
CHAPTER XIV. The Arrival of the Ship at the Island of Huaheine; with an
Account of an Expedition into the Island, and several other Incidents
which happened while she lay there.
CHAPTER XV. Arrival at Ulietea; with an Account of the Reception we met
with there, and the several Incidents which happened during our Stay. A
Report of two Ships being at Huaheine. Preparations to leave the
island, and the Regret the Inhabitants shewed on the Occasion. The
Character of Oedidee; with some general Observations on the Island.
* * * * *
GENERAL INTRODUCTION.
Whether the unexplored part of the Southern Hemisphere be only an immense
mass of water, or contain another continent, as speculative geography
seemed to suggest, was a question which had long engaged the attention, not
only of learned men, but of most of the maritime powers of Europe.
To put an end to all diversity of opinion about a matter so curious and
important, was his majesty's principal motive in directing this voyage to
be undertaken, the history of which is now submitted to the public.
But, in order to give the reader a clear idea of what has been done in it,
and to enable him to judge more accurately, how far the great object that
was proposed, has been obtained, it will be necessary to prefix a short
account of the several voyages which have been made on discoveries to the
Southern Hemisphere, prior to that which I had lately the honour to
conduct, and which I am now going to relate.
1519 Magalhaens.
The first who crossed the vast Pacific Ocean, was Ferdinand Magalhaens, a
Portuguese, who, in the service of Spain, sailed from Seville, with five
ships, on the 10th of April, 1519. He discovered the straits which bear his
name; and having passed through them, on the 27th of November, 1520,
entered the South Pacific Ocean.
In this sea he discovered two uninhabited islands, whose situations are not
well known. He afterwards crossed the Line; discovered the Ladrone Islands;
and then proceeded to the Phillipines, in one of which he was killed in a
skirmish with the natives.
His ship, called the Victory, was the first that circumnavigated the globe;
and the only one of his squadron that surmounted the dangers and distresses
which attended this heroic enterprise.
The Spaniards, after Magalhaens had shewed them the way, made several
voyages from America to the westward, previous to that of Alvaro Mendana De
Neyra, in 1595, which is the first that can be traced step by step. For the
antecedent expeditions are not handed down to us with much precision.
We know, however, in general, that, in them, New Guinea, the islands called
Solomon's, and several others, were discovered.
Geographers differ greatly concerning the situation of the Solomon Islands.
The most probable opinion is, that they are the cluster which comprises
what has since been called New Britain, New Ireland, &c.
1595 Mendana.
On the 9th of April, 1595, Mendana, with intention to settle these islands,
sailed from Callao, with four ships; and his discoveries in his route to
the west, were the Marquesas, in the latitude of 10 deg. S.; the island of St
Bernardo, which I take to be the same that Commodore Byron calls the Island
of Danger; after that, Solitary Island, in the latitude of 10 deg. 40' S.,
longitude 178 deg. W.; and, lastly, Santa Cruz, which is undoubtedly the same
that Captain Carteret calls Egmont Island.
In this last island, Mendana, with many of his companions, died; and the
shattered remains of the squadron were conducted to Manilla, by Pedro
Fernandes de Quiros, the chief pilot.
1605 Quiros.
This same Quiros was the first sent out, with the sole view of discovering
a southern continent, and, indeed, he seems to have been the first who had
any idea of the existence of one.
He sailed from Callao the 21st of December, 1605, as pilot of the fleet,
commanded by Luis Paz de Torres, consisting of two ships and a tender; and
steering to the W.S.W., on the 26th of January, 1606. being then, by their
reckoning, a thousand Spanish leagues from the coast of America, they
discovered a small low island in latitude 26 deg. S. Two days after, they
discovered another that was high, with a plain on the top. This is probably
the same that Captain Carteret calls Pitcairn's Island.
After leaving these islands, Quiros seems to have directed his course to
W.N.W. and N.W. to 10 deg. or 11 deg. S. latitude, and then westward, till he
arrived at the Bay of St Philip and Jago, in the Island of Tierra del
Espirito Santo. In this route be discovered several islands; probably some
of those that have been seen by later navigators.
On leaving the bay of St Philip and St Jago, the two ships were separated.
Quiros, with the Capitana, stood to the north, and returned to New Spain,
after having suffered greatly for want of provisions and water. Torres,
with the Almiranta and the tender, steered to the west, and seems to have
been the first who sailed between New Holland and New Guinea.
1615. Le Maire and Schouten
The next attempt to make discoveries in the South Pacific Ocean, was
conducted by Le Maire and Schouten. They sailed from the Texel, on the 14th
of June, 1615, with the ships Concord and Horn. The latter was burnt by
accident in Port Desire. With the other they discovered the straits that
bear the name of Le Maire, and were the first who ever entered the Pacific
Ocean, by the way of Cape Horn.
They discovered the island of Dogs, in latitude 15 deg. 15' S., longitude 136 deg.
30' W.; Sondre Grondt in 15 deg. S. latitude, and 143 deg. 10' W. longitude;
Waterland in 14 deg. 46' S., and 144 deg. 10' W.; and twenty-five leagues westward
of this, Fly Island, in latitude 15 deg. 20'; Traitor's and Coco's Islands, in
latitude 15 deg. 43' S., longitude 173 deg. 13' W.; two degrees more to the
westward, the isle of Hope; and in the latitude of 14 deg. 56' S., longitude
179 deg. 30' E., Horn Island.
They next coasted the north side of New Britain and New Guinea, and arrived
at Batavia in October, 1616.
1642 Tasman.
Except some discoveries on the western and northern coasts of New Holland,
no important voyage to the Pacific Ocean was undertaken till 1642, when
Captain Tasman sailed from Batavia, with two ships belonging to the Dutch
East India Company, and discovered Van Diemen's Land; a small part of the
western coast of New Zealand; the Friendly Isles; and those called Prince
William's.
1594 Sir Richard Hawkins.
Thus far I have thought it best not to interrupt the progress of discovery
in the South Pacific Ocean, otherwise I should before have mentioned, that
Sir Richard Hawkins in 1594, being about fifty leagues to the eastward of
the river Plate, was driven by a storm to the eastward of his intended
course, and when the weather grew moderate, steering towards the Straits of
Magalhaens, he unexpectedly fell in with land, about sixty leagues of which
he coasted, and has very particularly described. This he named Hawkins's
Maiden Land, in honour of his royal mistress, Queen Elizabeth, and says it
lies some threescore leagues from the nearest part of South America.
1689 Strong.
This land was afterwards discovered to be two large islands, by Captain
John Strong, of the Farewell, from London, who, in 1689, passed through the
strait which divides the eastern from the western of those islands. To this
strait he gave the name of Falkland's Sound, in honour of his patron Lord
Falkland; and the name has since been extended, through inadvertency, to
the two islands it separates.
Having mentioned these islands, I will add, that future navigators will
mis-spend their time, if they look for Pepy's Island in 47 deg. S.; it being
now certain, that Pepy's Island is no other than these islands of
Falkland.
1675 La Roche.
In April, 1675, Anthony la Roche, an English merchant, in his return from
the South Pacific Ocean, where he had been on a trading voyage, being
carried by the winds and currents, far to the east of Strait Le Maire, fell
in with a coast, which may possibly be the same with that which I visited
during this voyage, and have called the Island of Georgia.
Leaving this land, and sailing to the north, La Roche, in the latitude of
45 deg. S., discovered a large island, with a good port towards the eastern
part, where he found wood, water, and fish.
1699 Halley.
In 1699, that celebrated astronomer, Dr Edmund Halley, was appointed to the
command of his majesty's ship the Paramour Pink, on an expedition for
improving the knowledge of the longitude, and of the variation of the
compass; and for discovering the unknown lands supposed to lie in the
southern part of the Atlantic Ocean. In this voyage he determined the
longitude of several places; and, after his return, constructed his
variation-chart, and proposed a method of observing the longitude at sea,
by means of the appulses and occultations of the fixed stars. But, though
he so successfully attended to the two first articles of his instructions,
he did not find any unknown southern land.
1721 Roggewein.
The Dutch, in 1721, fitted out three ships to make discoveries in the South
Pacific Ocean, under the command of Admiral Roggewein. He left the Texel on
the 21st of August, and arriving in that ocean, by going round Cape Horn,
discovered Easter Island, probably seen before, though not visited, by
Davis;* then between 14 deg. 41' and 15 deg. 47' S. latitude, and between the
longitude of 142 deg. and 150 deg. W., fell in with several other islands, which I
take to be some of those seen by the late English navigators. He next
discovered two islands in latitude 15 deg. S., longitude 170 deg. W., which he
called Baumen's Islands; and, lastly, Single Island, in latitude 13 deg. 41'
S., longitude 171 deg. 30' W. These three islands are, undoubtedly, the same
that Bougainville calls the Isles of Navigators.
[* See Waser's description of the Isthmus of Darien.]
1738 Bouvet.
In 1738, the French East India Company sent Lozier Bouvet with two ships,
the Eagle and Mary, to make discoveries in the South Atlantic Ocean. He
sailed from Port L'Orient on the 19th of July in that year; touched at the
island of St Catherine; and from thence shaped his course towards the
south-east.
On the 1st of January, 1739, he discovered land, or what he judged to be
land, in latitude 54 deg. S., longitude 11 deg. E. It will appear in the course of
the following narrative, that we made several attempts to find this land
without success. It is, therefore, very probable, that what Bouvet saw was
nothing more than a large ice-island. From hence he stood to the east, in
51 deg. of latitude to 35 deg. of E. longitude: After which the two ships
separated, one going to the island of Mauritius, and the other returning to
France.
After this voyage of Bouvet, the spirit of discovery ceased, till his
present majesty formed a design of making discoveries, and exploring the
southern hemisphere; and, in the year 1764, directed it to be put in
execution.
1764 Byron.
Accordingly Commodore Byron, having under his command the Dolphin and
Tamer, sailed from the Downs on the 21st of June the same year; and having
visited the Falkland Islands, passed through the Straits of Magalhaens into
the Pacific Ocean, where he discovered the islands of Disappointment,
George's, Prince of Wales's, the isles of Danger, York Island, and Byron
Island.
1766 Wallis.
He returned to England the 9th of May, 1766, and, in the month of August
following, the Dolphin was again sent out under the command of Captain
Wallis, with the Swallow, commanded by Captain Carteret.
They proceeded together, till they came to the west end of the Straits of
Magalhaens, and the Great South Sea in sight, where they were separated.
Captain Wallis directed his course more westerly than any navigator had
done before him in so high a latitude; but met with no land till he got
within the tropic, where he discovered the islands of Whitsunday, Queen
Charlotte, Egmont, Duke of Gloucester, Duke of Cumberland, Maitea,
Otaheite, Eimeo, Tapamanou, How, Scilly, Boscawen, Keppel, and Wallis; and
returned to England in May, 1768.
Carteret.
His companion Captain Carteret kept a different route, in which he
discovered the islands of Osnaburg, Gloucester, Queen Charlotte's Isles,
Carteret's, Gower's, and the strait between New Britain and New Ireland;
and returned to England in March, 1769.
1766 Bougainville.
In November, 1766, Commodore Bougainville sailed from France in the frigate
La Boudeuse, with the store-ship L'Etoile. After spending some time on the
coast of Brazil, and at Falkland's Islands, he got into the Pacific Sea by
the Straits of Magalhaens, in January, 1768.
In this ocean he discovered the Four Facardines, the isle of Lanciers, and
Harp Island, which I take to be the same that I afterwards named Lagoon,
Thrum Cap, and Bow Island. About twenty leagues farther to the west he
discovered four other islands; afterwards fell in with Maitea, Otaheite,
isles of Navigators, and Forlorn Hope, which to him were new discoveries.
He then passed through between the Hebrides, discovered the Shoal of Diana,
and some others, the land of Cape Deliverance, several islands more to the
north, passed the north of New Ireland, touched at Batavia, and arrived in
France in March, 1769.
This year was rendered remarkable by the transit of the planet Venus over
the sun's disk, a phenomenon of great importance to astronomy; and which
every-where engaged the attention of the learned in that science.
In the beginning of the 1768, the Royal Society presented a memorial to his
majesty, setting forth the advantages to be derived from accurate
observations of this transit in different parts of the world; particularly
from a set of such observations made in a southern latitude, between the
140th and 130th degrees of longitude, west from the Royal Observatory at
Greenwich; and that vessels, properly equipped, would be necessary to
convey the observers to their destined stations; but that the society were
in no condition to defray the expence of such an undertaking.
In consequence of this memorial, the Admiralty were directed by his majesty
to provide proper vessels for this purpose. Accordingly, the Endeavour
bark, which had been built for the coal-trade, was purchased and fitted out
for the southern voyage, and I was honoured with the command of her. The
Royal Society, soon after, appointed me, in conjunction with Mr Charles
Green the astronomer, to make the requisite observations on the transit.
It was at first intended to perform this great, and now a principal
business of our voyage, either at the Marquesas, or else at one of those
islands which Tasman had called Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Middleburg, now
better known under the name of the Friendly Islands. But while the
Endeavour was getting ready for the expedition, Captain Wallis returned
from his voyage round the world, in the course of which he had discovered
several islands in the South Sea; and, amongst others, Otaheite. This
island was preferred to any of those before mentioned, on account of the
conveniences it afforded; because its place had been well ascertained, and
found to be extremely well suited to our purpose.
I was therefore ordered to proceed directly to Otaheite; and after
astronomical observations should be completed, to prosecute the design of
making discoveries in the South Pacific Ocean, by proceeding to the south
as far as the latitude of 40 deg.; then, if I found no land, to proceed to the
west between 40 deg. and 35 deg., till I fell in with New Zealand, which I was to
explore; and thence to return to England by such route as I should think
proper.
1768 Cook's first voyage.
In the prosecution of these instructions, I sailed from Deptford the 30th
July, 1768; from Plymouth the 26th of August, touched at Madeira, Rio de
Janeiro, and Straits Le Maire, and entered the South Pacific Ocean by Cape
Horn in January the following year.
I endeavoured to make a direct course to Otaheite, and in part succeeded;
but I made no discovery till I got within the tropic, where I fell in with
Lagoon Island, Two Groups, Bird Island, Chain Island; and on the 13th of
April arrived at Otaheite, where I remained three months, during which time
the observations on the transit were made.
I then left it; discovered and visited the Society Isles and Oheteroa;
thence proceeded to the south till I arrived in the latitude of 40 deg. 22',
longitude 147 deg. 29' W.; and, on the 6th of October, fell in with the east
side of New Zealand.
I continued exploring the coast of this country till the 31st of March,
1770, when I quitted it, and proceeded to New Holland; and having surveyed
the eastern coast of that vast country, which part had not before been
visited, I passed between its northern extremity and New Guinea, landed on
the latter, touched at the island of Savu, Batavia, the Cape of Good Hope,
and St Helena,* and arrived in England on the 12th of July, 1771.
[* In the account given of St Helena in the narrative of my former voyage,
I find two mistakes. Its inhabitants are far from exercising a wanton
cruelty over their slaves, and they have had wheel-carriages and
porters' knots for many years.]
In this voyage I was accompanied by Mr Banks and Dr Solander; the first a
gentleman of ample fortune; the other an accomplished disciple of Linnaeus,
and one of the librarians of the British Museum; both of them distinguished
in the learned world, for their extensive and accurate knowledge of natural
history. These gentlemen, animated by the love of science, and by a desire
to pursue their enquiries in the remote regions I was preparing to visit,
desired permission to make a voyage with me. The Admiralty readily complied
with a request that promised such advantage to the republic of letters.
They accordingly embarked with me, and participated in all the dangers and
sufferings of our tedious and fatiguing navigation.
The voyages of Messrs de Surville, Kerguelen, and Marion, of which some
account is given in the following work, did not come to my knowledge time
enough to afford me any advantage; and as they have not been communicated
to the world in a public way, I can say little about them, or about two
other voyages, which, I am told, have been made by the Spaniards; one to
Easter Island in the year 1769, and the other to Otaheite in 1775.
Before I begin my narrative of the expedition entrusted to my care, it will
be necessary to add here some account of its equipment, and of some other
matters equally interesting, connected with my subject.
Soon after my return home in the Endeavour, it was resolved to equip two
ships, to complete the discovery of the Southern Hemisphere. The nature of
this voyage required ships of a particular construction, and the Endeavour
being gone to Falkland's Isles as a store-ship, the Navy-board was directed
to purchase two such ships as were most suitable for this service.
At this time various opinions were espoused by different people, touching
the size and kind of vessels most proper for such a voyage. Some were for
having large ships, and proposed those of forty guns, or East India
Company's ships. Others preferred large good sailing frigates, or three-
decked ships, employed in the Jamaica trade, fitted with round-houses. But
of all that was said and offered to the Admiralty's consideration on this
subject, as far as has come to my knowledge, what, in my opinion, was most
to the purpose, was suggested by the Navy-board.
As the kind of ships most proper to be employed on discoveries, is a very
interesting consideration to the adventurers in such undertakings, it may
possibly be of use to those, who, in future, may be so employed, to give
here the purport of the sentiments of the Navy-board thereon, with whom,
after the experience of two voyages of three years each, I perfectly agree.
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