THE COLONIST. Published Every Morning. Tuesday, February 9, 1909.

Colonist, Volume LI, Issue 12460, 9 February 1909, Page 2

THE COLONIST. Published Every Morning. Tuesday, February 9, 1909.

' THE MEMORY OF,CAPTAIN ; .: COOK. ' A ludicrous blunder perpetrated by a northern' town in. introducing original economies into its tribute to the illus-trious-dead, -is being repaired. The district- in question haying-been associated with the discoveries of Captain. Cook, decided a short time ago to erect a monument to his memory, and there being at the time no memorial to the local Contingenters who fell during tEe South African :war,: it^was sought to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak, and the names of the deceased troopers were accordingly inscribed in letters of gold upon the pedestal of the Cook monu- : ment, and it was not until a storm of protest and ridicule arose at the incongruity of it.that those who prompted the arrangement realised that they had.done anything out of the ordinary.' , The: tablet bearing the names of tlie troopers is now to be removed from the pedestal and. erected in a more suitable place, leaving the monument an undivided tribute- to the great navigator. Most of the places in New Zealand at which Cook touched in the course of his voyages have been provided with enduring memorials of the event, and it is probable'that the future New Zealander will grow up with a greater respect ■for his memory than generations to come in England, who is allowing the exploits of her greatest voyageur to "becoms ixnerely a tradition. Against' this Sir TT. A. Carruthers made a complaint a-short time ago, and the English Press admits that the country has been remiss. London, "The Times" confesses, has not hitherto commemorated the life work of Captain" Cook by any public statue, tablet, or monument, and the only substantial memorial apparently is one on the top of Easby-Moor, in the neighbourhood of his birthplace, Marton, in Cleveland, where "Cook's Monument," a tall, plain column, can be seen far and wide hr the district. London, however, is not without por;traits: of Captain Cook. When he returned in 1774 from his expedition in 1 search of' the unknown''southern continent, a contemporary remarks, he was promoted to the rank of. postcaptain, and was appointed captain , of Greenwich Hospital.- It is at Greenwich, in the Painted Hall, that tho finest portrait'of the explorer hangs. The picture was _ painted during 1776 by Sir Nathaniel Dance, R.A., and has been pronounced by those,who knew Captain Cook to be an excellent likeness. He is repre-.. serited as sitting at a table on which is a chart, and he wears his captain's uniform." There are at least six or •seven other portraits in existence. One was painted by an Italian named Chisor, and there is an engraving of it in the British Museum. It represents the full length figure of- a very tall man in uniform. There is also a portrait by W. Hodges, ac< companied the Resolution on its; first voyage, and an engraving of this was published wi bh the ' 'HiSEory of the Voyage." This portrait; however, Is disappointing; Mr Kitson says that "the Book of Beauty style of eye with which the face has-been endowed gives the impression of a weakly sentimental character, and completely destroys its value as a portrait." There are in existence three portraits by James Webber, R.A., who was on board the resolution of the last voyage. One of ' these, a half-length, which is said to have been painted at the Cape of Good Hope, hang 8 in ; the National} Portrait Gallery ,• one of the'others is at the Trinity House, Hull, and one at Martdn Hall, Yorkshire. The sixth picture is in the Whiisby Museum, and is the work of an unknown artisti- The National gallery secured a .portrait which is said to have been painted specially for the Newfoundland ' Government »in 1767. Of all tnese portraits,, none, except that of Sir Nathaniel-Dance, can be said to be very flattering to the subject of them. It is believed at various . times a few -"busts • and statues Have, been executed for. private owners', 1 chiefly' from Dance's i portrait. There . are still in •existence 1 some-of the medals—one is at the British Mu,seum—which, were ; struck in Cook's honour by the SoyalSocietyj from a

lesign-by Lewis Fingo. It is curious ;o note, by-the-way, that Captain 3ook never received the "Copley" _ . gold medal, which was awarded to. pa turn by the Royal Society in 1776. He f a; bad left England at the time on th what proved to be his -last '■... voyage, *° and the medal was handed to Mrs p Cook. It is now in the British Mv- tr scum. " " ' ■ -. . on .vi> - — • m lit