Captain Cook's Journal During His First Voyage Round the World
off, and several planks much damaged, especially under the Main Channell
near the Kiel, where 2 planks and a 1/2, near 6 feet in length, were
within 1/8th of an inch of being cutt through; and here the worms had
made their way quite into the timbers, so that it was a matter of
surprise to every one who saw her bottom how we had kept her above water,
and yet in this condition we had sailed some hundreds of Leagues, in as
dangerous a Navigation as in any part of the World, happy in being
ignorant of the continual danger we were in. In the evening righted the
Ship, having only time to patch up some of the worst places to prevent
the water getting in in large quantitys for the present. In the morning
hove her down again, and most of the Carpenters and Caulkers in the Yard
(which are not a few) were set to work upon her Bottom, and at the same
time a number of Slaves were employ'd bailing the water out of the Hold.
Our people, altho' they attend, were seldom called upon; indeed, by this
time we were so weakned by sickness that we could not muster above 20 Men
and Officers that were able to do duty, so little should we have been
able to have hove her down and repair'd her ourselves, as I at one time
thought us capable of.
Saturday, 10th. In the P.M. we were obliged to righten the ship before
night, by reason of her making water in her upper works faster than we
could free; it made it necessary to have her weather works inside and out
caulked, which before was thought unnecessary.
Sunday, 11th. In the A.M., having caulked her upper works, hove out the
Larboard side again, which a number of Workmen were employ'd repairing.
Monday, 12th. In the P.M. finished the Larboard side, and in the A.M.
began to get ready to heave out the other.
Tuesday, 13th. This day they hove the Starboard side Kiel out, which we
found very little damaged, and was therefore soon done with.
Wednesday, 14th. Employ'd clearing the Ship of the Carreening gear, her
bottom being now thoroughly repair'd, and very much to my satisfaction.
In justice to the Officers and Workmen of this Yard, I must say that I do
not believe that there is a Marine Yard in the World where work is done
with more alertness than here, or where there are better conveniences for
heaving Ships down both in point of safety and despatch. Here they heave
down by 2 masts, which is not now Practised by the English; but I hold it
to be much safer and more expeditious than by heaving down by one mast; a
man must not only be strongly bigotted to his own customs, but in some
measure divested of reason, that will not allow this, after seeing with
how much ease and safety the Dutch at Onrust heave down their largest
ships.
Thursday, 15th. In the A.M. transported the Ship from Onrust to Cooper's
Island, and moored her alongside the Wharf.
Friday, 16th. Employ'd taking in Coals and Ballast; sent one of the
decay'd Pumps up to Batavia to have a new one made by it.
Saturday, 17th, Sunday, 18th, Monday, 19th, Tuesday, 20th, Wednesday,
21st, Thursday, 22nd, Friday, 23rd, Saturday, 24th, Sunday, 25th.
Employ'd rigging the Ship, getting on board Stores and Water, which last
we have sent from Batavia at the rate of Six shillings and 8 pence a
Leager, or 150 Gallons. We are now become so sickly that we seldom can
muster above 12 or 14 hands to do duty.
Monday, 26th. In the night had much rain, after which the Westerly
Monsoons set in, which blow here generally in the night from the
South-West or from the land, in the day from the North-West or North.
Tuesday, 27th, Wednesday, 28th, Thursday, 29th, Friday, 30th, [December
1770.] Saturday, December 1st, Sunday, 2nd, Monday, 3rd, Tuesday, 4th,
Wednesday, 5th, Thursday, 6th, Friday, 7th. Employ'd getting on board
Stores, Provisions, Water, rigging the Ship, repairing and bending the
Sails. On the last of these days, having got all the Sick on board, and
every other thing from the Island, we hauled off from the Wharfe with a
design to run up to Batavia road, but the Wind proving scant obliged us
to lay at anchor.
[At Batavia.]
Saturday, 8th. Fresh breezes Westerly, and fair weather. At 10 A.M.
weigh'd and run up to Batavia road, where we anchor'd in 4 1/2 fathoms
water.
Sunday, 9th. First and latter parts ditto weather, middle squally with
rain. In the P.M. sent on shore a Boat load of empty casks, and at the
same time went myself in order to forward the things we wanted, and in
the evening sent on board the new Pump, with some other stores that were
immediately wanting.
Monday, 10th. For the most part Squally, with rain; the people employ'd
scraping the paint work.
Tuesday, 11th, Wednesday, 12th, Thursday, 13th, Friday, 14th. For the
most part of these days fair weather. Employ'd taking on board Provisions
and Water; this last is put on board at 5 shillings a Leager or 150
Gallons.
Saturday, 15th. In the P.M. anchor'd here the Earl of Elgin, Captain
Cooke, an English East India Company Ship from Madras, bound to China,
but having lost her passage, put in here to wait for the next Season.
Sunday, 16th, Monday, 17th. Employ'd taking on board Provisions; Scraping
and Painting the Ship.
Tuesday, 18th. Gentle breezes and fair weather. Anchored here the
Phoenix, Captain Black, an English Country Ship from Bencoolen.
Wednesday, 19th, Thursday, 20th, Friday, 21st, Saturday, 22nd, Sunday,
23rd, Monday, 24th. Fresh breezes, and for the most part fair weather.
Completed taking on board Provisions, Water, etc., and getting the Ship
ready for sea.
Tuesday, 25th. Having now compleatly refitted the ship, and taken in a
sufficient quantity of Provisions of all kinds, I this afternoon took
leave of the General, and such others of the principal Gentlemen as I had
any connection with, all of whom upon every occasion gave me all the
assistance I required. A small dispute, however, now hapned between me
and some of the Dutch Naval Officers about a Seaman that had run from one
of the Dutch Ships in the Road, and enter'd on board mine; this man the
General demanded as a Subject of Holland, and I promised to deliver him
up provided he was not an English Subject, and sent the necessary orders
on board for that purpose. In the morning the Commodore's Captain came
and told me that he had been on board my ship for the man, but that the
Officer had refused to give him up, alledging that he was an Englishman,
and that he, the Captain, was just then come from the General to demand
the man of me as a Deanish Subject, he standing upon their Ship's books
as born at Elsinore. I told him that I believed there must be some
mistake in the General's message, for I apprehended he would not demand a
Deanish Seaman from me who had committed no other crime than preferring
the English Service before that of the Dutch; but to convince him how
unwilling I was to disoblige any one concerned, I had sent orders on
board to deliver the man to him in case he was found to be a Foreigner;
but as that was not done I suspected that the man was a Subject of
England, and if I found him to be such I was resolved to keep him. Soon
after this I received a letter from Mr. Hicks, which I carried to the
Shabander, and desired that it might be shewn to the General, and at the
same time to acquaint him that, after my having such unanswerable proof
of the man's being an English Subject, as was mentioned in that letter,
it was impossible for me to deliver him up. After this I heard no more
about it.
Wednesday, 26th. In the P.M. myself, Mr. Banks, and all the Gentlemen
came on board, and at 6 a.m. weigh'd and came to sail with a light breeze
at South-West. The Elgin Indiaman saluted us with 3 cheers and 13 Guns,
and soon after the Garrison with 14, both of which we return'd. Soon
after this the Sea breeze set in at North by West, which obliged us to
Anchor just without the Ships in the Road. The number of Sick on board at
this time amounts to 40 or upwards, and the rest of the Ship's Company
are in a weakly condition, having been every one sick except the
Sailmaker, an old Man about 70 or 80 years of age; and what is still more
extraordinary in this man is his being generally more or less drunk every
day. But notwithstanding this general sickness, we lost but 7 men in the
whole: the Surgeon, 3 Seamen, Mr. Green's Servant, and Tupia and his
Servant, both of which fell a sacrifice to this unwholesome climate
before they had reached the object of their wishes. Tupia's death,
indeed, cannot be said to be owing wholy to the unwholesome air of
Batavia; the long want of a Vegetable Diet, which he had all his life
before been used to, had brought upon him all the Disorders attending a
Sea life. He was a shrewd, sensible, ingenious man, but proud and
obstinate, which often made his situation on board both disagreeable to
himself and those about him, and tended much to promote the diseases
which put a Period to his Life.* (* It is rather curious that Cook does
not here record his sense of the value of Tupia's services as
interpreter, which he has before alluded to in the Journal. There is no
doubt that his presence on board when the ship was in New Zealand was the
greatest advantage, affording a means of communication with the natives,
which prevented the usual gross misunderstandings which arise as to the
object of the visit of an exploring ship. Without him, even with Cook's
humane intention and good management, friendly relations would have been
much more difficult to establish.)
[Description of Batavia.]
Batavia is a place that hath been so often visited by Europeans, and so
many accounts of it extant, that any discription I could give would seem
unnecessary; besides, I have neither abilities nor materials sufficient
for such an undertaking, for whoever gives a faithful account of this
place must in many things contradict all the Authors I have had an
opportunity to consult; but this task I shall leave to some abler hand,
and only take notice of such things that seem to me necessary for Seamen
to know.
The City of Batavia is situated on a low flatt near the Sea, in the
Bottom of a large Bay of the same name, which lies on the North side of
Java, about 8 Leagues from the Straits of Sunda; it lies in 6 degrees 10
minutes South Latitude, and 106 degrees 50 minutes East Longitude from
the Meridian of Greenwich, settled by Astronomical Observations made on
the spot by the Reverend Mr. Mohr, who has built a very ellegant
Observatory, which is as well furnished with Instruments as most in
Europe. Most of the Streets in the City have canals of water running
through them, which unite into one Stream about 1/2 a mile before they
discharge themselves into the Sea; this is about 100 feet broad, and is
built far enough out into the Sea to have at its entrance a sufficient
depth of Water to admit Small Craft, Luggage boats, etc. The
communication between the Sea and the City is by this Canal alone, and
this only in the day; for it is shut up every night by a Boom, through
which no Boats can pass from about 6 o'clock in the evening to between 5
and 6 the next morning. Here stands the Custom house, where all goods,
either imported or exported, pay the Customary Dutys; at least, an
Account is here taken of them, and nothing can pass without a Permit,
wether it pays duty or no. All kinds of refreshments, Naval Stores, and
Sea Provisions are to be had here; but there are few Articles but what
bear a very high Price, especially if you take them of the Company, which
you are obliged to do if you want any Quantity; that is, of such Articles
as they monoplie to themselves, which are all manner of Naval Stores and
Salted Provisions.
The Road of Batavia, or place where Shipping Anchor, lies right before
the City, and is so large as to contain any number of Shipping. You