Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The rest of the voyage proceeded much like most previous cir-
cumnavigations. The Cape provided an opportunity for the remain-
ing sick to recuperate and for Cook to replace some of his missing
crewmen. There was a brief stop at St Helena, but Cook did not
choose to dally at Ascension. At noon on 10 July 1771 Nick Young,
who had first sighted New Zealand, proved his keen eyesight again
by pointing out Land's End.
A year and a day after setting foot on English soil, Cook went
forth to circle the earth again. His voyage in the
Resolution
from 13
July 1772 to 30 July 1775 has been called the greatest maritime ex-
pedition of all time. His achievements were breathtaking: the first
eastabout circumnavigation; the first penetration of the Antarctic
Circle; the first voyage across the Pacific between New Zealand and
South America. Perhaps even more gratifying to Cook than his many
discoveries was the fact that, despite long spells at sea, not one of his
119 crew died or suffered seriously from scurvy; there was no out-
break of fever; and throughout the entire voyage only one man suc-
cumbed to disease.
Even before his return to England, Cook had formulated the
plan for a second venture which would complete the exploration of
the southern Pacific and establish, once and for all, whether any con-
tinent lay to the east of New Zealand. With an alacrity which seems
out of character for the Admiralty's lumbering bureaucracy, Cook's
superiors agreed to such an expedition and, by the end of Septem-
ber, had begun to make preparations for it. One reason for their
lordships' enthusiasm was the evident success of the
Endeavour
's
voyage. The scientific establishment was ecstatic about the achieve-
ments of Banks and his colleagues. The profusion of specimens, data
and drawings they had brought back would provide the members of
the Royal Society with the raw materials for years of research. The
popular journals made much of the geographical discoveries and
other achievements of the voyage. Banks was received more than
