THE SHIP ENDEAVOUR

Taranaki Daily News, 30 December 1929, Page 9

THE SHIP ENDEAVOUR

COOK'S FIRST VOYAGE.

London, Nov. 18

About a year ago a farmer in New Zealand wrote to the High Commis-. sioner telling him that on a certain farm in Derbyshire, where the writer of the letter had worked, there was a figurehead which was supposed to be that of Captain Cook’s 370-ton ship Endeavour. The writer suggested that it might be possible to buy the figurehead for the Auckland Museum. The High Commissioner made inquiries, and found that the figurehead, in a neglected condition, was still available. There was no definite proof of the origin of the article, and the matter was dropped. The High Commissioner acted on behalf of the correspondent' in New Zealand, and not on account of the Government.

Since then a dealer of Sheffield seems to have bought it. It is reported that the first owner of the figurehead after the Endeavour was broken up was Sir Hugh Palliser, First Lord of the Admiralty, at the time of Cook’s appointment to take charge of the expedition to the Pacific. The figure was handed down to successive generations of the Palliser family, and until the inquiries were made by the New Zealand- farmer remained unheard of by the general public. Now it appears that the High Commissioner's action in the matter lias been used to advertise the existence and alleged origin of the figurehead, and some misleading paragraphs have appeared in the provincial newspapers. Doubtless the story was telegraphed to New Zealand, and a message has been received here saying that Lieut - .- Coloncl C. H. Burton, late of the Royal Artillery, who now resides in the Dominion, has pointed out that the Endeavour carried no figurehead on her first voyage. The matter was referred to Professor Geoffrey Callender, of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, by a Daily Telegraph representative, and the Professor confirmed Colonel Burton’s statement.

Professor Callender, in proof of his assertion, referred to a lecture given by Mr. Laird Clowes to the members of the Royal Geographical Society, in which he produced a draft of the Endeavour, tlie original of which is in the possession of the Australian Pioneer Club at Sydney. This draft shows the lines of the ship most carefully drawn, and without any figurehead. He said: —

“The fate of old vessels is always extremely difficult to trace. People are frequently claiming to have discovered the fragments of a particular ship, ami if they say that some object or article of furniture is made from the timbers of a certain vessel, they know it is impossible to contradict the statement. In this instance, however, it can .be contradicted, as the Endeavour certainly carried no figurehead.” Captain Cook, Professor Callender continued, had his upbringing in the coal trade, and spent his earlier years on the collier barques plying between the North Country ports and London, which was the only city in those days to burn coal for domestic purposes. lie became famous as a navigator, and his reputation was firmly established after he had carried Wolfe up the St. Lawrence River on his memorable campaign.

When, therefore, the Admiralty appointed him to take charge of the expedition to the Pacific for the observation of (.lie transit uf Venue in 1768. Captain Cook chose for the purpose one of his "native” eraft—the stout

oak-built vessels of his own coast. So

it. was that a plain old collier barque — without any figurehead or ornament — was modestly named Endeavour, and set sail on her momentous expedition.

It was, no doubt, the plain appearance of the vessel that accounted for the annoyance caused to Captain Cook on reaching Rio do Janeiro on hie outward voyage. The Viceroy was unwilling to believe that the Endeavour was really a King's ship, and armed guard boats kept a watchful eye on the craft throughout her stay in harbour. Professor Callender pointed out that one could hardly expect to find any remnants of the Endeavour, as she was replaced by the Resolution, in which tho great navigator made his second and third voyages, and it was tho latter vessel which brought back the news of his death. People, ho said, often confused the two. Tho .Resolution survived until 1 laUHn the post century.