88 NORTHMOST AUSTRALIA 



together with all the Bays, Harbours, Rivers and Islands, situated upon the said 

 Coast ; after which we fired 3 Volleys of small Arms, which were answer'd by the like 

 number from the Ship." 



It would have been more correct, dramatically, if the ceremony 

 had been performed on the mainland, but the reason for the use 

 of the island is sufficiently explained by the passage from Cook's 

 diary above quoted. 



On the summit of the highest hill in POSSESSION ISLAND, and 

 therefore practically on the spot where Cook planted his flagstaff, 

 a vein of AURIFEROUS QUARTZ was discovered by Mr. J. T. Embley 

 in 1895 and worked by him and others for some years afterwards. 1 

 It is safe to say that had the discovery been made by Captain Cook 

 the development of Australia would have proceeded from north 

 to south instead of from south to north. By what apparently 

 trivial circumstances the currents of historical events may be 

 directed into one channel or another ! 



Ten men were observed on a hill in POSSESSION ISLAND, and one 

 of them appeared to have a BOW AND ARROWS. Cook, however, 

 confessed that the observation was of doubtful value, having been 

 made with glasses and from a considerable distance. Subsequent 

 observations have proved bows and arrows to be foreign to the 

 mainland of Australia. 



His task accomplished, Cook rounded the southern cape of 

 Prince of Wales Island and set his course to the north-west. One 

 more LANDING was made in Australian waters, at BOOBY ISLAND, 

 on 2$rd August, 1770. On his homeward voyage, he visited New 

 Guinea, Timor, Java and the Cape of Good Hope, and reached 

 Dover on I2th June, 1771. In after years, and far from Cape 

 York Peninsula, he was fated to win further laurels and the crown 

 of martyrdom. 



The passage discovered by Cook is now known as Endeavour 

 Strait, and is the southmost of the nine passages through the 

 islands and reefs lying between Australia and New Guinea recog- 

 nised as practicable by the modern cartographers of the Admiralty. 

 The question of its identity with the passage through which Torres 

 found his way in 1606 has already been discussed at some length, 

 and there can be no reasonable doubt that TORRES and COOK 

 deserve the credit of having made genuine and DISTINCT DISCOVERIES, 

 although the existence of a strait was known even before Torres. 



Chiefly for the reason that the story of Cook is the best known 

 of all the Australian explorers, it has been judged unnecessary to 

 present to the reader anymore than a brief account of his experiences 

 in the Cape York Peninsula. This chapter may fitly close with the 

 less known story, " in lighter vein," of how nearly another than 

 Cook came to being in command of the " Endeavour." 



ALEXANDER DALRYMPLE, a younger brother of Sir John Dal- 



i See Chapter LXXXVII. 



