How James Cook discovered Australia. Australia When James Cook reached the east coast of Australia

Captain James Cook is an English traveler and famous cartographer. He was born in 1728, into a poor family living in North Yorkshire, in the north of England. At the age of 13, he was already working alongside his father as a farm manager.

In 1745 he began working in a grocery store. But the seller soon discovered that he was completely incapable of trading. He took James to the nearest port in Whitby and introduced him to the Walker brothers, owners of several ships. This is where the biography of James Cook as a great navigator begins.

His first position was as a cabin boy at the Freelove coal miner. The ship sailed along the English coast, transporting coal. The future traveler became so interested in maritime affairs that he independently took up geometry, algebra, astronomy and navigation. His training came to an end after three years, and he began sailing with ships in the Baltic Sea. His abilities helped him quickly move up the career ladder.

James Cook's travels began when, in 1755, the Walkers invited him to become captain of their ship Friendship. But he refused, deciding to join the Royal Navy. At this time, the British army was in full swing preparing for the Seven Years' War, and he saw great prospects for himself in this area. However, this meant starting his entire career anew - as a simple sailor. Cook was assigned as a deckhand on the Eagle and very quickly rose to mate. By 1757, he passed the exams that allowed him to control the ship himself.

Cook's brilliant career in the Royal Navy began with drawing up the fairway of the St. Lawrence River in order to ensure the passage of the British through it and the capture of Quebec, then owned by the French. He proved himself to be an excellent cartographer and navigator. In the 1760s he continued his cartography work, charting the unknown shores of Newfoundland and the St. Lawrence River. His work attracted the attention of the Admiralty and the Royal Society.

In 1756, he was assigned to go to the Pacific Ocean to observe the passage of Venus across the solar disk. The following year, Cook left the shores of England, rounded Cape Horn and by April 1759 reached the shores of Haiti, where it was planned to conduct observations. Unfortunately, for technical reasons these observations were highly inaccurate. But the navigator mapped the exact shores of New Zealand.

Then he moved on and in 1770 reached the shores of Australia. Thus, the navigator became the first European to discover a hitherto unknown continent. The discovery of Australia by James Cook was a breakthrough for England in the development of colonies and a worthy response to the Spaniards and Portuguese.

Having received a hole, the Endevior ship made an emergency stop on the Australian mainland. When the repair work was completed, Cook sent the ship along the Great Barrier Reef and soon discovered the strait between Australia and New Guinea. The expedition returned to England in 1771.

Soon after his return, he was again asked to set sail. The fact is that the British were eager to find the Southern continent, the mythical Terra Australis (Antarctica) - despite the fact that James Cook had already discovered Australia, it was assumed that there was another continent further south.

Cook was now in command of the ship Resolution. The second expedition again circumnavigated the world. The two ships sank the lowest in southern latitude, but did not reach Antarctica - supplies on the ship were running low, people were suffering from scurvy, and he had to turn back. Upon returning to England, he convinced everyone that there was no Southern Continent.

After James Cook discovered Australia in April 1770, he had one more journey ahead, his last... The explorer was tasked with finding the Northwest Passage, which likely crosses North America and connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. He was again entrusted with command of the Resolution ship, and Charles Klekr set off with him on the Discovery.

Since the British hid their search expeditions in every possible way, this time the pretext was the return of one resident of Tahiti, captured during the second expedition, to his homeland. During his third voyage, the great traveler became the first European to visit Hawaii.

From there he sailed to the West Coast of North America - James Cook's voyage alone made it possible to map almost the entire coast of North America, including Alaska, which in turn filled in the gaps in the maps of Russian and Spanish explorers.

The Bering Strait seemed impassable to him, despite several attempts made. This fact completely unsettled him, he developed a stomach ache and strange behavior. For example, he forced his team to eat walrus meat, which was completely inedible. He returned to Hawaii in 1779. The return coincided with the islanders' seasonal celebrations in honor of one of the gods - and the explorer James Cook, with his ships at the ready, was perceived as a deity incarnate.

After staying on the islands for a month, the ships set out to sea again, but halfway through the journey the Resolution's foremast broke and they had to return. The return was unexpected, since the celebrations had already ended. This led to unrest among local residents. Thefts of property from the ship began. After an entire boat went missing, Cook was furious. He decided to capture the local leader and not return him until all his belongings were returned. By that time, a rumor had spread among the Hawaiians that other British had already killed one of the chiefs.

The conflict between sailors and Hawaiians that occurred on the shore led to an armed clash. Here the biography of James Cook ends - when the British began to retreat, he turned his back to the crowd, was hit on the head with a spear, fell and was beaten to death. The Hawaiians took his body with them. As a sign of retaliation, the British bombed and burned a Hawaiian village. In response to the demand to hand over the captain's body, they returned only a few pieces of meat and the head of the great navigator.

The death of James Cook was a great loss for the expedition. Charles Clerk made one last attempt to navigate the Bering Strait, but also failed. While sailing back to England he died of tuberculosis. Cook's third circumnavigation was completed by James King, bringing both ships to England in 1780.

50 thousand years before its discovery by European sailors. In the arid deserts, tropical jungles and coastal plains of this continent, people with their own rich traditions of culture, religion and original lifestyle have lived for centuries. By the time Australia was discovered by James Cook, the continent's indigenous population numbered over 300 thousand people who spoke 500 languages. And now Australia, whose continent was discovered twice before the world understood its full significance for the global economy and culture, continues to reveal the mysteries of its thousand-year history.

History of discoveries

The discovery of Australia is the result of centuries-long searches by the Portuguese, Dutch and British for the southern country (terra australis incognita). In 2006, archaeologists discovered ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs in Australia, which gave rise to the hypothesis among some scientists that the Egyptians were the first to discover this continent 5,000 years ago.

If we take recent history, scientists agree that the year of discovery of Australia is 1606. It was in this year that the Dutchman V. Janszoon studied the northeastern part of Australia - the Cape York Peninsula.

But the history of the discovery of Australia is filled with numerous mysteries that scientists have yet to solve. Thus, the cannons found by archaeologists give reason to some researchers to believe that back in the 16th century. The Portuguese visited Australia, but there is no evidence of this in documentary sources yet.

Exploring "New Holland"

The entire 17th century is the story of the discovery and exploration of Australia by sea travelers from the Netherlands, who first called it New Holland.

After the aforementioned Janszon, in 1616 D. Hartog described part of the western coast of the continent, in 1623 J. Carstensz compiled a map of the western coast of the York Peninsula, and in 1627 the southern coast of the still unknown continent was explored by F. Theisen and P. Neates.

The main ruler of the Netherlands Indies, Anton Van Diemen, in 1642 sent the famous navigator A. Tasman on an expedition, who discovered the land named after Van Diemen (modern Tasman Island). On January 29, 1644, a new expedition headed by Tasman set sail. The expedition proved that New Holland is a separate continent.

For Holland, the discovery of Australia did not seem worthy of much attention, since it already had convenient naval bases in southern Africa and Java, and the island itself did not grow expensive oriental spices, which were valued on European markets. Nothing also indicated the presence of mineral deposits here; animal species that could have aroused interest among the Europeans of that time had not yet been discovered.

British exploration of the Australian continent

More than half a century passed before English explorers and travelers continued the exploration of the mainland after the Dutch. Thus, the expedition of V. Dampier managed to study the northwestern part of Australia in more detail and discovered previously unknown islands in this area.

And in 1770, the “next” discovery of Australia took place - this time by James Cook.

After Cook, the discovery and exploration of Australia by the British continued: in 1798, D. Bass discovered a strait between the mainland and the island of Tasmania; in 1797 - 1803, M. Flinders walked the continent and drew up a map with more accurate outlines of its southern coast. It was Flinders who came up with the proposal in 1814 to change the name "New Holland" to "Australia", and by the 1840s F. King and D. Wicken completed the study and mapping of the Australian coastline.

The 19th century brought new geographical discoveries to Australia by travelers and researchers from different countries, but within the continent. As a result, the Great Dividing Range with the highest point of the continent, Mount Kosciuszko, appeared on the map of Australia; deserts, endless plains, as well as Darling and Murray are the deepest.

A complete map of the British colony, which was Australia, was compiled by English scientists at the beginning of the twentieth century.

James Cook and his contribution to the study of Australia

James Cook was born in 1728 into a farmer's family from North Yorkshire. But not living up to his father’s hopes, he became a cabin boy at the Freelove coal miner in 1745. James was fascinated by maritime affairs, and he began to independently study astronomy, algebra, geometry and navigation, and his innate abilities contributed to his career growth: already in 1755 he received an offer to take the place of captain on the Friendship ship. But James decided to enlist in the Royal Navy, where he again began serving as an ordinary sailor. Cook quickly rose to the rank of mate, and already in 1757 he passed the exams for the right to control the ship independently.

James Cook

In 1768, Cook set out on an expedition that was supposed to observe the passage of Venus across the solar disk, as well as discover new lands for the British crown. It is believed that in 1770, during this trip around the world on the ship Endeavor, James Cook discovered Australia. Then he was forced to make a stop on a hitherto unknown continent due to the resulting hole. Having repaired the ship, Cook sent it along the Great Barrier Reef, opening a hitherto unknown strait between Australia and New Guinea.

But the discovery of Australia did not stop Cook in search of hitherto unexplored lands. Returning to England in 1771, a few years later he again set sail in search of the Southern continent - the mythical Terra Australis (Antarctica). The conditions of this trip did not allow Cook to reach Antarctica, and upon returning to England he convinced everyone that the Southern Continent simply did not exist.

In 1565, the Spanish monk Andre de Urdaneta was the first European to cross. His travel journal led many to believe that somewhere to the west of the southern tip of South America there might be a large southern continent (Australia). In 1606, Pedro Fernandez de Quiros, a Portuguese captain serving Spain, reached the shores of what he mistook for the continent. Quiros named it "Australia" in honor of the Spanish king, who was also the Grand Duke of Austria. However, in fact, the land discovered by Quiros turned out to be one of the islands of the New Hebrides archipelago.

Discovery of a new continent

At the end of the 16th century. Holland became a powerful maritime power. In 1606, the Dutch captain from Amsterdam, Billem Jantszoon, was the first European to reach Australia. He sailed into the Gulf of Carpentaria off its northern coast. In 1642, another Dutchman, Abel Tasman, saw the island (now the island of Tasmania) and named it Van Diemen's Land - in honor of the manager of the Dutch East India Company, where Tasman served. He then headed towards New Zealand and reached the islands of Tonga and Fiji. After this, the Dutch lost interest in geographical exploration. Further exploration of Australia was resumed only more than a century later.

Captain Cook

James Cook (1728-1779) was born in Yorkshire (England). He was the son of a farmer and received only an elementary education at a local school, and at the age of 12 he already went to work: first in a shop, and then in a ship company. In 1756 Cook entered the navy. He was an extraordinary man, with a strong character and great intelligence. He became a skilled navigator and astronomer, and in 1768 received the rank of lieutenant and took command of the ship Endever. The ship Endever was built in Whitby (Yorkshire, England) and was intended to transport coal to the ports of the British coast.

Disease Control

In the 18th century on long voyages, out of every 100 sailors, an average of 60 people died, and 50 of them died from various diseases. To reduce the incidence of disease, Cook introduced strict rules. Crew members had to bathe every day, their clothes and beds were aired twice a week, and the entire ship was regularly fumigated with smoke. Cook always carried a large supply of fresh fruit with him to prevent scurvy, a disease caused by a lack of vitamin C in the body. Scurvy was perhaps the main cause of high mortality among sailors. He also took care of purchasing fresh meat and vegetables. These measures had a beneficial effect on the health of sailors.

Man and his purpose

Imbued with the scientific ideas of his time, Cook did not miss the opportunity to send his ship to the shores of Tahiti to observe the planet Venus: in 1769 it passed between the Earth and the Sun. Along with Cook, a naturalist, a botanist and two artists took part in the expedition. Cook carried with him a special package, which was to be opened only after the observations were completed and described. The package contained a secret order to try to find the fifth continent, with the help of scientists to study its flora and fauna, as well as the life of the native population, and declare these lands the possessions of Great Britain. In April 1769, the expedition reached the island of Tahiti. On June 3, scientists made observations of Venus, and 10 days later the ships continued sailing. Two islanders went with the expedition as guides to help explore the small islands. The ships were heading towards New Zealand. There the Maori natives met them with hostility. A real battle broke out: the Endever was attacked by more than a hundred warriors in canoes.

Landing on the continent

In April 1770, the ships entered the bay on the east coast of Australia, Cook landed on shore. He named the bay Bothnic - in memory of the large botanical collection that was collected here. Sailing north along the coast of the continent, the ship encountered the reefs of the Great Barrier Reef and was wrecked. After lengthy repairs, the expedition set course for its homeland and in July 1771 returned to England.

Cook's last voyages

Cook carried out two more expeditions and made important discoveries. He set out on the first of them in July 1772 from Plymouth on two ships. In January 1774, Cook's ships crossed latitude 70, the southernmost latitude hitherto reached by Europeans. The sailors visited Easter Island. In 1778, Cook sailed to the Commonwealth Islands (now the Hawaiian Islands). At first, the Hawaiians took him for a god, but very soon they became disillusioned with their guests. Cook hastily sailed from Hawaii, but six days later he was forced to return, as his ship, the Resolve, was caught in a storm and was thoroughly battered. A fight broke out, during which Cook was killed.

James Cook was born on October 27, 1728 in the small town of Morton in Yorkshire. At the age of 18, while working in a grocery store, Cook suddenly became interested in sea travel. He joined a ship transporting coal as a cabin boy. Cook studied mathematics and navigation from a shipowner in Whitby, showed himself to be a capable sailor, and in 1755 could have become the captain of a merchant ship on the North Sea, but he refused the offer and enlisted in the navy, where he soon received the rank of midshipman.

Between 1759 and 1767 Cook explored the banks of the St. River. Lawrence, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. The accuracy of his maps and observations attracted the attention of the Royal Geographical Society and the Admiralty, who selected him for a special assignment. Together with Charles Green, an astronomer of the Geographical Society, he was supposed to observe the passage of the planet Venus through the disk of the Sun on June 3, 1769 from the island of Tahiti. Cook then had to go southwest to search for the hypothetical Southern Continent and explore New Zealand, the eastern coast of which was discovered in 1642 by the Dutch sailor Abel Tasman. Cook's spacious flat-bottomed ship "Whitby" with a carrying capacity of 368 tons, renamed "Endeavor", sailed to Cape Horn on August 26, 1768.

It must be said that this was the first time that an expedition with so many scientists on board was sent to the vast expanses of the Pacific Ocean. On board the Endeavor was Joseph Banks, an amateur botanist of the Royal Geographical Society, as well as Swedish naturalists Solander and Spering, two artists, and their assistants - a total of 11 people. In addition, Cook himself was an excellent cartographer and astronomer.

Endeavor left Plymouth in August 1768. In June of the following year, it reached Tahiti, where the planned observation of celestial bodies took place. It would seem that the task was completed, but Cook had a secret package at his disposal, which ordered him to go further south - to 40 degrees south latitude. There, the Endeavor crew had to search for Terra Australis Incognita, an unknown southern land.

James Cook, 1775 Nathaniel Dance
In search of this continent, James Cook brought his ship to the shores of New Zealand, discovered by Abel Tasman back in 1642. Just as in the case of the Dutch explorer, the reaction of the indigenous Maori population turned out to be extremely hostile. But, since the British were ready for such a reception, there were no casualties among the newcomers, although several islanders were killed in the skirmish. Cook decided to explore the New Zealand coastline in detail. As a result of a four-month voyage around the North Island and a seven-week one around the South Island, a surprisingly accurate map of this land was born.

On April 29, 1770, the heavy and clumsy ship Endeavor dropped anchor in the waters of a charming bay. Joseph Banks was so amazed by the picture of dozens of plants that appeared to him, unknown to the science of that time, that he persuaded Cook to rename the already seemingly named bay. Since then it has been called Botanical, that is, Botany Bay.

Botany Bay, Bear Island Fort
In his logbook, Cook identified the land as very pleasant to look at, very varied and very tranquil. The ship stayed in this harbor for 8 days. During this time, Joseph Banks compiled descriptions of many new plants, as well as the customs of the local population, which he could not classify as either Polynesians or blacks. The Aborigines were initially hostile to the British, but shots into the air from guns were able to calm them down. There were no further conflicts with indigenous Australians.

A few kilometers north of Botany Bay, James Cook discovered a wide natural passage into a huge natural harbor - Port Jackson. In his report, the researcher described it as an ideal place for the safe anchorage of many ships. The report was not forgotten, and many years later it was here that the first Australian city, Sydney, was founded.

Captain Cook's Cottage
It took Cook the next four months to climb up to the Gulf of Carpentaria, to an area called New Holland. The navigator draws up a detailed map of the coastline of the future Australia. Dozens of new names appear on the map - bays, bays, capes, which receive new English names. Ministers and princes, lords, cities and provinces of Great Britain - they all acquire Australian counterparts.

Having not quite happily passed the Great Barrier Reef, the Endeavor finally reaches the northern tip of Australia. Many times the ship was on the verge of destruction, but the skill of the crew and captain usually helped to avoid serious problems. Only once did luck turn away from the pioneers. On June 17, the Endeavor hit a reef and nearly sank. This happened near the modern city of Cooktown. Repairing the ship took seven weeks. And now this place, in memory of those distant events, is called Cape Tribulation, that is, the Cape of Misfortune. This place is famous throughout the world for its rain forest. This is the only place on the planet where the Rhine Forest grows directly into the ocean. The tropical forest literally touches its roots with coral reefs.

On August 22, 1770, James Cook, on behalf of King George III, solemnly proclaimed the land he had explored as the possession of Great Britain and called it New South Wales. Most likely, this was because the terrain in these parts reminded the intrepid sailor of the coast of Glamorgan in South Wales. With a sense of accomplishment, James Cook sent his ship to Batavia, and then to England, where universal recognition, a meeting with the king and a promotion in rank awaited him. On July 13, 1771, the Endeavor reached Plymouth.

Interestingly, Captain Cook found no fresh water in New South Wales. Apparently because he did not go far into the continent. But this served as a reason to later write in the report that he compiled upon his return to England that this land was unsuitable for life. Fortunately, this was a rare case when the renowned explorer was wrong. There was fresh water here, but it fell to someone else to find it. This was undertaken by the captain of the first fleet, Sir Arthur Phillip, who arrived here with a party of prisoners 18 years after Cook declared New South Wales part of the British Empire.

James Cook Monument, Hawaii
The eastern part of Australia was declared the territory of the British Empire. On January 26, 1788, the first colony, New South Wales, was founded there. As the population grew in the 19th century, five more self-governing colonies were founded in Australia. On January 1, 1901, these six colonies became a federation, forming the Commonwealth of Australia. Since that time, Australia has maintained a stable democratic system of government, remaining part of the Commonwealth Realms.

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