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Today’s yesterdays: Captain Cook takes possession [22 August 1934]

17 July 2021 · Leave a Comment

[Editor: This article was published in The Herald (Melbourne, Vic.), 22 August 1934.]

Today’s yesterdays

Captain Cook takes possession

“I now once More hoisted English Colours, and in the Name of His Majesty King George the Third I took possession of the whole Eastern coast from the above Lat. (of 38 degrees S.) down to this place by the Name of New Wales, together with all the Bays, Harbours, Rivers and Islands situated upon the said Coast: after which we fired 3 Volleys of small Arms, which were answered by the like number from the Ship.”

Cook wrote this entry in his log under late Wednesday, August 22, 1770, after he had come on board from Possession Island near Cape York, which he had at length reached after blundering up through the coral maze of the Barrier Reef, the existence of which was unknown to him. Everything was unknown to him. As he wrote in his journal the some day: “The Eastern Coast, I am confident, was never seen or Visited by any European before us.”

He had successfully explored the whole of the coast from Cape Everard to Cape York, and he had charted it, too. By right of exploration and discovery he planted the British flag when he came to his journey’s end “upon this Eastern coast of New Holland.” But he was not content with the Dutchmen’s name for it. He preferred New Wales to New Holland, for, after all, he had found it and not the Dutch, and to signify to all and sundry the completion of his great work he landed and hoisted the British flag, which has continued to fly over Australia ever since.



Source:
The Herald, (Melbourne, Vic.), 22 August 1934, p. 6

Editor’s notes:
Regarding the usage of the name “New Wales” (New South Wales), the above passage is included in the published transcription of James Cook’s journal; however, the publication of that journal in 1893 includes the following notation: “The Admiralty copy, as well as that belonging to Her Majesty, calls it New South Wales.”
See: W. J. L. Wharton (editor), Captain Cook’s Journal During His First Voyage Round the World Made in H.M. Bark “Endeavour” 1768-71: A Literal Transcription of the Original Mss., London: Elliot Stock, 1893, p. 312 (footnote)

Lat. = an abbreviation of “latitude”

New Holland = the name given to the western part of Australia by Dutch explorers; it was also used for the Australian continent as a whole

S. = an abbreviation of “south”

[Editor: Inserted full stop after “from the Ship”. Changed “he had a length” to “he had at length”.]

Filed Under: articles Tagged With: James Cook (1728-1779) (subject), SourceTrove, year1934

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