CAPTAIN COOK’S LOG.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5405, 27 March 1929, Page 3

CAPTAIN COOK’S LOG.

HIS SECRET INSTRUCTIONS. Even .Captain Cook the great e-x--ploicr, was human, like the rest of us, and desired an occasional holiilay. For among the exhibits shown at the Public Records Office to. commemorate the bicentenary of. his birth (October, 28, 1728) is a letter, in his own handwriting, asking for : leave. In it, he exhorts the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to grant him three weeks’ absence, since he has “some business to transact down in Yorkshire, as well as to see . and aged father.” That his request ’ was granted may be understood: by J lokking at the back of. the letter, on which appear the words, “To have it.” and tire date, December 17, 1771. HIS FIRST.COMMAND. Another letter, also in his< own - handwriting, is equally interesting, though in a different ,way. It is dated' July, 17G8, a.nd in i.t. Captain Cook de- - sites tlie Commissioners to* order him to be supplied with certain mathematical instruments. Tlie great, navigator points but that the instruments will be necessary “in order tb mate surveys of such parts; as H.M. bark Endeavour may touch it.” Among Y ' the delightfully simple objects .mentioned are “a brass sc,ale 2ft long, “a Plane Table,” and “a glass fo r tracing Plans from the light.” This letter shows that Cook’s spelling was perhaps not so good as his navigation, since he asks for “a parallel Ruler. The earliest record exhibited is, the \ muster of H.'M.S. Eagle, in which the names of James Cook is written, when he entered the Navy on J,unel7, 1755, . at the age bf. twenty-seven. There are several interesting documents dealing with his first voyage in command of the Endeavour. This was in 1769, and the ship was used on behalf, of the Astronomer Royal for making , observations of the Transit oif. Venus, N which was to take place on June 3of that year. Before this voyage, Cook' was given secret instructions by the Admiralty to “attain a knowledge of distant parts—which will redound W. greatly t,o the honour oif the Nation as a Maritime Power.” The volume which contains these instructions is among the exhibits. "COCOA-NUTS.” The master’s log of the Endeavour - during this voyage is also shown—beautifully written jand containing a number of drawings. Among the re>marks about the weather, which ’ seems to have been hot and sultry, are other little entries which illustrate the events of the journey. One; day it is noted that Samuel Jones was punished with, “one dozen lashes for disobedience.” On another occasion several canoes came alptagsjde the ship “bringing with them greeu • boughs as Emblems of Peaces” A humorous touch is added by the remark that the sailors “truck’d! with -Jr ‘‘ them for cocoa-nuts and other trifles.” w f The object of the second' voyage, of • which there are several records, was to make surveys of the coast of. New Zealand. But actually the greatest result was to disprove the existence » of a large Antarctic continent in the t Temperate Zone. All tire many records of the great explorer c.annot be exhibited at the same time,, but those put on view in connection with thist anniversary were .. skilfully chpeen both for their general historical interest and. their legibility.