coo 



195 



COO 



Cook, been ; there was less cordiality and frankness, and a 

 "•"Y~"~ stronger and more systematic tendency to pilfer. Cap- 

 tain Cook could not account for this change ; it morti- 

 fied him extremely to perceive himself under the neces- 

 sity of guarding against, and punishing, the thefts of 

 those, of whose character he had formed such an high 

 opinion. He soon found, however, that the utmost 

 strictness and severity were absolutely indispensible, 

 if he wished the ships and crew to be preserved from 

 utter plunder ; every day the natives stole something, 

 and even when they were detected and punished, their 

 thefts became more insolent and daring ; at last they 

 seized upon, and earned off a large cutter belonging to 

 the Resolution. The most decisive and strong mea- 

 sures were adopted by Captain Cook ; he ordered two 

 boats to intercept the canoes which should endeavour 

 to leave the bay, and, if necessary, to fire upon them. 

 On all similar occasions, one of his first objects was to 

 seize the person of the king or chief. This plan he de- 

 termined to follow now, and for that purpose he went 

 on shore himself with an armed force. Notwithstand- 

 ing the change in the disposition and behaviour of the 

 natives, the reason they knew they had given for the 

 anger of the English, and the suspicion and alarm which 

 the armed men must have excited, they received him 

 with their accustomed respect ; but this was completely 

 destroyed as soon as they perceived that their king was 

 a prisoner. Every thing now bore the appearance of 

 the most angry and determined hostility ; a crowd ga- 

 thered round Captain Cook, and made use of the most 

 menacing gestures ; as he persevered in detaining the 

 king, and in carrying him on board the Resolution, others 

 of the natives ran for their arms. In this critical situ- 

 ation, the men who were left in the boat fired upon 

 and killed one of the chiefs ; as soon as this was known, 

 the crowd round Captain Cook increased in numbers 

 and in violence, and such an implacable spirit was 

 shewn, that he thought it prudent to liberate the king, 

 and turn his whole thoughts to the safety of himself 

 and his men. But it was now too late ; many of the 

 natives did not perceive that their king was liberated, 

 and the anger and desire of revenge in those who did, 

 was roused too high to be allayed by this measure, 

 which they probably ascribed solely to fear and compul- 

 sion. Captain Cook pushed forward towards the shore, 

 off which a boat was lying to protect him, and receive 

 him on board ; every minute his situation.became more 

 alarming ; his progress was impeded by the crowd ; 

 stones were thrown — the marines fired — the savages 

 rushed upon them, and nearly overwhelmed them. 

 The strength of Captain Cook by this time was nearly 

 exhausted by pushing through the crowd, and protect- 

 ing himself from their attacks ; he might, however, 

 probably have escaped, had not the boat in waiting 

 drawn farther off. Even in this crisis of personal pe- 

 ril, he was more anxious for the safety of his men than 

 of himself; they all got on board, he alone remained on 

 the shore ; the blow of a club staggered him ; he fell 

 on one knee, and as he was rising, a stab was given 

 him ; he fell again into the water, and after struggling 

 for some time with the savages, who held him down, 

 he was dispatched by a blow with a club. As soon as 

 he was dead, all were eager to plunge their daggers 

 into his body j and after they had thus glutted then- 

 revenge, they carried it offin triumph. Captain Clarke, 

 who succeeded to the command of the expedition, made 

 every effort to recover the remains of Captain Cook ; 

 but only his bones were obtained, and these were com- 



Cooper. 



mitted to the deep amidst the heart-felt grief of all Cookery 

 those who had served with him. 



Captain Cook was above the common size ; his coun- 

 tenance was expressive, but rather austere. His man- 

 ners were plain, simple, and manly. His natural dis- 

 position, and the habits of his professional life, rather 

 inclined him to be peremptory and hasty ; but his 

 good sense, his knowledge of mankind, and above all 

 his humanity and benevolence, soon bore down this 

 tendency. His talents were of the most useful kind ; 

 he saw clearly and deeply into whatever interested him ; 

 and his designs were accordingly bold and extensive. 

 When these were formed, he expressed no doubt about 

 their execution, for the same perspicuity and orderly 

 arrangement of thought which enabled him to form 

 the designs, also enabled him to devise the most simple 

 and effectual mode of executing them. In the execu- 

 tion he was equally distinguished ; no difficulty per- 

 plexed him, no danger appalled him ; the talents and 

 knowledge he possessed were always completely at his 

 command, when they were most needed ; and, for great 

 designs, he Avas also qualified by the constitution of his 

 body, which was robust, inured to labour, and capable 

 of supporting the greatest fatigue and hardships. No 

 food, however coarse, was ungrateful to his palate, or 

 unacceptable to his stomach. 



As a navigator, he was of the highest order, whether 

 we contemplate the discoveries he made, or the means 

 by wluch they were accomplished. That England did 

 not partially overrate his merits, was abundantly and 

 most unequivocally testified, by the honours which 

 were bestowed upon his memory by foreign nations. 



Captain Cook left a widow and three sons, upon 

 whom pensions were settled. The sons were brought 

 up in the service of their country ; one of them was 

 lost at sea, and the other two fell honourably in her 

 cause. See Kippis' Life of Cook. (w. s.) 



COOKERY. See Aliments. 



COOKIA, a genus of plants of the class Diandria, 

 and order Monogynia. See Botany, p. 21 1. 



COOLING. See Alcarazzas, Chemistry, p. 33, 

 34-, Cold, and Heat. 



COOPER, Anthony Ashley, first earl of Shaftes- 

 bury, was one of the most prominent characters among 

 the English politicians of the seventeenth century. He 

 was born in 16'21, in Dorsetshire. His father was a 

 baronet ; and young Anthony, being an only son, in- 

 herited, along with the title, a large landed property, 

 said to amount to L. 8000 a-year ; an extraordinary 

 sum in these days. After receiving the rudiments of 

 education at home, he was sent, at fifteen, to Oxford, 

 and afterwards to Lincoln's Inn. His education seems 

 to have been very well conducted, and his mind direct- 

 ed to serious study, at an age when inheritors of for- 

 tune cannot, in general, be withheld from a very diffe- 

 rent course. He was returned a member of parlia- 

 ment so early as 1640, when only in his nineteenth- 

 year. A few years afterwards, we find him taking 

 part with the king in the civil war, and venturing, ac- 

 cording to Mr Locke, to recommend to Charles t» 

 grant the commons a redress of their grievances, as 

 the only effectual method of terminating the war. " I 

 entreat your majesty," he said to the king at Oxford, 

 " to empower me to treat with the parliament garri- 

 sons ; to grant them an assurance that, arms being 

 laid down on both sides, a general amnesty shall rein- 

 state all things in the posture they were in before the 

 war, and that a free parliament shall do what remain* 



