The New York herald., 1879-02-14
CAPTAIN JAMES COOK.
The Dis:ovarsr Ct Australia, New Zealand,
Alaska and the Sandwich Islands.
THE CENTENARY OF HIS DEATH.
Sketch of His Life and Ex-
plorations.

waiian or Sandwich Islands, February IA. 1879, l00
years pgo to-day. The Paris Geographical Society
will fttingy celebrate the anniversary tonight for
which purpose elaborate preparation has been made
and the Royal Geographical Society of Great Britain
has been invited to participate in the ceremonies.
VI. W. Huber DR.. Z. T. Hamy and M. Crosnier de
varigny will deliver addresses on the life of the cele
brated dscoverer the ethnographical results of his
voyages and the present state Of the countries dis
covered by him. Mr.. ]. jackson will communicate
the results OF his photographed researches. and w.
Blakeney. Esq. r. N, Secretary to the photographer
OF the British Admiralty will contribute information
concerning the great navigator.
While formal preparation has been made in
America far aware for celebrating this
anniversary it is undeniabe that the close relations
existing between the United States and the Hawaiian
Islands give a right to claim share in the his
torical renown of Cook. even If he had not other
titles to our remembrance, from the conspicuous
part he bore in the memorable assault on Quebec by
General Wolfe, September -, 1852 and his later SER
vices the first explorer Of vast territory OF
Alaska, where the spacious bay known Cooks
Inlet gives him permanent place in our geographi-
cal gazetteers.
EARLY CAREER COOK.
Captain James Cook was born at Marion. six miles
from Stockton-upon-Tees. October ~. 1728 His
birthplace in the extreme north of Yorkshire
the coast of the German Ocean. He was of
humble birth, his father being an agricultural Ia
borer. james was one Of nine children, and his
parents were unable to give him any schooling
When. however the future explorer eight years
old his father became overseer "bailif of the
estate of Sir Thomas Scottow, wealthy proprietor
at Airy Holme near Marion. and that gentleman. to
reward the good conduct Of his bain furnished the
means to send James to school at Ayton. where he
learned only the rudmentary branches. When
Cf
ticed to shopkeeper at staith. q FISH,
ing town Whtby. The proximity
Of the awoke in young Cook his ruling passion
to be sailor. was thenceforth his only ambition in
life After some alterations with his master he
procured discharge. and apprenticed himself anew
to firm engaged in the coal trade at Whitby. ana
made short coast voyages to and from New
castle. and afterward to London. He soon to
the rank Of mate. which satisfied his ambition until
the mature age Of twenty seven years. 1t the
of 1855 which turned him in the direction of his
future exploits. Being then collier vessel in the
Thames the press gang came on board to impress
seaInen for the navy. Cook at first hid him.
self in .. the hold . but short. shortly afterward
his own accord on board the Eagle. commanded
by Captain afterwards Sr) Hugh palliser. He at
tracted the attention OF his captain skilful and
trustworthy seaman, and having rendered good SER
vice in some petty operations against the enemy he
was promoted to the rank OF master Several
of his neghbors in Yorkshire having recommended
him to Mr.. Osbaldiston, member OF Parliament for
Scarborough. that gentleman and Captain Palliser
obtained for Cook the command. successfully, OF the
soops Grampus and Garland, and on May 10, 1863,
he was confirmed in his rank Of master by the Ad-
miralty and appointed to the Mercury. frigate Of
the squadron then under orders to proceed to Canada
to cooperate with Wolfe against Quebec.
COOK AT QUEBEC.
On the 26th of June the squadron arrived off the
Isle of Orleans where the troops landed the follow
ing day. Cook was employed to sound the canal and
plant buoys the north side of the island opposite
the French fortified camp at BEAUFORT and executed
and valor. Cook subsequently piloted the boats Of
the squadron to the attack Montmorency. and on
the morning of the memorable 18th of September 1t
was he who conducted the landing of the troops for
| the assault upon the Heights Of Abraham.
After the death of Wolfe and Montcalm and the
capture Of the last French stronghold in Canada
Master Cook ordered by Admiral Saunders to lay
down chart Of the St Lawrence River from Quebec
to the and well did he perform this task that
his chart, which was published was for many years
the only one in use Appointed in theautumn of
1859 master of the Northumberland man-of-war he
spent the following winter ut Halifax, N. s.,
where traditions of his residence among
| the citizens down to q recent period. 1t was
| only then. at the age of thirty years. that
he felt himself capable of greater things than he had
before aspired to- and he turned his stay ut Halifax
to excellent account by taking up Euclid aud pro-
ceeding to course OF the higher mathematics, in
eluding astronomy. returning to England in i762.
married Miss Elizabeth Bats. but in the following
year was again in the st. Lawrence, making chart
of the French islands Of st. Pierre and Miquelon In
1764 he appointed Marine Surveyor of Newfound-
land and Labrador. his patron and friend, Sir Hugh
years he prepared several fine charts. He observed
the eclipse of the of August g. 1906 at Cape Ray
| Newfoundland, and his account OF the phenomenon
| tions."
THE EXPLORATION YRvER
1t this time there in Great Britain o feverish
eagerness voyages of exploration Admiral John
Byron, grandfather Of the poet had just ercumnavi
gated the globe 7G46) and Captains Wallis and Car
teret had been despatched in l76G to the South
Sea- from which they had s1o; not returned
| fully memorializcd the Admiralty to send an
| expedition to the South Pacific to observe
the approaching transit of Venus the suns disk
| The plan of the expedition drawn up by the
| skilful geographer. Alexander Dalrymple. who had
i mated for ' A the eommsnd % % but T !. ~n fonna
| that he knew too little OF vessels-of-war.
The celebrated astronomer; DR.. HALEY, had
| but the crew refused TO obey him. In this dilemma
an able naval commander was needed. and Master
Cook selected. He received royal comini isson
rs lieutenant and sailed from Plymouth. August 23.
1863 III the snip Endeavor, OF $40 tons. He
lander and Mr.. (afterward Sr) Joseph Banks nat
uralists. With the latter gentleman aud the Earl
of Sandwich. First Lord of the Admiralty. the expe-
| dition originated.
The Endeavor reached Rio Janeiro in October and
remained there several days, but the jealousy OF the
| Portuguese government prevented the intended
ploration of the brazilian coast ON an island in the
Bay OF Rio Janeiro the traveller is still shown
| iron spike driven in the rock and told that to
Il Captain Cooks vessel was fastened. The
Endeavor passed around Terra del Fucgo,
| where the naturalists obtained fine botanical
specimens but nearly persled of cold, losing three
| oi their attendants during snow storm. The expo
dition reached Tahiti in APRIL l7C9, observed success
| fully the transit OF Venus June 3, cruised for
month among the other Society Islands, and then
sailed southwark in quest of the supposed Southern
Continent. which figured on old maps by the titlo VI
Terra Australis lncognita, and supposed to be
u necessary counterpose to the vast masses of land
in the Northern Hemisphere. They discovered lofty
mountains to the southwark October o. and supposed
they had found the southern Continent but the land
proved to belong to New Zealand which had not been
by Europeans for more than o century since its
first discovery by Tasman, in ldi2 Captain Cook spent
which formed his first grand discovery He named
the capes aud islands, Tor his friends anu patrons,
strait which separates the two chief islands OF New
Zealand is now known ~ Cooks Strait and the coast
lines of that colony still figure maps substan
TALLY they were laid down by the great navigator
| DISCOVERY OF AUSTRALIA.
! Cook sailed westward t. New Holland, now called
] Australa- cuaairl nnrthWard nalnln the cnuutrY