Hocken. — Earliest Literature relating to N.Z. 623 



and Banks, and probably of Solander, were intrusted to him 

 to weld or weave together in the most skilful and agreeable 

 manner he could. This must have been a difficult task. 

 Cook, though a genius, had not, to use his own words, "the 

 advantage of much school education," nor "the plausibility 

 of a professed bookmaker." And this is quite apparent on 

 perusing his original journal, which, curiously enough, first 

 saw the light but last year, and to which I shall again pre- 

 sently refer. Interesting as it undoubtedly is, much of it 

 relates to those purely nautical matters of w r hich every cap- 

 tain takes daily note in his log. Banks's journal has not yet 

 been published, though there are perhaps three or four manu- 

 script copies extant, one of which I have had the advantage 

 of seeing. He wrote this journal when a young man of 

 twenty-five. Later on in life, and though President of the 

 Boyal Society and a Mscenas, he showed no special literary 

 ability, and it is therefore fair to conclude that his journal 

 suffered no injury from Dr. Hawkesworth's treatment, and, 

 at any rate, Banks himself uttered no complaint. Altogether, 

 I am of opinion that our judgment may reverse that of one 

 hundred and twenty years ago, and that we may consider 

 Hawkesworth's account as a complete and able one. To this 

 day, however, some critics repeat the old charges. It must 

 not be forgotten, too, that both Cook and Hawkesworth had 

 bitter enemies, who hurled some of the shafts of this enven- 

 omed criticism. That able man, Alexander Dalryrnple, Hy- 

 drographer to the Admiralty, was one. He held the opinions 

 strongly that when the expedition for South Sea discovery 

 was fitted out its command should be conferred upon himself, 

 as one specially fitted for it, and also that, without doubt, 

 there existed in the Southern Hemisphere an undiscovered 

 continent. Hence, when Cook was appointed to the com- 

 mand, and especially when the keel of the " Endeavour " 

 passed over the site of this supposed continent, these opinions 

 were magnified into grievances, which Dalrymple plainly sets 

 forth in a rare letter or pamphlet addressed to Dr. Hawkes- 

 worth. In this, he accuses him of having made groundless 

 and illiberal imputations in his account of the voyages, which 

 he then proceeds to slaughter in a very merciless manner. 

 He further reiterates his belief in the continent, although 

 Cook had sailed more than 20° south of the coast-line laid 

 down in a chart constructed by himself prior to the sailing of 

 the expedition. 



Every precaution was taken that no account of the voyage, 

 however brief, should appear before that under the auspices 

 of the Admiralty. The public curiosity was keen, and its edge 

 was not to be dulled. Naval officers are to this day for- 

 bidden to publish their journals without permission of the 



