captain james cook – he came late and didn’t stay long
- A mariner’s path
Much has been written about James Cook, about what he did and where he went.
The Hawaiians killed him in 1779 :
The esteem in which he was nevertheless held by the Hawaiians resulted in his body being retained by their chiefs and elders. Following the practice of the time, Cook’s body underwent funerary rituals similar to those reserved for the chiefs and highest elders of the society. The body was disembowelled, baked to facilitate removal of the flesh, and the bones were carefully cleaned for preservation as religious icons in a fashion somewhat reminiscent of the treatment of European saints in the Middle Ages. Some of Cook’s remains, disclosing some corroborating evidence to this effect, were eventually returned to the British for a formal burial at sea following an appeal by the crew.
Cook named dozens of places about the Australian coast:
Point Upright ~ on account of its perpendicular cliffs
Long Nose ~ on account of its shape
Cape Three Points ~ High land which projected out in 3 bluff points
Three Brothers ~ 3 remarkable large high hills lying Contigious to each other… bore some resemblance to each other
Smoky Cape ~ on account of the fires burning there at the time
Mount Warning ~ Breakers found within sight
Point Danger ~ Point off which shoals lie
Cape Manyfold ~ from the number of hills over it
Thirsty Sound ~ because they could find no fresh water
Cape Tribulation ~ because here was where all their troubles began
Cape Flattery ~ We now judged ourselves to be clear of all Danger, having, as we thought, a Clear, open Sea before us; but this we soon found otherwise
Magnetic Island ~ the Compass did not traverse well when near it
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