People became interested in geography many centuries ago. The views about our planet changed many times. There were a lot of famous investigators who explored the earth and made maps. One of the outstanding explorers, navigators, and cartographers was James Cook. During his life he made lots of discoveries, he made three voyages to the Pacific Ocean. He achieved the first European contact with the eastern coastline of Australia and made a detailed investigation of New Zealand coasts and mapped them.
The three voyage investigations are written by James Cook in his work “The Journals of Captain Cook”. The book displays the entire coasts of New Zealand and the east coasts of Australia. The journals reveal “the determination, courage, and skills which enabled Cook to fight with the continuous dangers of uncharted seas and the problems of achieving a relationship with the people whose unexpected guest he became” (Cook 1999).
The first James’ voyage in the Pacific Ocean started in 1768 and finished in 1771. He reached the coasts of New Zealand in October 1779 and got the coasts of Australia in May – June 1770. He also visited lots of islands that were unknown on the west. The second voyage occupied 1772 – 1775. And the last, third voyage started in July 1776 and finished in February 1779 by the death of James Cook (Cook 1999).
The book is written in a free manner. We read the description of different countries through the vision of James Cook. He shows us his voyages in a way he wanted us to see them. The book is full of personal perceptions and remarks, but all that does not make the book worse. The Journals give us a detailed, dated description of every voyage. It was very difficult for Cook to manage a ship and try not to miss out on any detail. And thanks to his efforts we can read about Cook’s achievements through many years.
On the contrary, the personal vision in the description of the countries fills in the story with liveliness and vividness. The book does not tell us the story of Cook’s life, but it focuses on what he did. James Cook in his journals writes not only about the geographical discoveries but also about the native people of Australia and New Zealand. James Cook created a strict discipline on his ship and did not allow his crew to attack or even show hostility to the native citizens of the lands. It was easy for the Cooks crew to work out good relationships with native citizens of the islands. But still, there were few attacks from the side of islanders. The native citizens lived like in Stone Age and had the corresponding habits, conducts, and manners.
There are some moments in the book where the author pays too much attention to the relationships on the ship and loses the main aim of the research.
James Cook’s contribution to the world’s geography and science is indescribable. He described not only the geographical positions of the islands but also the life of their inhabitants, the way and style of their lives. The journals have a great historical value now. People get to know about such outstanding people as James Cook and, what is more important, people do not forget his voyages and the results of these voyages.
Works Cited
Cook, James. 1999. The Journals of Captain Cook. Penguin Classics.