The Life and Voyages of Captain James Cook/Chapter 24
Sequel of the voyage. Its publication. Cook's death universally lamerted. His high character acknowledged, and his memory honoured. Respect shewn to his family. Notices of his relations. Monuments erected to his honour. Happy results of his Voyages.
To complete the history of our lamented navigator, it will be proper to glance at the sequel of the voyage, in which he was prematurely cut off.—On the day after his funeral, the ships left Owhyhee, and passing other islands of this group, anchored at Atooi, on monday, March 1st. Here the natives were disorderly, and interrupted the watering parties; owing to the absence of the principal chiefs, who had been engaged in a war with the people of Oneeheow, on account of the goats left by Capt. Cook. The poor goats, which had increased to six, were killed during the struggle.
Quitting the Sandwich Isles, on the 15th of March, our voyagers proceeded towards Awatska Bay, and anchored there, in the harbour of Petropaulowska, on the 29th of April. In their progress thither, they ascertained the nonexistence of lands said to have been seen by John de Gama. At Petropaulowska, where a dangerous leak in the Resolution was stopped, they met with poor accommodations, but kind treatment. Capt. Gore, Lieutenant King, and Mr. Webber, paid a visit to Major Behm, at Bolcheretsk, the capital of Kamtschatka; travelling partly in boats, and partly in sledges drawn by dogs. At a Russian ostrog, or village, on their way, they met with an old pewter spoon with London stamped on the back; an ineident which awakened many pleasant thoughts, anxious hopes, and tender remembrances. Major Behm and his lady, with the officers and merchants at Bolcheretsk, treated them with uncommon politeness, hospitality, and bounty. The Major returned with them to the ships, furnished them with 20 bullocks, 9000lb of flour, and quantities of tea, sugar, fish, &c.; for all which he would take no payment, alleging that the Empress would feel obliged by his doing every thing in his power to supply the wants of navigators, who were employed for the general advantage of mankind, and were entitled to the privileges of citizens, in whatever country they might be thrown. Besides these public stores, he gave private presents to the officers and men, to the value of £200; and Madame Belim sent butter, honey, rice, figs, &c. for Capt. Clerke; who also, on account of his declining health, received daily supplies of bread, milk, butter, and fowls, from a kind priest at Paratounca. Our voyagers testified their gratitude to the utmost of their power; shewing the generous Governor the charts of their discoveries, presenting him with maps and prints belonging to Cook's second voyage, and a large assortment of the curiosities which they had on board; sending his lady a dozen or two of Cape wine, and presenting a watch to his son, and earrings to his daughter. The gratitude of the seamen must not be forgotten. The Major presented them with above 400lb of tobacco, as the gift of himself and his garrison; and the noble-minded fellows were so struck with the liberality of their Russian friends, that they generously desired their grog to be stopped, that the brandy, which was here scarce and valuable, might be presented, in their name, to the garrison of Bolcheretsk! Capt. Clerke, and the rest of the officers, did not suffer them to lose much by this spontaneous sacrifice, supplying them with rum, in lieu of the small quantity of brandy which the Major was prevailed on to accept.
A circumstance occurred at this time, affording a pleasing illustration of the advantage of treating savages with kindness; being a result of the friendly visit which Captain Cook paid to the Tschutski. This warlike tribe, the Russians had repeatedly, but ineffectually, attempted to subdue, or to bring into alliance with them: but what they had long tried to effect by force, Captain Cook had quickly accomplished for them by mildness and goodness. The savages, not knowing any other Europeans, had taken the British for Russians; and, impressed with the friendly conduct of their visitors, they had lately sent a party to the nearest Russian fort, with propositions of friendship, and a voluntary offer of tribute; alleging as the cause of this peaceful measure, the great kindness experienced by them from the officers and crew of two ships. Major Behm, who received this news on the day when Captns. Gore and King visited him, could not have known what the savages alluded to, had not these officers furnished a key to open the mystery of this pacific negociation. Thus, through the effect of British benevolence, the Russians were, in some sort, requited beforehand, for their generosity to our seamen; and, at the same time, received a salutary lesson, on the best means of extending their commerce and their power. A further reward awaited Major Behm (afterwards Colonel Behm); for after the arrival of the ships at home, the Lords of the Admiralty sent him a magnificent piece of plate, with an appropriate Latin inscription, as a token of British gratitude.
Another benefit, derived also from Capt. Cook, was conferred on the Russians by their visitors. The soldiers at Petropaulowska, and the rest of the Russian inhabitants, were found, on their arrival, to be in a deplorable state with scurvy. Capt. Clerke put them all under the care of the surgeons of the ships, who treated them with sour-krout, sweet-wort, &c., according to the method of Capt. Cook; and their recovery was speedy and surprising.
On the 13th of June, the ships weighed anchor, and on the 16th they got clear of Awatska Bay; at the entrance of which, they were annoyed by the smoke and ashes of a volcano on the north side of it. From thence our navigators traced the prominent points of the coast of Asia northward, and passed the three small Isles of St. Diomede, in the middle of Behring's Straits, on the 5th of July. In proceeding to the north and east, their progress was stopped by the ice, as in the former year; and after searching in vain for an opening through the ice, during more than three weeks, and encountering no small peril and damage, it was at last decided to give up the attempt as hopeless, and return home; a decision which gave great joy to all on board. Repassing Behring's Straits, on the 30th of July, they made the coast of Kamtschatka, on the 21st of August; and next day Capt. Clerke died of consumption, symptoms of which had appeared before he left England. The ships arriving at Petropaulowska, or the town of St. Peter and St. Paul, on the 24th, Captain Clerke was buried there, on the 29th; the worthy priest who had kindly ministered to his wants, attending the funeral. An escutcheon, in honour of the deceased, was put up in his church; which contained pictures of St. Peter and St. Paul, with rich draperies of solid silver plates, presented by Behring. Capt. Gore now removed into the Resolution, and Lieut. King was made Captain of the Discovery.
Leaving Awatska Bay, on the 9th of October, our navigators ran along the coast of Kamtschatka, the east side of the Kurile Isles, and the Japan Islands, and reaching the Chinese coast at the end of November, anchored off Macao, on wednesday, Dec. 1st. Here, and at Canton, which Capt. King visited, the officers and crew got a good market for their furs, which brought them above £2000: so that the men were eager to return to Cook's River, for another cargo, to make their fortunes. Hearing of the progress of the war in Europe and America, the officers put the ships in trim for fighting; at the same time resolving to take no prizes, but observe a strict neutrality, as they understood that none of the belligerents would molest them. They sailed from Macao, January 12th, 1780; spent a week at Pulo Condore, where they bought some buffaloes; watered at Prince's Island, in the Straits of Sunda; and arrived at the Cape of Good Hope, April 12th. From thence they set sail for England, on the 9th of May; and arriving off the west coast of Ireland, they steered to the northward, and anchored at Stromness, Aug. 22nd. They afterwards arrived safe at the Nore, on the 4th of October, after an absence of 4 years, 2 months, and 22 days; during which the Discovery did not lose a single man by sickness, and the Resolution only five. Such was the salutary effect of Capt. Cook's regulations for preserving health.
A Journal of the voyage, in one volume 8vo, hastily got up, and abounding with inaccuracies, was published early in 1781: but, owing to the time required for engraving 86 plates, furnished at the expense of Government, the authorised narrative of the Voyage to the Pacific Ocean did not appear till the summer of 1784; when it came forth in 3 volumes, 4to, with an admirable Introduction by Dr. Douglas, (afterwards Bishop of Carlisle, and Salisbury); price £4 14s. 6d. Notwithstanding this long delay, such was the unprecedented eagerness of the public to obtain these precious volumes, that on the third day after publication, not a single copy remained with the bookseller. Some who were disappointed, offered 6, 8, and even 10 guineas for a set. A second edition was published next year. The volumes, so justly esteemed, were read with a painful interest; the public being sensible, that the discoveries which they record, were purchased at a price too dear. A separate narrative of the Captain's death, which has been made use of in the foregoing chapter, was published by Mr. Samwell, Surgeon of the Discovery.
The news of our great navigator's death reached the Admiralty on the 11th of January, 1780, in a letter from Capt. Clerke, sent from Kamtschatka with Capt. Cook's journal, through the hands of Major Behm: but the particulars were not fully known till the arrival of the ships. The heartrending tidings produced universal grief: he was lamented, not only as one of his country's brightest ornaments, but as the common friend of mankind. Many tears were shed, and many pens were employed, to express the bitter sorrow felt on this occasion: while the high encomiums bestowed on his character, genius, and achievements, marked the extent of the loss sustained by Britain, and by the world.
As the most prominent features of his character have been already delineated in this sketch of his life, it is scarcely necessary to exhibit them here; yet it may be proper to glance at one or two of those pictures of his moral and intellectual worth, that were now drawn. That of Mr. Samwell may be selected, as furnishing also an accurate description of his person.
"The character of Captain Cook will be best exemplified by the services he has performed, which are universally known, and have ranked his name above that of any navigator, of ancient or of modern times. Nature had endowed him with a mind vigorous and comprehensive, which in his riper years he had cultivated with care and industry. His general knowledge was extensive and various; in that of his own profession he was unequalled. With a clear judgment, strong masculine sense, and the most determined resolution,—with a genius peculiarly turned for enterprise, he pursued his object with unshaken perseverance:—vigilant and active in an eminent degree; cool and intrepid among dangers; patient and firm under difficulties and distress; fertile in expedients; great and original in all his designs; active and resolved in carrying them into execution. These qualities rendered him the animating spirit of the expedition in every situation he stood unrivalled and alone; on him all eyes were turned; he was our leading star, which, at its setting, left us involved in darkness and despair."
"His constitution was strong; his mode of living temperate. He was a modest man, and rather bashful; of an agreeable lively conversation, sensible and intelligent. In temper he was somewhat hasty, but of a disposition the most friendly, benevolent, and humane.—His person was above six feet high; and, though a good-looking man, he was plain both in address and appearance. His face was full of expression; his nose exceedingly well shaped; his eyes, which were small, and of a brown cast, were quick and piercing; his eyebrows prominent, which gave his countenance altogether an air of austerity."
"He was beloved by his people, who looked up to him as to a father, and obeyed his commands with alacrity. The confidence we placed in him was unremitting; our admiration of his great talents unbounded; our esteem for his good qualities affectionate and sincere."
To this testimony of Mr. Samwell, which is not quoted at full length, may be added that of a gentleman, who at one time seemed his adversary. Dr. Forster, in his History of Northern Voyages, after a brief account of the Captain's death, describes his worth in the following terms: "Thus fell this truly glorious and justly admired navigator. If we consider his extreme abilities, both natural and acquired, the firmness and constancy of his mind, his truly paternal care for the crew intrusted to him, the amiable manner with which he knew how to gain the friendship of all the savage and uncultivated nations, and even his conduct towards his friends and acquaintance, we must acknowledge him to have been one of the greatest men of his age, and that reason justifies the tear which friendship pays to his memory."
Many were the tributes of respect which the poets of his country offered on this occasion. One of the earliest was Miss Seward's Elegy; from which the following pathetic lines, relating to his bereaved widow, may be extracted as a specimen.
That frowns incumbent o'er the boiling deep,
Solicitous and sad, a softer form
Eyes the lone flood, and deprecates the storm.
Ill-fated matron!—for, alas! in vain
Thy eager glances wander o'er the main!
'Tis the vex'd billows, that insurgent rave,
Their white foam silvers yonder distant wave,
'Tis not his sails!—thy husband comes no more!
His bones now whiten an accursed shore!—
Retire; for hark! the sea-gull shrieking soars,
The lurid atmosphere portentous low'rs;
Night's sullen spirit groans in ev'ry gale,
And o'er the waters draws the darkling veil,
Sighs in thy hair, and chills thy throbbing breast;
Go, wretched mourner! weep thy griefs to rest!
The Morai, an Ode, by Miss Helen Maria Williams, is another piece that deserves to be noticed. After describing the charms, and the funeral rites, of Otaheite, and the philanthropy of Cook, whose grave the nations ought to "dress in lavish flowers," the fair author thus concludes:—
No lavish flowers were ever strew'd,
No votive gifts were ever laid—
His blood a savage shore bedew'd!
His mangled limbs, one hasty prayer,
One pious tear by friendship paid,
Were cast upon the raging wave!
Deep in the wild abyss he lies,
Far from the cherish'd scene of home;
Far, far from Her whose faithful sighs
A husband's trackless course pursue;
Whose tender fancy loves to roam
With him o'er lands and oceans new:
And gilds with Hope's deluding form
The gloomy path-way of the storm.
Yet, Cook! immortal wreaths are thine!
While Albion's grateful toil shall raise
The marble tomb, the trophied bust,
For ages faithful to its trust;
While, eager to record thy praise,
She bids the Muse of History twine
The chaplet of undying fame,
And tell each polish'd land thy worth;
The ruder natives of the earth
Shall oft repeat thy honour'd name:
While infants catch the frequent sound,
And learn to lisp the oral tale,
Whose fond remembrance shall prevail
Till time has reached his destin'd bound.
Had our limits permitted, extracts might also have been given from an Ode by Mr. Fitzgerald, and some verses by the late Miss Hannah More: but the following lines from Cowper must not be omitted:
As ever mingled with heroic dust,
Steer'd Britain's oak into a world unknown,
And in his country's glory sought his own,
Wherever he found man, to nature true,
The rights of man were sacred in his view;
He sooth'd with gifts, and greeted with a smile,
The simple native of the new-found isle;
He spurn'd the wretch, that slighted or withstood
The tender argument of kindred blood,
Nor would endure, that any should control.
His free born brethren of the southern pole.
But though some nobler minds a law respect,
That none shall with impunity neglect,
In baser souls unnumber'd evils meet,
To thwart its influence, and its end defeat;
While Cook is lov'd for savage lives he sav'd,
See Cortez odious for a world enslav'd!
In France, as well as in Britain, the great navigator was lamented. M. l'Abbé Lisle concludes his poem 'Les Jardins' with an encomium on Cook, of which the following lines are a translation:—
Those glorious exiles' brows my hands shall crown,
Who nobly sought on distant coasts to find,
Or thither bore those arts that bless mankind:
Thee chief, brave Cook, o'er whom, to nature dear,
With Britain, Gallia drops the pitying tear.
To foreign climes, and rude, where nought before
Announc'd our vessels but their cannons' roar,
Far other gifts thy better mind decreed,
The sheep, the heifer, and the stately steed;
The plough, and all thy country's arts; the crimes
Atoning thus of earlier savage times:
With peace each land thy bark was wont to hail,
And tears and blessings fill'd thy parting sail.
Receive a stranger's praise! Nor, Britain, thou
Forbid these wreaths to grace thy hero's brow,
Nor scorn the tribute of a foreign song,
For Virtue's sons to every land belong:
And shall the Gallic muse disdain to pay
The meed of worth, when Louis leads the way?
Other nations participated in the same feelings. Baron Plettenberg and the Dutch officers at the Cape, were much affected at seeing the ships return without their illustrious Commander. Governor resolved to place the portrait of Cook, between the pictures of Van Tromp and De Ruyter, and desired to have it purchased at any price.
To honour his name and memory, the Royal Society struck an elegant medal, bearing on one side the head of Capt. Cook in profile, with the inscription JAC. COOK OCEANI INVESTIGATOR ACERRIMUS; and on the exergue, REG. SOC. LOND. SOCIO SUO: on the reverse, Britannia holding a globe, with the inscription, NIL INTENTATUM NOSTRI LIQUERE; and on the exergue, AUSPICIIS GEORGII III. They were struck in gold, silver, and bronze. A gold medal was given to each of the subscribers of twenty guineas; among whom were, Sir Joseph Banks; the Prince of Anspach, the Duke of Montagu, and Lord Mulgrave. Gold medals were also presented to the King, the Queen, and the Prince of Wales; to the Empress of Russia, and the King of France; also, to Mrs. Cook, the Earl of Sandwich, Dr. Benjamin Franklin, and a few other distinguished friends.
His amiable widow, and three surviving children, were treated with that sympathy and respect to which they were so well entitled. As he had sacrificed their interests, as well as his own life, in the service of his country; so, within three weeks after the news of his death arrived, a pension of £200 a year was settled on Mrs Cook, and £25 a year on each of his three sons. Half the profits arising from the publication of the Voyage, were also assigned them when the work was published; and, as a further token of respect, a coat of arms, with appropriate bearings, was afterwards granted to the family.
One of his three sons, Nathaniel, a fine promising youth, who was brought up in the naval service, did not live to enjoy his pension; being lost in the Thunderer, October 3rd, 1780. The youngest son, born a few weeks before the Captain sailed on his last voyage, and named Hugh, after his friend and patron Sir Hugh Palliser, was an under-graduate at Christ's College, Cambridge, where he died of a fever, in 1793. James, the eldest son, was bred to the sea, and rose to the rank of Commander in the Navy; but unfortunately perished in attempting to get on board the Spitfire, of which he was Captain, in 1794.
Mrs. Cook survived her husband and children many years. She was alive when this work went to the press (See p. 12); but has since gone the way of all living. She appears to have uniformly conducted herself in a manner becoming the widow of so great a man. For many years she has lived in retirement; yet her faculties, naturally vigorous, were strong to the last; her affections were still warm, and her feelings acute. Her sight also did not fail, and being near-sighted, she could, even in her 94th year, read without spectacles. She always spoke of her husband as "poor dear Mr. Cook;" and, even to the present year, when the anniversary of his death returned, she suffered violent spasms, and was confined to her room. She had similar sensations in stormy weather, two of her sons having perished in storms. Her liberality and kindly feelings continued unimpaired: not long before her death, she sent several things-to the Captain's relations, which she thought they would prize; and her valuable medal of him, she sent to the British Museum, only two days before she died. She left, by will, £1000 to the parish of Great St. Andrew's, Cambridge, for keeping the family monument, which she erected there, in perfect repair; and for relieving yearly six poor widows, householders, not receiving parochial relief. The inscription on the mural monument in the church of St. Andrew, the Great, is a family record, her own name being added since her interment here. It is as follows:
In Memory
of Captain James Cook of the Royal Navy, one of the most celebrated Navigators, that this or former ages can boast of; who was killed by the natives of Owhyhee in the Pacific Ocean, on the 14th day of February, 1779; in the 51st year of his age.
Of Mr. Nathaniel Cook, who was lost with the Thunderer Man of war, Captain Boyle Walsingham, in a most dreadful hurricane, in October, 1780, aged 16 years.
Of Mr. Hugh Cook, of Christ's College, Cambridge, who died on the 21st of December, 1793; aged 17 years.
Of James Cook, Esqr. Commander in the Royal Navy, who lost his life on the 25th of January 1794; in going from Pool to the Spitfire sloop of war, which he commanded; in the 31st year of his age.
Of Elizth. Cook, who died April 9th 1771; aged 4 years.
Joseph Cook, who died Sept. 13th 1768; aged 1 month.
George Cook, who died Oct. 1st, 1772; aged 4 months.
All children of the first mentioned Capt. James Cook, by Elizabeth Cook, who survived her husband 56 years, and departed this life, 13th May, 1835, at her residence, Clapham, Surrey, in the 94th year of her age.
Her remains are deposited
With those of her sons James and Hugh
in the middle Aisle of this Church.
The venerable father of Cook outlived his illustrious son only a few weeks; and consequently never heard of his untimely end. He was interred at Marske, April 1st, 1779; in the 85th year of his age. His son-in-law, Mr. James Fleck, died a few years ago.[1] Mrs. Fleck, the Captain's sister, had three sons, all master-mariners; and four daughters: and as all the seven were married, her descendants are numerous. One only of Capt. Cook's nephews is living, viz. Captain John Fleck, of Sunderland: but three of his nieces yet survive; viz. Mrs. Grace Carter, of Redcar, Mrs. Mary Duck, of Sunderland, and Mrs. Christiana Hustler, of Deptford.
As the relations of Cook were honoured for his sake, so his surviving messmates were justly regarded as deserving respect. Several young officers, trained under him, attained the rank of Captains; some became Admirals; and not a few were intrusted with important commands. Even ordinary seamen felt it to be a high distinction to have sailed with Cook; and royalty itself has deigned to honour them. In the present year, when our worthy King, William IV, who having been employed in the naval service himself, takes a lively interest in the welfare of seamen, paid a visit to Greenwich Hospital, on the 1st of August, in commemoration of the battle of the Nile, His Majesty, after inspecting the veterans of the Nile, drawn up on the lawn, went to the wards on the western side of the Hospital, to see three seamen, the sole survivers of Captain Cook, who were too infirm to come out.—Even the vessels which Cook commanded were deemed venerable. The Adventure, which outlived them all, was wrecked in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, in 1811. When this ship, which belonged several years to Mr. Brown of Hull, and afterwards to Messrs. Appleton and Trattles of Whitby, was repaired here in the dock of Messrs. Langborne, in 1810, fragments of her old timbers were eagerly sought after, to be kept as relics.
It was proposed to erect a monument to the memory of our great navigator in Westminster Abbey; but the design was not carried into effect. Other memorials of this kind have been provided by his friends and admirers. Sir Hugh Palliser constructed a small building on his estate in Buckinghamshire, with a pillar, on which was inscribed a fine character of Cook, "The ablest and most renowned Navigator this or any country hath produced." This character, written by the Hon. Admiral Forbes, is published along with the narrative of his last voyage, being subjoined to the Introduction by Dr. Douglas.
In 1812, the inhabitants of Marton procured a marble tablet, with an appropriate inscription, to be put up in the church where Cook was baptized: but owing to some neglect, it remained cased up about twelve years, when it was at length, through the influence of Archdeacon Wrangham, fixed in its proper station. The inscription is as follows:
TO THE MEMORY OF
CAPTAIN JAMES COOK
THE CELEBRATED CIRCUMNAVIGATOR,
WHO WAS BORN IN THIS PARISH, OCT. 27th, 1728,
THIS TABLET WAS
ERECTED BY THE PARISHIONERS OF MARTON,
A.D. 1812.
A monument on Rosebury Topping, a noted hill overlooking the parish of Marton, was long talked of. At last, in 1827, a handsome obelisk, 51 feet high, including a base 12 feet square, was raised to the memory of Cook, on the adjoining hill of Easby, by Robert Campion, Esq. of Whitby, and Easby Hall; forming a conspicuous sea-mark, and bearing the following inscription:—
Erected to the Memory of
the celebrated Circumnavigator
Captain James Cook, F.R.S.
A man in nautical knowledge, scarcely inferior to any,
In zeal, prudence, and indefatigable exertions,
superior to most men.
Regardless of personal danger,
He opened an intercourse with the
Inhabitants of the Friendly Islands,
And other parts of the Southern Hemisphere.
He was born at Marton in this neighbourhood, 27th of Oct. 1728,
And was massacred at Owhyhee, Feb. the 14th, 1779,
To the inexpressible grief and disappointment of his countrymen!
While the Sciences in general, and Navigation in particular,
Shall be cultivated among Men;
While the spirit of enterprise, commerce, and philanthropy,
Shall animate the sons of Britain;
While it shall be deemed the high honour of a Christian nation,
To spread the enjoyments of civilized life,
And the higher blessings of the Christian Faith,
Among Pagan and savage tribes;
So long will the name of Captain Cook stand enrolled
Among the most celebrated and most admired of the
Benefactors of the Human Race.
As a token of Respect for, and Admiration of, the character and labours of that truly great Man, who served his apprenticeship at sea from Whitby.—this Monument was erected by Robert Campion, Esq. of Whitby, and Lord of the Manor of Easby. The foundation stone was laid by him on the 12th of July, 1827, being the Anniversary of the day on which Capt. Cook commenced his last voyage, and also of the birth of the Founder. It was finished on the 27th of October, 1827, being Captain Cook's birth-day, and wanting only one year of a Centenary.
May this monument long stand, as an honour to our great navigator, a credit to his liberal admirer, and an ornament to the country!
But the happy results of Cook's voyages will form his noblest and most enduring monument. On these Dr. Douglas has enlarged, in the Introduction to his last voyage; and it will be proper, in closing his history, to glance at some of them.
With the voyages of Cook, a new era commenced in the history of geography and nautical science. His success in traversing the surface of the globe, exploring unknown seas and coasts, and facilitating the progress of future navigators, was altogether unprecedented. His labours have laid open a vast field for the study of nature, and of man; where the philosopher, the politician, and the poet, may each find ample scope for his genius. And while his discoveries have led to the formation of flourishing colonies, likely to swell into a large Australian empire; they have furnished innumerable openings and facilities for commercial enterprise. At some of the new discovered groups, British consuls or residents are stationed, and an extensive trade is carried on.
The character and objects of his expeditions, and the humane and benevolent manner in which he conducted them, have endeared his name, and the name of Britain, to almost all the tribes which he visited. Unlike the early discoverers, he came not to subdue by violence, but to win by kindness; his aim was to enrich, rather than impoverish; and while he made many nations acquainted with British greatness, he sought to leave with them some lasting memorials of British benevolence. His unwearied exertions to stock the isles of the Pacific with useful animals and vegetables were not wholly abortive; and so well were the natives assured of his desire to serve them, that they were delighted with his visits, and begged him to repeat them. The strong attachment of the Tahitians to Capt. Cook is well known. His picture, drawn by Webber, was preserved by their King with the greatest care; and the names of succeeding navigators have been inscribed on the back of it. The first visitors after his death, thought proper to conceal the painful fact at Otaheite, forgetting that truth is safer than falsehood: and the mutineers who took possession of the Bounty, when they wanted a stock of cattle for Toobouai, resolving to profit by this deception, made the demand in the name of Captain Cook; a name which operated on the natives like a charm, and made them furnish, in three days, more than was required.
Even in Owhyhee, the chiefs and people still venerate the name of Cook, though they no longer worship his relics; and they deeply regret his death, as having fixed an indelible stigma on their island. "I was once," says Mr. Ellis, "in a house in Oahu, with Karaimoku, and several other chiefs, looking over the plates in the folio edition of Cook's Voyages. They were greatly affected with the print which represented his death, and inquired if I knew the names of those who were slain on that occasion. I perceived Karaimoku more than once wipe the tears from his eyes, while conversing about the melancholy event. He said he recollected Captain Cook's visit, if not also his person, though he was at Maui at the time of his death. More than once, when conversing with us on the length of time the Missionaries had been in the Society Islands, they have said, 'Why did you not come here sooner? Was it because we killed Captain Cook?'"—The death of their King and Queen in London, was regarded by many of them as a judgment of God, inflicted on the islands for the murder of the great Captain.
The noblest result of Cook's voyages remains to be noticed,—the introduction of Christianity among the tribes whom he discovered, imparting the richest of all blessings, and securing the increase and permanence of civilization. In 1797, the agents of the London Missionary Society were settled at Otaheite; and after fifteen years of persevering labour, and patient suffering, the efforts of the pious and devoted Missionaries, were crowned with glorious success. Idolatry, with its bloody rites, was abolished; the infamous arreoy society was dissolved, and its abominations and infant-murders were put down; the restrictions of the taboo were removed, and females advanced to their proper station in social life; the horrors of war gave place to the sweets of peace; and true religion, with its attendant virtues, began to prevail. The Scriptures have been translated and printed in the language of the natives, thousands of whom have been taught to read, while numbers have learned the arts and industry of Europeans. The Society Isles have shared with the Georgian, in the blessings of Christianity and civilization; and these blessings have spread from group to group, and from island to island, till a large portion of the Polynesian tribes have been reclaimed from idolatry and wickedness. Many of the early converts have carried the gospel to distant isles, and some modern navigators have been astonished at meeting with &c." Yet such wretches have visited the islands; and because the Missionaries have opposed their unhallowed traffic, and especially because their licentious commerce with females has been checked through the influence of the gospel on the natives, they have advanced the basest charges against those worthy men,—charges, which the enemies of religion at home have been eager to spread. That the Missionaries have pauperized the natives, is one of those vile slanders: the gospel has made them rich and happy, industrious and cheerful. That their character has been changed, is indeed true; but it is a change, not from simplicity to cunning; but from vice to virtue, from treachery to fidelity, from cruelty to kindness, from all that is vile, to all that is amiable. This writer derides the Missionaries, for their laudable attempts to introduce British laws, and the forms of the British constitution; and charges them with selfishness, in keeping the cattle chiefly under their own care; a measure which Cook, had he been alive, would have warmly recommended, to ensure the preservation and increase of the breed. That the Missionaries engross the trade of Otaheite to themselves, is another scandalous falsehood: they are pursuing far nobler objects.This author's remarks on religion are strangely inconsistent. He reproaches the Missionaries as illiterate and unqualified, yet extols the labours of John Adams; he praises the Bible, yet laments the evangelization of Otaheite, and ridicules the idea of seeking "food for the soul!" In other respects, his work is highly interesting, although not remarkable for correctness: he confounds the tupapow with the morai. isles, was rapidly decreasing. According to Turnbull, two thirds of the infants born in Otaheite were destroyed; and female children being most frequently the victims, the women on the island constituted only about a tenth part of the inhabitants! But, thanks to a gracious Providence, the progress of this fearful havoc has been arrested by the gospel; and under its benign influence, the people are increasing in number and in happiness. Christianity would have advanced more speedily, had it not been retarded by the conduct of dissolute seamen, who in the isles of the Pacific, as Capt. Beechey justly observes, "do infinite mischief to the lower order of the natives, by encouraging them in intemperance, debauchery, idleness, and all kinds of vice; nearly sufficient of themselves to counteract all the labours of the Missionaries in the diffusion of morality and religion." Yet, notwithstanding these and other obstacles, the triumphs of Christianity are spreading widely among these now happy isles; and the most delightful pictures of the glorious change produced by the gospel, may be seen in Ellis's Polynesian Researches, Tyerman and Bennet's Journal, and other authentic records.When Christianity was sent to the Georgian and Society Islands, attempts were made to introduce it also at the Marquesas and the Friendly Isles: these attempts proved abortive, and three Missionaries were murdered at Tongataboo, during the civil wars occasioned by the Feenous. But, of late years, the gospel has been successfully planted in the Friendly Isles, by the Wesleyan Missionaries, who have promising stations at Tongataboo, the Hapaee Isles, and the Vavaoo group; and are extending their labours to the Feejees. The mission to the Marquesas has been renewed by the London Society, with pleasing prospects of success; while the Samoas, or Navigators Isles, and part of the Feejees, are also brought within the sphere of their operations.
The introduction of Christianity into New Zealand, has already been noticed (pp. 68, 72, 73): the success of the Church and Wesleyan Missionaries there, encourages the hope, that it will soon cease to be a land of cannibals and savages.
The Sandwich Islands, presenting another interesting field of philanthropic labour, have been occupied with great effect by the American Missionaries, since 1820. It is remarkable, that in the year before, on the accession of Rihoriho, idolatry was utterly abolished; so that, on their arrival, the people were ready to receive them with open arms. The circumstances attending this singular event, are detailed by their fellow-labourer, Mr. Ellis, in his Tour through Hawaii. The powerful and intelligent Tamehameha had unintentionally prepared his subjects for this change, by adopting European arts and improvements, through the advice and assistance of two respectable British seamen, accidentally left here in 1790, Mr. John Young and Mr. Isaac Davis, on whom he conferred estates, with the rank of chiefs. Mr. Young promoted the introduction of Christianity, and was alive in 1827, at the visit of Captain Beechey. Learning, religion, and civilization, have progressed more rapidly here, than at any other group. Many thousands have learned to read and write; and multitudes have become genuine Christians.
At all the principal Missionary stations in the Pacific, schools are established, as well as public worship; and the printing-press is employed in aid of the pulpit. Thus the light of divine truth is diffused, conveying life, and peace, and joy, to the nations. Contemplating such blessed results, along with the extension of science and of commerce, we may boldly say, that the Voyages of our great navigator are connected with the best interests of the human race. In future ages, the natives of these distant isles will revere the memory of that enterprising hero, who first made them known to the Christian world.
THE END.
Whitby: Printed by Horne and Richardson.
- ↑ The author had not heard of his death when page 16th was printed.