Journal of Captain Cook's voyage round the world in HMS ENDEAVOUR, 1768-1771.

Journal of Captain Cook's voyage round the world in HMS ENDEAVOUR, (see appendix), 1768-1771. Also accessible as microfilm (SMF/35).

The journal records weather conditions, courses taken and wind directions. It also gives brief descriptions of peoples encountered, flora, fauna and landscapes. It is a contemporary or near contemporary copy of the original which is thought to be the volume in the National Library of Australia in Canberra which is in Cook's hand and has provenance through his wife.

This copy is in three, possibly four, different hands, has several different inks and also six different watermarks. The content is a composite of the ships journal and log and is not complete for the voyage. It is possible that it was copied out separately by different people and then put together later. One of these is thought to be Richard Orton who was Cook's clerk on the Endeavour.

It was kept at Windsor Castle for many years and was known as `the Queens’ copy’ but is unlikely to have been made for a queen. It could have been copied for Vice Admiral Sir Charles Paget whose name is at the top of the first page. The other possibility is August John Hervey, 3rd Earl of Bristol, a Lord of the Admiralty between 1771-1775 (also mentioned on the first page at the bottom). It was presented to the Museum in 1935 by Edward VIII.

Related Material:
http://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-JOD-00019/1 for a digitised copy of this item.

Journal of H.M.S. Endeavour, 1768-1771 [manuscript]. (nla.gov.au): https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-228958440?t=true

Record Details

Item reference: JOD/19
Catalogue Section: Manuscript volumes acquired singly by the Museum
Level: ITEM
Date made: 1768-1770; 1768-01-01 - 1771-12-31 1768-1771
Credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London. Presented by His Majesty King Edward VIII, 1935.