26 THE LIFE OF SIR JOSEPH BANKS 



How far Cook was involved in these disagreements 

 is not known. It would appear that his relations with 

 Banks were a little strained. He writes from the Cape 

 of Good Hope (November 18, 1772) : " Dear sir, some 

 cross circumstances which happened at the latter part 

 of the equipment of the Resolution created, I have reason 

 to think, a coolness between you and me. But I can by 

 no means think it was sufficient to me to break off all 

 correspondence with a man I am under many obligations 

 to, . . ." and proceeds with a gossipy relation of some 

 marine incidents, including a sad tale of some bad- 



Instead of having provided a ship in which an extraordinary number of 

 people might be accommodated, they had chosen one with a low and 

 small cabin and remarkably low between decks. This I objected to, 

 and was answered that it could not nor should not be remedied. With 

 this answer I went immediately to Lord Sandwich, who having advised 

 with several people ordered the cabin to be raised eight inches for our 

 convenience, and a spar deck to be laid the whole length of the ship for 

 the accommodation of the people. This order I suppose vext the Navy 

 Board ; for, from that time they never ceased to pursue me with every 

 obstacle they could throw in my way, and at last overthrew my design. 

 First, to the proposed alterations they added a round-house for the 

 Captain to be built over all this ; and all other alterations they made 

 with timber so heavy and strong that the top of the round-house was 

 literally thicker than the. gun-deck of the ship. This though I saw I 

 could not remedy. The ship was made so crank by it that she could not 

 go to sea. Some of the oldest sea-officers, who I believe were jealous 

 that discovery should go out of their line, procured an order that the 

 ship might be reduced to her original state. In this situation then I 

 was again offered the alternative to go or let it alone, with a great deal 

 of coolness however ; for I now had inadvertently opened to them every 

 idea of discovery which my last voyage had suggested to me, and thence 

 they thought themselves able to follow without my assistance now they 

 had once got possession of them. 



" As the alterations which they had made rendered it impossible for 

 my people to be lodged, or to do their respective duties, I resolved to 

 refuse to go, and wrote a letter to Lord Sandwich, a copy of which is 

 inserted in the Appendix, stating my reasons. 



" I shall now give a list of the people who I had at my own expense 

 engaged as assistants in this undertaking : 



" Dr. Solander : now well known in the learned world as my assistant 

 in Natural History. 



Mr. John Fredk. Miller ^ 



Mr. James Miller }- Draughtsmen for Natural History. 



Mr. Cleveley 



