This
large finely engraved original antique print a view of
twin hulled canoe and fishing scene on the Island of
Raiatea in the French Polynesian group, south of Bora
Bora was engraved by Edward Rooker
- after Sydney Parkinson - drawn during Cooks 1st
voyage of Discovery to the South Seas - was published in the 1773
1st English edition of
Hawkesworth's Voyages. Please also note this orginal
print is part of the 1st English edition and not part of
subsequent French and European editions. (please read further below).
Background: The first European to
record sighting Ra'iātea was Pedro Fernandez de Quirós
in 1606; it was charted as Fugitiva. The
Polynesian navigator, Tupaia, who sailed with explorer
James Cook, was born in Ra'iātea around 1725. Omai
(c.1751-1780), another young man from Ra'iātea,
travelled with European explorers to London in 1774 and
also served as an interpreter to Captain Cook on his
second and third journey.
John
Hawkesworth.
"An Account of the voyages undertaken by
the order of His Present Majesty for making discoveries
in the southern hemisphere, and successively performed
by Commodore Byron, Captain Wallis, Captain Carteret and
Captain Cook, in the Dolphin, the Swallow,
and the Endeavour".....
London, 1773.
This official three-volume account of the first voyage
was edited by John Hawkesworth, who had succeeded Dr.
Samuel Johnson in 1744 as compiler of the parliamentary
debates for the The Gentleman's Magazine. The
first volume contains accounts of the voyages of Byron,
Wallis, and Carteret. The second and third volumes are
entirely concerned with Cook's voyage, based upon
material drawn from journals kept by Cook and the papers
of Joseph Banks.
As with the unofficial accounts published at the time of
Cooks voyages, this work was immensely popular. Three
separate three-volume editions were published in English
in 1773 and four additional English printings appeared
by 1789. German, Dutch, and French translations were
also published beginning in 1774. In addition to the
written account of the voyage, the two volumes related
to Cook's voyage include 31 illustrations, charts, and
maps.
Cook's First Voyage
(1768-1771)
The first voyage under
Captain James Cook's command was primarily of a
scientific nature. The expedition on the Endeavour
initially sailed to Tahiti to observe the transit of the
planet Venus in order to calculate the earth's distance
from the sun.
Another purpose of the voyage was to explore the South
Seas to determine if an inhabitable continent existed in
the mid-latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere. Upon
leaving Tahiti, Cook named and charted the Society
Islands and then continued southwest to New Zealand. His
circumnavigation and exploration of that country also
resulted in a detailed survey. Cook proceeded to
Australia, where he charted the eastern coast for 2,000
miles, naming the area New South Wales. As a result of
these surveys, both Australia and New Zealand were
annexed by Great Britain.
Cook's Second Voyage (1772-1775)
Two ships were employed with
Cook commanding the Resolution and Captain Tobias
Furneaux in charge of the Adventure. The purpose
was to circumnavigate the globe as far south as possible
to confirm the location of a southern continent. Cook
proved that there was no "Terra Australis," which
supposedly was located between New Zealand and South
America. Cook was convinced, however, that there was
land beyond the southern ice fields. In his pursuit of
this idea, this expedition was the first European voyage
to cross the Antarctic Circle.
Cook's Third Voyage (1776-1779)
Cook's third voyage was
organized to seek an efficient route from England to
southern and eastern Asia that would not entail rounding
the Cape of Good Hope. Cook, again in command
of the Resolution, was to approach the Northwest
Passage from the Pacific accompanied by a second ship,
the Discovery, captained by Charles Clerke. The
ships left England separately, regrouped at Cape Town,
and continued on to Tasmania, New Zealand, and Tahiti.
The expedition then sailed north and made landfall at
Christmas Island and the Hawaiian Islands. Cook
continued northward and charted the west coast of North
America from Northern California as far as the Bering
Strait. He returned to Hawaii for the winter and was
killed in a skirmish with natives on February 14, 1779.
(Ref Tooley M&B)
General Description:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color: - off white
Age of map color: -
Colors used: -
General color appearance: -
Paper size: - 19in x 10 1/4in (480mm x 260mm)
Plate size: - 19in x 9 1/2in (480mm x 240mm)
Margins: - 1/2in (12mm)
Imperfections:
Margins: - Light soiling in margins, small repair bottom
margin corner
Plate area: - Folds as issued, light soiling & crease
along folds
Verso: - Light soiling
If you wish to discuss this or any other item
please email or call...Simon
61 (0) 409 551910 Tel
simon@classicalimages.com