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Captain Cook and Mr Banks go shore (2011)
The Captain Cook Trio
1.04 x 1.5m
The Captain Cook Trio
1.04 x 1.5m
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| Captain Cook and Mr Banks go ashore The Captain Cook Trio (2011) (Detail 1) |
Captain Cook and Mr Banks go ashore The Captain Cook Trio (2011) (Detail 2) |
Captain Cook and Mr Banks go ashore The Captain Cook Trio (2011) (Detail 3) |
Notes:
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The work: I saw a TV show about the amazing voyages James Cook made. A replica of his boat the Endeavour is moored at Sydney and I had a close look at it. From this the trio of Captain Cook works evolved. Australian context: The story of Cook's first voyage around the world - from his own journal - can be read online (courtesy of Gutenberg.org). Chapter 8 addresses the voyage around the east coast of Australia, including the first landfall (29 April 1770), the grounding of the Endeavour on a reef (10 June 1770), and the naming of Cook's passage (14 August 1770 ) after sighting it from the top of Lizard Island. In April 1770, the Cook expedition became the first reported Europeans to reach the east coast of Australia, making landfall on the shore of what is now known as Botany Bay (close to what eventually became Sydney). Here, Captain Cook and Mr Banks went ashore. The landing was opposed by the indigenous people who witnessed it, and one of the natives was shot. Sunday 29th
Saw, as we came in, on both points of the bay, several of the Natives and a few hutts; Men, Women, and Children on the South Shore abreast of the Ship, to which place I went in the Boats in hopes of speaking with them, accompanied by Mr. Banks, Dr. Solander, and Tupia. As we approached the Shore they all made off, except 2 Men, who seem'd resolved to oppose our landing. As soon as I saw this I order'd the boats to lay upon their Oars, in order to speak to them; but this was to little purpose, for neither us nor Tupia could understand one word they said. We then threw them some nails, beads, etc., a shore, which they took up, and seem'd not ill pleased with, in so much that I thought that they beckon'd to us to come ashore; but in this we were mistaken, for as soon as we put the boat in they again came to oppose us, upon which I fir'd a musquet between the 2, which had no other Effect than to make them retire back, where bundles of their darts lay, and one of them took up a stone and threw at us, which caused my firing a Second Musquet, load with small Shott; and altho' some of the shott struck the man, yet it had no other effect than making him lay hold on a Target. Immediately after this we landed, which we had no sooner done than they throw'd 2 darts at us; this obliged me to fire a third shott, soon after which they both made off, but not in such haste but what we might have taken one; but Mr. Banks being of Opinion that the darts were poisoned, made me cautious how I advanced into the Woods. The colonial era of Australia had begun.
NOTE: An excellent resource for visualising Cook's journey has been made available by Colin Hazlehurst at captainjamescook.wordpress.com.
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