Holograph journal of Captain James Cook on HMS Resolution (605 ff.), 10 February 1776-06 January 1779

 
Component identifier:
File Egerton MS 2177A
Content Summary:

The journal begins with Cook receiving his commission to command the Resolution and the preparations for the voyage. It records the departure from Plymouth (12 July 1776) and the voyage to Cape Town, Kerguelen, Adventure Bay, Van Diemen's Land (Jan. 1777), Queen Charlotte Sound (Feb. 1777), the Friendly Islands (May – July 17777), Tahiti (Aug. – Sept. 1777), Huahine (Oct. 1777), the Sandwich Islands [Hawaii] (Jan. –Feb. 1778), New Albion (March – Nov. 1778), Alaska, Arctic Ocean, Aleutian Islands, and the Sandwich Islands (Nov. 1778 – Jan. 1779). The last entry was written about five weeks before Cook was killed at Kealakekua Bay.

The journal appears to have been written with the eventual publication in mind and is more polished, and is more of a narrative, than is the case with Cook's earlier journals. He concentrated on the countries and islands that he visited, while the entries written when the ship was at sea are relatively brief. As with his other journals, there are occasional blanks left for figures.

Processing information:
M1581

Online content

Access and use

Parent Restrictions:
Available for Access.
Parent Terms of Access:
Readers wishing to publish or reproduce documents should seek permission, in the first instance, from the British Library. For more information visit: How I use the images I order?-The British Library [https://www.bl.uk/help/how-can-i-use-the-images-i-order].
Location of this collection:
Parkes Place
Canberra ACT 2600, Australia
Contact: