[At
25th. In the evening I sent the Admiralty Packet on board the Kronenburg,
Captain Fredrick Kelger, Commodore, who, together with another
Ship, sails immediately for the Cape , where
she waits for the remainder
of the Fleet.*
(*
The following letter to the Secretary of the Admiralty (now in Public
Record
Office) was also dispatched:--
"To
Philip Stephens, Esq.
"Sir,
"Please
to acquaint my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty that I left
following
arrived in Success
Bay
our
Wood and Water; on the 21st of the same month we quitted Straits La
Maire,
and arrived at George's Island on the 13th of
April. In our
Passage
to this Island I made a far more Westerly
Track than any Ship had
ever
done before; yet it was attended with no discovery until we arrived
within
the Tropick, where we discovered several Islands .
We met with as
Friendly
a reception by the Natives of George's Island
as I could wish,
and
I took care to secure ourselves in such a manner as to put it out of
the
power of the whole Island to drive us off.
Some days preceeding the
3rd
of June I sent Lieutenant Hicks to the Eastern part of this Island ,
and
Lieutenant Gore to York
Island
Green
having furnished them with Instruments), to observe the Transit of
Venus,
that we may have the better Chance of succeeding should the day
prove
unfavourable; but in this We were so fortunate that the
observations
were everywhere attended with every favourable Circumstance.
It
was the 13th of July before I was ready to quitt this Island, after
which
I spent near a month in exploring some other Islands
which lay to
the
Westward, before we steer'd to the Southward. On the 14th of August
we
discovered a small Island laying in the
Latitude of 22 degrees 27
minutes
South, Longitude 150 degrees 47 minutes West. After quitting this
Island
I steered to the South, inclining a little to the East, until we
arrived
in the Latitude 40 degrees 12 minutes South, without seeing the
least
signs of Land. After this I steer'd to the Westward, between the
Latitude
of 30 and 40 degrees until the 6th of October, on which day we
discovered
the East Coast of New Zeland, which I found to consist of 2
large
Islands , extending from 34 to 48 degrees of
South Latitude, both of
which
I circumnavigated. On the 1st of April, 1770, I quitted New Zeland,
and
steer'd to the Westward, until I fell in with the East Coast of New
Country
to the North, putting in at such places as I saw Convenient,
until
we arrived in the Latitude of 15 degrees 45 minutes South, where,
on
the night of the 10th of June, we struck upon a Reef of Rocks, were we
lay
23 Hours, and received some very considerable damage. This proved a
fatal
stroke to the remainder of the Voyage, as we were obliged to take
shelter
in the first Port we met with, were we were detain'd repairing
the
damage we had sustain'd until the 4th of August, and after all put to
Sea
with a leaky Ship, and afterwards coasted the Shore to the Northward
through
the most dangerous Navigation that perhaps ever ship was in,
until
the 22nd of same month, when, being in the Latitude of 10 degrees
30
minutes South, we found a Passage into the Indian Sea
Northern
extremity of New Holland and New
Guinea
the
Passage I stood for the Coast of New Guinea
29th;
but as we found it absolutely necessary to heave the Ship down to
Stop
her leaks before we proceeded home, I made no stay here, but quitted
this
Coast on the 30th of September, and made the best of my way to
leave
of the Governor and Council to be hove down at Onrust, where we
have
but just got alongside of the Wharf in order to take out our Stores,
etc.
"I
send herewith a copy of my Journal, containing the Proceedings of the
whole
Voyage, together with such Charts as I have had time to Copy, which
I
judge will be sufficient for the present to illustrate said Journal. In
this
Journal I have with undisguised truth and without gloss inserted the
whole
Transactions of the Voyage, and made such remarks and have given
such
discriptions of things as I thought was necessary in the best manner
I
was Capable off. Altho' the discoverys made in this Voyage are not
great,
yet I flatter myself they are such as may Merit the Attention of
their
Lordships; and altho' I have failed in discovering the so much
talked
of Southern Continent (which perhaps do not exist), and which I
myself
had much at heart, yet I am confident that no part of the Failure
of
such discovery can be laid to my charge. Had we been so fortunate not
to
have run a shore much more would have been done in the latter part of
the
Voyage than what was; but as it is, I presume this Voyage will be
found
as compleat as any before made to the South Seas
on the same
account.
The plans I have drawn of the places I have been at were made
with
all the Care and accuracy that time and Circumstances would admit
of.
Thus far I am certain that the Latitude and Longitude of few parts of
the
World are better settled than these. In this I was very much assisted
by
Mr. Green, who let slip no one opportunity for making of Observations
for
settling the Longitude during the whole Course of the Voyage; and the
many
Valuable discoveries made by Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander in Natural
History,
and other things useful to the learned world, cannot fail of
contributing
very much to the Success of the Voyage. In justice to the
Officers
and the whole Crew, I must say they have gone through the
fatigues
and dangers of the whole Voyage with that cheerfulness and
Allertness
that will always do Honour to British Seamen, and I have the
satisfaction
to say that I have not lost one Man by sickness during the
whole
Voyage. I hope that the repairs wanting to the Ship will not be so
great
as to detain us any length of time. You may be assured that I shall
make
no unnecessary delay either here or at any other place, but shall
make
the best of my way home. I have the Honour to be with the greatest
respect,
"Sir,
"Your
most Obedient Humble Servant,
"(Signed)
JAMES COOK.
"Endeavour
Bark,
at
Onrust, near Batavia
the
23rd of October, 1770."
26th. Set up the Ship's Tent for the reception of the Ship's Company,
several of them begin to be taken ill, owing, as I suppose, to the
extream hot weather.
[Heaving
down at Batavia
27th. Employed getting out Stores, Ballast, etc.
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