New-York tribune., 1897-01-10

The recent publication of Cooks Journal OF MS
first VOYAGE set this matter right on one s'ue'
The residuum In Hawkesworth couid ho' oe
Cook; II now turns out that 1t was not all banks
either hut that the editor, with an effusiveness
characteristic of the eighteenth century, a''rio-
uted TO his sources many reflections of his own
,-,,s r,ethod ~ editing was not compensated foi.
even bv the acknowledgment that everything IN
the narrative as published which was not di-
rectly connected with navigation was e&'rac'co
from the manuscript OF Banks. Ihis ihe'e''
served TO fasten upon Banks more thah MS share
of Dr. Hawkesworths own emendatiohs Inc
literary gossip of the time had an mixing "l al
this as is shown by the remark VI frlor III h''
.Isfe Of Malone" noted by Sir Joseph Hooker
..Hawkesworth, the writer, was introduced d!
Garric8 to Lord Sandwich. who thinking 10 put
a few pounds into his pocket. appointed Ill" W
revise and publish Cooks Voyages. He scarceiy
d,d ANYTHING to the MSS, yet sold it TO Cadell
and Strahan. the printer and BOOKSELLER ioi
$1,000" The greater part OF the text ior inc
frst VOYAGE was from Banks pen. and the whole
~ the Ave series of plates was due to the ar
tis,s ,yhom Banks employed at his own expense
aE of whom literally gave up their hVes 10 'he'i
work Not one of them survived tpe m'"e'ies "
a sojourn in the Dutch East Indies 1t was MS
perception Of the value of all kinds OF in1orma
ton that made the voyage so lich' as IL 'u''
,,ss IN results not merely scientific. but prac-
tical To his representations on the advantages
OF Botany Bay as point for coonizaUon ~ at
tributed the beginning Of settlement IN Aus'raha'
ue disclosed-unexpectedy 20 himself. appar-
en,iy-an uncommon facility in picking up tn"
languages of the tribes with whom he came In
contact; and this led on 20 that careful inVesti-
CATION OF habits and customs which in the case
Zaal la pders furnished the OASIS OF
all subsequently acquired knowledge
Something of Bankss hexibility and versatility
an this voyage was due to his youth. At the
age of twenty-f five he could do things which later
in life he would hardly have ventured upon sir
Joseph Banks, president of the Royal society
would have taken a second thought before par
ticpatng in native ceremonies under disguise'
or rather a lack of disguise which Joseph Banks.
the obscure explorer. rather enjoyed IT was
necessary for him to do what he did in order TO
understand fully the mourning customs or his
friends the Otahitans. AS a mere spectator they
vould not have allowed him to follow the party.
The natives themselves fled in every direction
creeping into whatever hiding place they could
and until the official mourners had departed
Almost all the clothing in the party was appro-
priated by the chief mourner. whose dress was
very fantastic. and by the notable who acted as
second mourner. Banks himself stripped off his
European clothes and with piece OF cloth
around his waist. submitted to a fairly complete
coat of powdered charcoal and water. In this
guise he Joined the procession, which marched
close TO the fort built by the ships company on
shore and then along the margin Of the sea,
charging upon the islanders wherever they were
found When there no longer soul in sight.
except those belonging 10 this queer group OF
mourners. the party went home and spent the
49, 49, n t,AV
occasion Banks's activity and his confidence In
his ability deal with the natives under all cir
cumstances saved the quadrant. without which
the astronomical part OF the expedition would
have been a failure. There had already been
numerous cases that proved the expertness OF
the natives thieves and the quadrant had not
been ashore day before II was stolen. The thief
ran toward the interior Of the island. but not be-
fore his identity was known TO the CHI with
whom Banks was most friendly. In a scorching
sun. with the thermometer at 81 degrees Banks.
the chief. Green. the astronomer. and a mdship-
man. set off Of seven miles. and sue
eeeded in recovering the quadrant piece by piece.
Thus the transit Of Venus did not escape obser-
walton, an affair which at that time outranked
all the chronological facts that Banks could col
lect-
In addition to all this Banks had a good a.
gestion and the will 10 overcome all distaste for
any food that others. even savages. found pal
atabe. His example and influence helped to
reconcile the ships company to whatever they
could get In the way Of fresh food, and thus
saved all hands from the greatest foe of the
mariner in those days. the scurvy. An illustra-
tion OF the manner In which he educated himself
20 like what he saw others eat with relish
afforded by a sauce which the Otahitans made
Of the kernels of cocoanuts fermented until they
dissolve into buttery paste. and beaten up with
sea water" The taste OF this very strong
and abominably nauseous to him at the outset.
But with little effort he to like IT, and
ended by preferring IT for fish TO the sauces Of
civilization. Finding that the natives ate small
fish raw, he learned to do the same: and his ex-
perience with dinners Of fish and bread
fruit led him TO think that they were more easy
Of digestion than the cooked food TO which
he had been accustomed When every bite Of the
ships bread tasted hot and vile spirits OF
hartshorn account Of the vermin that infes,-
ed to the number Of thousands. a single biscuit.
II was no wonder that he and all his companions
took to boiled yams and plantains with avidity.
He found a way Of driving the vermin out Of the
bread by heating 1t in an oven and his scientific
eye would not allow the noxious creatures 10 es-
cape till ne had identified them all and gravely
catalogued them by the Latin names Of their
various species.
As Parkman learned not to despise the dog
feasts Of the Ogsalah Sioux so Banks found
that the fat dogs OF his s'aaders were very |
good eating: and to wild fowl he despised |
none In Mercury Bly. New-zealand. an ex-
ploring party. Of wh:ct he was one. found a
tree where shags or small cormoiants had their |
nests in great numbers. They killed end brOlled |
about twenty Of these greedy birds and found
them excellent. little way down the bay they |
came upon some natives. who treated them to !
something like hot cookies. and the next day I
they found an oyster bed, whereupon the ships |
company did nothing but eat all day long I'VE |
wanfed he remarked. In bis general account OF |