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13 - Life of Captain James Cook by Arthur Octavius Kitson · Life of Captain James Cook

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Speaker 1: Chapter number twelve of the Life of Captain James Cook,
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Speaker 1: the Circumnavigator by Arthur Kitsen. This LibriVox recording is in
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Speaker 1: the public domain. Chapter number twelve, seventeen seventy one, Preparations
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Speaker 1: for second Voyage. After reporting himself to the Admiralty on
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Speaker 1: his arrival in England, Cook proceeded to his home at
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Speaker 1: Mile End old Town, where he was for some time
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Speaker 1: employed in completing his charts and journals, and on the
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Speaker 1: fourteenth of August the annual Register announcers. He was introduced
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Speaker 1: to his Majesty at Saint James. When he presented his
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Speaker 1: journal of his voyage with some curious maps and charts
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Speaker 1: of different places that he had drawn during the voyage.
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Speaker 1: He was presented with a captain's commission. He so fun
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Speaker 1: time to write too long and instructive letters to his
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Speaker 1: old master and good friend, mister John Walker of Whitby,
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Speaker 1: which are to be found in doctor Young's work. They
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Speaker 1: give a rapid glance at the different places visited, with
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Speaker 1: a few pithy remarks as to their peoples and productions,
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Speaker 1: mention the pleasing reception he had from the King, and
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Speaker 1: alludes to the probability of being dispatched on a second
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Speaker 1: voyage with two ships. Edgeworth, in his memoirs, states that
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Speaker 1: about this time Cook was a frequent visitor at Denham Place,
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Speaker 1: the home of mister Lewis Way, FRS. But as that
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Speaker 1: gentleman died in this year, and Edgeworth also refers to
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Speaker 1: events of a later date as occurring at the same time,
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Speaker 1: it is more probable that these visits were paid after
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Speaker 1: the second voyage to mister Bane Benjamin Way, also FRS
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Speaker 1: and a director of the south Sea Company. In another place,
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Speaker 1: Edgeworth infers at Banks, Solander and Cook were members of
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Speaker 1: a club which met at Slaughter's coffeehouse in seventeen sixty five.
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Speaker 1: Of course, this is an error, for Cook was then
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Speaker 1: engaged in Newfoundland and unknown to the Royal Society, whose
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Speaker 1: members composed the club spoken of. In fact, Cook, though
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Speaker 1: a frequent guest in after times, was never a member
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Speaker 1: of the Royal Society's club. Fanny Bernie, Madame de Ablay,
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Speaker 1: says that in September her father, doctor Charles Burney, spent
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Speaker 1: a few days at Hinchinbrook, Lord Sandwidge's place in order
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Speaker 1: to meet Cook, Banks, and Solander, and it is evident
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Speaker 1: that the second voyage had been resolved on for Doctor
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Speaker 1: Burney's son, James, was introduced to Cook by Lord Sandwich
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Speaker 1: with a view to going on the expedition. Shortly after this,
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Speaker 1: Sandwich met Doctor Burney at Lord Oxford's Houghton and asked
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Speaker 1: him if he could recommend any one capable of writing
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Speaker 1: the history of the voyage of the Endeavor. He gave
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Speaker 1: Doctor Hawksworth's name and was requested to introduce him to
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Speaker 1: Lord Sandwich on his return to town. The object of
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Speaker 1: the second voyage was to, use Cook's own words, to
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Speaker 1: put to an end all diversity of opinion about a
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Speaker 1: matter so curious and important was His Majesty's principal motive
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Speaker 1: in directing this voyage to be undertaken, the history of
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Speaker 1: which is now submitted to the public, that is, the
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Speaker 1: existence of another continent in the South. The discover ushan
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Speaker 1: on the subject had been resumed with renewed vigor after
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Speaker 1: the return of the Endeavor, and Dalrymple led one party
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Speaker 1: who held that Cook had not set the matter at rest,
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Speaker 1: as he had left far too much space untraversed whitby
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Speaker 1: ships again. The two ships that were to be employed
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Speaker 1: were probably selected in the Thames by Cook himself, and
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Speaker 1: like the good ship Endeavor, were built by Fishburn of
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Speaker 1: Whitby and purchased from Captain W. Hammond of Hull. The
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Speaker 1: reasoning which guided Cook in his selection is thus laid
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Speaker 1: down by him in his introduction to the account of
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Speaker 1: the Second Voyage. The success of such undertakings as making
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Speaker 1: discoveries in distant parts of the world, will principally depend
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Speaker 1: on the preparations being well adapted to what ought to
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Speaker 1: be the first consider duration, namely the preservation of the
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Speaker 1: adventurers and the ships, and this will chiefly depend on
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Speaker 1: the kind, the size, and the properties of the ships
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Speaker 1: chosen for the service. These primary considerations will not admit
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Speaker 1: of any other that may interfere with the necessary properties
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Speaker 1: of the ships. Therefore, in choosing the ships, should any
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Speaker 1: of the most advantageous properties be wanting, and the necessary
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Speaker 1: room in them be in any degree diminished for less
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Speaker 1: important purposes, such a step would be laying a foundation
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Speaker 1: for rendering the undertaking abortive. In the first instance, the
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Speaker 1: ship must not be of great draft, but of sufficient
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Speaker 1: capacity to carry a proper quantity of provisions and stores
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Speaker 1: for the crew and of such construction that she will
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Speaker 1: bear to take the ground, and of such a size
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Speaker 1: that she can be conveniently laid on shore if necessary
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Speaker 1: for repairing any damages or defects. And these qualities are
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Speaker 1: to be found in North country built ships such as
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Speaker 1: are built for the coal trade, and in none other.
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Speaker 1: The larger of the two chosen was four hundred and
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Speaker 1: sixty two tons, purchased for four thousand, one hundred and
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Speaker 1: fifty one pounds and received into the Royal Navy under
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Speaker 1: the name of Drake. She was fitted as a sloop
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Speaker 1: at Deptfoot at a cost of six thousand, five hundred
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Speaker 1: and sixty eight pounds, this sum probably covering both the
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Speaker 1: original alterations which proved unsatisfactory and those made immediately before sailing,
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Speaker 1: and at the time of her purchase was about fourteen
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Speaker 1: months old. The second ship was of three hundred thirty
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Speaker 1: six also fitted at Deptford as a sloop, was eighteen
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Speaker 1: months old at the time of purchase, cost two thousand,
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Speaker 1: one hundred three pounds, and was received under the name
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Speaker 1: of Rawley. The complement of the Rawley was eighty but
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Speaker 1: two additional carpenters mates were added to each ship later
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Speaker 1: on Cook was also instructed not to bear, as was
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Speaker 1: then usual, any servants on the books, but to enter
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Speaker 1: a b's instead, and each officer who was entitled to
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Speaker 1: his servant was to be paid an allowance by bill
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Speaker 1: equal to the wages of the number of servants respectively
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Speaker 1: allowed them. On the twenty fifth of December, the names
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Speaker 1: of the two ships were changed, the Drake becoming the
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Speaker 1: Resolution and the Rawley the Adventure. The lieutenants appointed to
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Speaker 1: the Resolution were Robert Palliser Cooper, Charles Clerk and Richard
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Speaker 1: Pickersgill and mister Tobias Ferno, commander and Joseph Schanck, first
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Speaker 1: Lieutenant of the Adventure. Of these officers, Cook rights, I
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Speaker 1: had all the reason in the world to be perfectly
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Speaker 1: satisfied with the choice of the officers. The second and
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Speaker 1: third lieutenants, the Lieutenant of Marines, two of the warrant officers,
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Speaker 1: and several of the petty officers had been with me
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Speaker 1: during the former voyage. The others were men of known abilities,
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Speaker 1: and all of them, on every occasion showed their zeal
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Speaker 1: for the service in which they were employed during the
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Speaker 1: whole voyage. Alterations to the Resolution two days after receiving
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Speaker 1: his orders, Cook hoisted his pendant and superintended the alterations
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Speaker 1: that were to be made for the commotion of mister
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Speaker 1: Banks and his party of scientists. These comprised mister Solander Zophony,
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Speaker 1: the portrait painter, mister Lynde of Edinburgh, to secure whose
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Speaker 1: services Parliament had made a special grant of four thousand pounds.
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Speaker 1: Though what discoveries they expected him to make, I could
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Speaker 1: not understand, said Cook, and nine others, draftsmen and servants,
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Speaker 1: at least three more than had been thought necessary when
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Speaker 1: the vessel was purchased. These alterations were to raise her
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Speaker 1: upper works about a foot, to lay a spar deck
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Speaker 1: upon her from the quarter deck to the forecastle, she
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Speaker 1: having at this time a low waist, and to build
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Speaker 1: a roundhouse or coach for my accommodation, so that the
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Speaker 1: great cabin might be appropriated to the use of mister
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Speaker 1: Banks alone. The Comptroller of the Navy, Captain Palliser, was
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Speaker 1: strongly opposed to these alterations as likely to be detrimental
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Speaker 1: to the ship's sailing qualities, and though his opinions were overborne,
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Speaker 1: they in the end proved to be correct. When he
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Speaker 1: had seen the alterations fairly on the way. Cook applied
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Speaker 1: for three weeks leave of absence on the plea that
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Speaker 1: he had some business to transact in Yorkshire, as well
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Speaker 1: as to see an aged father, and his application was
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Speaker 1: at once granted. He therefore went to Ayton, where for
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Speaker 1: the first time in seventeen years, he was again amongst
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Speaker 1: his own people. From Eton, he went on to Whitby
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Speaker 1: and was met some miles out from that town by
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Speaker 1: many of the leading men of the place. From the
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Speaker 1: Walkers he received the heartiest of welcomes, and it is
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Speaker 1: related that the old housekeeper, very proud, had been carefully
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Speaker 1: instructed that a commander in his Majesty's navy was a
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Speaker 1: very different person from one of her master's apprentices, and
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Speaker 1: must be received with all the marks of respect due
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Speaker 1: to his rank. She promised obedience, but alas when the
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Speaker 1: time came, her memory fled, and opening wide her arms,
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Speaker 1: she exclaimed, Oh, honey, James, how glad I is to
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Speaker 1: see thee are welcome. Probably more dare to Cook than
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Speaker 1: any other could have been, and a proof of the
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Speaker 1: affectionate regard he could inspire. In February he was back
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Speaker 1: in London and Doctor Burney says in his memoirs, I
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Speaker 1: had the honor of receiving the illustrious Captain Cook to
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Speaker 1: dine with me in Queen's Square, Bloomsbury, previously to his
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Speaker 1: second voyage around the world. Observing upon a table Bogainville's
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Speaker 1: voyage which Artois Dumont, he turned it over and made
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Speaker 1: some curious remarks on the illiberal conduct of that circumnavigator
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Speaker 1: towards himself when they met and crossed each other, which
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Speaker 1: made me desirous to know. In examining the chart of
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Speaker 1: Monsieur de Bougainville the several tracks of the two navigators,
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Speaker 1: and exactly where they had crossed or approached each other,
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Speaker 1: Captain Cook instantly took a pencil from his pocket book
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Speaker 1: and said he would trace the route, which he did
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Speaker 1: in so clear and scientific a manner that I would
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Speaker 1: not take fifty pounds for my book. The pencil marks,
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Speaker 1: having been fixed by skim milk, will always be visible.
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Speaker 1: This volume is now in the British Museum, and the
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Speaker 1: pencil marks on the chart are as distinct as on
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Speaker 1: the day they were made. The alterations to the ship
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Speaker 1: were completed early in February, and on the sixth she
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Speaker 1: was hauled out of dock, and rigging, ballasting, and storing commenced.
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Speaker 1: Cook says, every department seems to vie with the other
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Speaker 1: in equipping these two ships. Every standing rule and order
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Speaker 1: in the navy was dispensed with every alteration. Every necessary
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Speaker 1: and useful article was granted as soon as asked for.
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Speaker 1: Supplies increased. In another passage, he again refers to the
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Speaker 1: anxiety of the navy board to see that the quality
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Speaker 1: of the stores was everything that could be wished, and
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Speaker 1: the quantity was increased from one to two and a
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Speaker 1: half year's supply. On the twenty second of April, the
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Speaker 1: two sloops were at long reach to take in their
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Speaker 1: guns and gunners stores. Twelve carriage guns and twelve swi
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Speaker 1: all musketoons for the Resolution, and ten carriage guns and
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Speaker 1: ten swivels for the Adventure. These should have been on
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Speaker 1: board at Galleon's reach, but the Resolution was drawing too
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Speaker 1: much water seventeen feet when here. Cook showed that he
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Speaker 1: thought she was rather overweighted with her new upper works
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Speaker 1: and might prove crank. But as the gentleman's apartments were
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Speaker 1: full of heavy baggage, and the sloop a good deal
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Speaker 1: lumbered aloft with heavy and some useless articles, which we
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Speaker 1: might soon get rid of or get into the hold.
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Speaker 1: After we had consumed some of our provisions, I still
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Speaker 1: entertained hopes that she would bear all her additional works,
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Speaker 1: and suspended giving any other opinion until a full trial
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Speaker 1: had been made of her, foreseeing what would be the
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Speaker 1: consequence in case she did not answer in the manner
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Speaker 1: she was now fitted. On the twenty ninth of April,
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Speaker 1: mister Banks gave an enter attainment on board to Lord Sandwidge,
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Speaker 1: the French Ambassador, and other distinguished personages, and Cook notes
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Speaker 1: that the first named had been on board several times,
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Speaker 1: a laudable though rare thing in a first Lord of
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Speaker 1: the Admiralty. Cook obtained a few days leave to make
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Speaker 1: his final arrangements, and the resolution was ordered to the
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Speaker 1: downs under the first Lieutenant, whilst the adventure proceeded to Plymouth.
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Speaker 1: Both vessels sailing from long Reach on the tenth of May.
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Speaker 1: The resolution, contending against adverse winds, made a very slow
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Speaker 1: trip down to the now being four days on the journey,
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Speaker 1: and mister Cooper reported to Cook that she was very crank.
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Speaker 1: The latter at once wrote to the Admiralty that he
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Speaker 1: considered it unsafe to proceed any further with her in
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Speaker 1: that condition, and proposed that her poop should be cut down,
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Speaker 1: her masts shortened, and her guns exchanged for four pounders.
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Speaker 1: The Navy Board, however, decided that she should be restored
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Speaker 1: to her original state as far as it was possible
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Speaker 1: to do so. She was therefore ordered to sharness, and
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Speaker 1: her captain was instructed to rejoin his ship and see
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Speaker 1: the alterations were properly carried out before leaving London. Cook,
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Speaker 1: who had heard it was said that he was not
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Speaker 1: satisfied with the vessels chosen for the voyage, wrote to
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Speaker 1: mister Stevens on the subject, giving his opinion that the
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Speaker 1: crankiness of the resolution was owing to the additional works
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Speaker 1: that have been built upon her in order to make
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Speaker 1: large accommodation for the several gentlemen passengers intended to embarken her.
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Speaker 1: He added that the proposed alterations of the Navy Board
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Speaker 1: would render her as fit to perform the voyage as
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Speaker 1: any ship whatever, and referring to the report that he
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Speaker 1: did not approve of the type of ship, he says,
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Speaker 1: from the knowledge and experience I have had of these
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Speaker 1: sort of vessels, I shall always be of opinion that
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Speaker 1: only such are proper to be sent on discoveries to
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Speaker 1: very distant parts. On the twenty first he again wrote
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Speaker 1: Stephens that the alterations were making satisfactory progress, and that
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Speaker 1: a man had been in the yard who had known
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Speaker 1: the ship before her purchase, and he had, with some warmth,
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Speaker 1: asserted that at that time she was not only a
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Speaker 1: stiff ship, but had as many good qualities as any
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Speaker 1: ship ever built in Whitby. In reply to the rumor
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Speaker 1: that the men were afraid to sail in her, he
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Speaker 1: points out that she is moored alongside a wharf, and
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Speaker 1: the men could go a shore whenever they pleased. Yet
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Speaker 1: he had not lost a single man Banks withdraws. Mister
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Speaker 1: Banks did not approve of the reduction in his accommodation
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Speaker 1: necessitated by these alterations, and tried to get a forty
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Speaker 1: gun ship in place of the resolution, and he and
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Speaker 1: his friends succeeded in raising a very acrimonious discussion on
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Speaker 1: the subject, But the Admiralty stood firm, and the alterations
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Speaker 1: went on under the superintendence of Cook. On the twenty
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Speaker 1: fourth of May, Banks and Solander went to inspect her,
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Speaker 1: and on their return to town, Banks wrote to the
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Speaker 1: Admiralty that he should not go the voyage, as the
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Speaker 1: ship was neither roomy nor convenient enough for my purpose,
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Speaker 1: nor no ways proper for the voyage. Cook, who says
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Speaker 1: the preparations had cost Banks about five thousand pounds, does
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Speaker 1: not think that the reasons given by Banks were the
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Speaker 1: only ones he had for not taking part in the voyage.
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Speaker 1: And then continues. Their baggage, et cetera, were got out
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Speaker 1: of the sloop and sent to London, after which no
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Speaker 1: more complaints were heard of want of room, et CETERA.
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Speaker 1: Lieutenant clerk, who was very friendly with Banks, wrote to
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Speaker 1: him on the thirty first of May. Indeed, I am sorry,
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Speaker 1: I am not to have the honor of attending you
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Speaker 1: the other bout they are going to stow the major
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Speaker 1: parts of the cables in the hold to make room
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Speaker 1: for the people. Now, I asked Gilbert the Master, if
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Speaker 1: such was the present case, what the devil should we
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Speaker 1: have done if we had all gone? Oh, by God,
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Speaker 1: that was impossible, was his answer. Mara, the gunner's mate,
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Speaker 1: in a journal of the voyage published by Newbury seventeen
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Speaker 1: seventy five says the success of the voyage was due
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Speaker 1: to their having shaken off the train of gentlemen, who,
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Speaker 1: with their attendants occupied the chief accommodations of the ship,
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Speaker 1: and whose presence would have rendered it out of the
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Speaker 1: power of the most determined officer to have carried such
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Speaker 1: a princely retinue through the icy regions which they were
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Speaker 1: to pass without murmurs or perhaps mutiny. Some of the
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Speaker 1: newspapers tried to make political matter out of the affair,
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Speaker 1: and one at any rate roundly declared that the true
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Speaker 1: reason of banks withdrawal was on account of a remonstrance
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Speaker 1: from the Spanish ambassador against any further exploration of the
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Speaker 1: South Seas. The withdrawal of Banks made no difference to
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Speaker 1: his friendship with Cook, and in the future he was
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Speaker 1: always ready to afford his support whenever it could be
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Speaker 1: of any service, either to his friend or family. John
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Speaker 1: Reinhold Doors as soon as it was known that mister
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Speaker 1: Banks had withdrawn, mister John Reinhold Forster, a German of
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Speaker 1: some scientific reputation, applied for the position of naturalist for
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Speaker 1: the voyage, and through the interest of Lord Sandwich, was successful.
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Speaker 1: He was to receive the four thousand pounds granted by
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Speaker 1: Parliament for mister Lynde, and was to pay all expenses
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Speaker 1: except ship's allowance of food, and provide all necessary instruments.
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Speaker 1: He was accompanied by his son as assistant, a youth
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Speaker 1: of about twenty years, who afterwards attained some note by
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Speaker 1: his writings and translations. Missus Wales and Bailey were appointed
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Speaker 1: astronomers by the Board of Longitude, with instructions to take
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Speaker 1: and compare observations at every possible opportunity, and to take
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Speaker 1: under their special charge which the timepieces which were being
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Speaker 1: carried on the two ships, for the purpose of testing
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Speaker 1: their accuracy and capabilities in assisting in ascertaining the longitude.
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Speaker 1: Two of these instruments, made by Arnold, were placed in
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Speaker 1: mister Bailey's charge on the adventure, and two one by
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Speaker 1: Arnold and the other by Kendall on Harrison's principle, under
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Speaker 1: the care of mister Wales on the resolution. Great precautions
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Speaker 1: were taken to prevent any accident or tampering with these instruments.
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Speaker 1: They were kept in boxes having three locks. The keys
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Speaker 1: were held one by the captain, one by the first Lieutenant,
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Speaker 1: and the third by the astronomer so they could not
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Speaker 1: even be wound up except in the presence of all three.
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Speaker 1: William Hodges, a painter of repute, was appointed as artist,
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Speaker 1: and his pictures were to become the property of the
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Speaker 1: un Admiralty. The celebrated doctor Joseph Prestley, at that time
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Speaker 1: minister at mill Hill Chapel. Leeds had been invited by
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Speaker 1: mister Banks to accompany him as astronomer, and his congregation
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Speaker 1: had undertaken to guarantee his position on his return. But
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Speaker 1: the Board of Longitude took objection to his religious views,
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Speaker 1: and so his application was withdrawn. End of Chapter twelve.