The eccentricities in the spelling have been preserved. A good many of these would seem to be due to Mr. Orton, the transcriber, as
Cook's own letters are generally correct in their orthography. The use of the capital letter was usual at the time. References will be found to sketches and plans which have not been reproduced.
Cook's knack of finding names for localities was peculiarly happy. Those who have had to do this, know the difficulty. Wherever he was able to ascertain the native name, he adopts it; but in the many cases where this was impossible, he manages to find a descriptive and distinctive appellation for each point, bay, or island.
He seems to have kept these names very much to himself, as it is seldom the officers' logs know anything of them; and original plans, still in existence, in many cases bear different names to those finally pitched upon.
Cook's names have rarely been altered, and New Zealand and Australian places will probably for all time bear those which he bestowed.
In the orthography of his native names he was not so successful. The constant addition of a redundant "o" has altered many native sounds, such as Otaheite for Tahiti, Ohwhyhee for Hawaii; while his spelling generally has been superseded by more simple forms. This is a matter, however, in which great difficulties are found to the present day by Englishmen, whose language presents no certain laws for rendering any given sound into a fixed combination of letters.
Cook's language is unvarnished and plain, as a sailor's should be. His incidents, though often related with circumstance, are without exaggeration; indeed if any fault is to be found, it is that he takes occurrences involving much labour and hardship as such matters of course, that it is not easy for the reader, especially if he be a landsman, to realise what they really entail.
Cook was assiduous in obtaining observations to ascertain the Variation of the compass--i.e., the difference between the direction shown by the magnetic needle and the true north. He is constantly puzzled by the discrepancies in these observations made at short intervals. These arose from the different positions of the ship's head, whereby the iron within a certain distance of the compass is placed in different positions as regards the needle working the compass card, the result being that the needle is attracted from its correct direction in varying degree. This is known as the Deviation of the compass. The cause of this, and of the laws which govern it, were only discovered by Captain Flinders in 1805. Happily for the navigators of those days, little iron entered into the construction
of ships, and the amount of the Deviation was not large, though enough to cause continual disquiet and wonderment.
Cook's longitudes in this voyage are all given as west of Greenwich, not divided into east and west, as is usual at this day. The latter system again has only been adopted universally since his time.
Though Cook himself gives, at the beginning of the Journal, a note of the method of reckoning days adopted, it may not be amiss to give further explanation here.
It was the usual custom on board ships to keep what was known as Ship time--i.e., the day began at noon BEFORE the civil reckoning, in which the day commences at midnight. Thus, while January 1st, as ordinarily reckoned, is from midnight to midnight, in ship time it began at noon on December 31st and ended at noon January 1st, this period being called January 1st. Hence the peculiarity all
3
through the Journal of the p.m. coming before the a.m. It results that any events recorded as occurring in the p.m. of January 1st in the log, would, if translated into the ordinary system, be given as happening in the p.m. of December 31st; while occurrences in the a.m. of January 1st would be equally in the a.m. of January 1st in both systems.
This puzzling mode of keeping the day at sea continued to a late period, and was common to seamen of all nations.
The astronomical day, again, begins at noon AFTER the midnight at which the civil day begins, and hence is a whole day later than the ship's day. This does not enter into Cook's Journal, but one of the logs of the Endeavour, extant, that of Mr. Green the astronomer, was kept in this time, and the events of say Thursday, June 24th, of Cook's Journal, are therein given as happening on Wednesday, June 23rd. These differences of reckoning have been a fertile source of confusion in dates in many voyages.
Besides Cook's Journals there are other Journals and Logs of the voyage extant. Perhaps it may be necessary to state that a Log is the official document in which the progress of the ship from hour to hour is recorded, with such official notes as the alteration in sail carried, expenditure of provisions and stores, etc. A Journal contains this information in a condensed form, with such observations as the officer keeping it may feel inclined to insert. The ship's Log Book of the Endeavour is in the British Museum. Mr. R.M. Hudson of Sunderland possesses Cook's own log, not autograph however, presented by Cook to Sir Hugh Palliser, the ancestor of his wife. The Journals of all the officers of the Endeavour are preserved at the Public Record Office. There is, however, nothing to be got out of them, as they are mainly copies one of the other, founded on the ship's log. The portion of Mr. Molineux's, the Master's, Log that exists (at the Admiralty) is a most beautifully kept and written document, enriched with charts and sketches that attest the accuracy of Cook's remark, that he was a "young man of good parts." The log kept by Mr. Green, however, does contain a few original remarks, some of which have been made use of. This book contains a mass of astronomical observations, and witnesses to the zeal of this gentleman in his especial duty. He records in one place, when far away from land, his disgust that the officers were unwilling to aid him in lunar observations. No doubt they saw no particular use in them when there was no coast to fix; but there is ample proof that he received every aid when Cook thought it necessary. Sufficient charts have been placed in this book to enable the reader to follow the more interesting parts of the voyage; some being reproductions of Cook's own charts, others modern publications. In the case of the coast of East Australia, the coastline as laid down by Cook, and as now known, are given side by side for comparison. It must be understood, that although this book is styled CAPTAIN COOK'S JOURNAL, he was on this voyage only a Lieutenant in Command, and therefore only Captain by courtesy. W.J.L. WHARTON. FLORYS, WIMBLEDON PARK, April 7th, 1893. CONTENTS. SKETCH OF CAPTAIN COOK'S LIFE. LIST OF PERSONS WHO LEFT ENGLAND IN H.M.S. ENDEAVOUR, 26TH AUGUST, 1768. CHAPTER 1. ENGLAND TO RIO JANEIRO. CHAPTER 2. RIO JANEIRO TO TAHITI. CHAPTER 3. TAHITI. 4 CHAPTER 4. TAHITI TO NEW ZEALAND. CHAPTER 5. EXPLORATION OF NEW ZEALAND. CHAPTER 6. EXPLORATION OF MIDDLE ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND. CHAPTER 7. PASSAGE FROM NEW ZEALAND TO NEW HOLLAND. CHAPTER 8. EXPLORATION OF EAST COAST OF AUSTRALIA. CHAPTER 9. FROM TORRES STRAIT TO BATAVIA. CHAPTER 10. BATAVIA TO CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. CHAPTER 11. CAPE OF GOOD HOPE TO ENGLAND. INDEX. ILLUSTRATIONS. 1. PORTRAIT OF CAPTAIN JAMES COOK WITH A FACSIMILE OF HIS SIGNATURE. COLLOTYPE, WATERLOW & SONS LTD. 2. MODERN CHART OF SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN SHOWING TRACK OF H.M.S. ENDEAVOUR, 1769 TO 1770. 3. FACSIMILE OF SATURDAY, 3RD JUNE, 1769. 4. CHART OF THE ISLAND OTAHEITE, BY LIEUTENANT JAMES COOK, 1769. REPRODUCTION OF THE ORIGINAL PUBLISHED CHART. 5. TAHITI: TYPES OF CANOES. 6. CHART OF THE SOCIETY ISLES, DISCOVERED BY LIEUTENANT JAMES COOK, 1769. REPRODUCTION OF THE ORIGINAL PUBLISHED CHART. 7. WAR CANOE OF NEW ZEALAND. 8. TRACK OF ENDEAVOUR FROM TORRES STRAIT TO JAVA. AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER 1770. 9. FACSIMILE OF TUESDAY, 23RD OCTOBER, 1770. 10. CHART OF NEW ZEALAND, EXPLORED IN 1769 AND 1770, BY LIEUTENANT I: COOK, COMMANDER OF HIS MAJESTY'S BARK ENDEAVOUR, ENGRAVED BY I. BAYLY. REPRODUCTION OF THE ORIGINAL PUBLISHED CHART. 11. PRINTERS' PLATE: Owl on books, distant town, hills, tree and moon. "REST, PRAY, SLEEP." Elliott Stock, 62, Paternoster Row. SKETCH OF CAPTAIN COOK'S LIFE. CAPTAIN COOK'S life, or the account of so much of it as is recoverable, has been so often recounted that there is no occasion to insert more in this publication than is necessary as a reference to the reader, to enable him to realise the career and character of the man. Cook's first biographer, Andrew Kippis, wrote in 1788, and his work has recently been republished.* (* "A Narrative of the Voyage round the World, performed by Captain James Cook, with an Account of His Life" by A. Kippis, D.D., F.R.S. London: Bickers & 5 Son 1889.) The latest and best life is by Walter Besant,* (* "Captain Cook" by Walter Besant: "English Men of Action" London, Macmillan & Co. 1890.) whose graceful pen has given us a fascinating, interesting, and, as far as is possible, complete picture of this great Englishman. Many details of Cook's