(Captain James Cook)

One of the most important questions in evaluating the men that made up the Age of Exploration rests on their motivation.  Were they driven by visions of wealth or conquest as most were or was it the desire to map the 18^th century world for future generations? For the explorer, James Cook, it is in both categories.  In Hampton Sides latest work, THE WIDE WIDE SEA: IMPERIAL AMBITIONS, FIRST CONTACT AND THE FATEFUL FINAL VOYAGE OF CAPTAIN JAMES COOK, the author argues that Cook was a map maker and explorer, not a conqueror or colonizer.  A number of historians would dispute Side’s arguments, but it is clear that the worst elements of colonization manifested themselves after Cook’s death. 

For many, Cook has become the “Columbus of the Pacific,” something Sides has difficulty accepting.  The author argues in his introduction that after providing information about Cook’s earlier voyages he would focus on his third and last expedition presenting the Captain’s goals and assumptions in all their flawed complexity.  Sides’ monograph is not one of hagiography as he does not attempt to lionize or demonize his subject.  The goal was to describe “what transpired during his consequential, ambitious, and ultimately final voyage.”

(HMS Resolution)

It is clear that the credit that Cook earned in discovering certain geographical areas is mistaken as lands that figured into Cook’s drama were founded or settled earlier by other explorers like the ancient Polynesian wayfarers or Spanish sailors.  It is probably more accurate to argue that Cook and fellow seamen were merely visitors to the areas he is given credit for locating, not the discoverer of those regions.  As with all of his books, THE WIDE WIDE SEA is heavily researched, based on logs and journals prepared by Cook and other expedition participants, in addition to oral histories similar in his approach in previous books like; HELLHOUND ON HIS TRAIL, BLOOD AND THUNDER, AND IN THE KINGDOM OF ICE and others.  He has produced a fast paced adventure story that takes place on the high seas and is an important examination of the complexities and impact of the Age of Discovery.

Cook’s voyages can be described as one of cultural clashes as he and his crew came upon Polynesians, Inuit tribes, Alaskan natives, and other indigenous peoples.  In coming in contact with indigenous peoples many misunderstandings occurred as the concept of private property held by Europeans conflicted with the idea of communal sharing held by native peoples.  Unfortunately, what one group saw as sharing in communal fashion, the other saw as theft which at times resulted in violent punishment.

Sides begins his story with a character portrayal of Cook  who is described as adopting Quaker values from his training – temperance, frugality, modesty, truthfulness, and a ferocious work ethic and a disdain for arrogance and ostentation, all features of his personality that appear throughout the book.   He was very direct and always strove for simplicity.  Interestingly Sides points out that we know little of his emotional world despite the many journals little of it shines through.  “There were depths, but the soundings were few…. he was describes as a navigational machine.”  Sides goes on to describe Cook’s approach to navigation  and command allowing the reader to feel they have gotten to know him somewhat – which is useful in gaining an understanding of his decision making and behavior.  He was far from being romantic, if he was anything it was as a professional map maker with little regard for sentiment as he tried to make sailing a science.  Cook was an unassuming man who was “respectful of local people and kept his ear attuned to what had come before.”

Overall Cook’s interaction with indigenous people were peaceful, but there were exceptions.  One in particular was extremely egregious as he was intolerant of theft.  He easily got along with native leaders and fostered trade with any tribe or group he came in contact with, however, if stealing was involved he became a different person and unleashed extreme punishments as was the case when a sextant was stolen on one of the Tahitian islands.  During Cook’s first two voyages he exhibited a high degree of tolerance of native populations and his own crew.  However, he seemed to change as the third voyage evolved, shocking his men.

One of the highlights of Sides’ commentary is his anthropological summations of the areas that Cook visited.  The description is a sailing itinerary that highlights the natives, their lifestyle, how they interacted with their crew, the types of flora and fauna, animals and other important items he came in contact with.  The sailing part is most interesting as Sides described the hazards and difficulties that Cook, and his crew confronted.  First and foremost were the many leaks that the HMS Resolution suffered.  It was obvious that the construction of the ship lacked quality and there was constant need to repair leaks.  Weather obviously was a challenge with high seas, extreme wind, fog, rocky coastlines, underwater obstacles, etc.  But even though Cook exhibited less leniency and patience he still maintained the respect of his crew for the most part.                      

Of the many characters that Sides introduces perhaps the most important was Mai, a native of Raiatea, a volcanic island 130 miles northwest of Tahiti who earlier was brought to England by Captain Tobias Fornaux of the HMS Adventure.  Mai had his own agenda for requesting passage to England dealing with the Bora Borans, the enemy of his people.  Aside from those details, Mai’s presence allows Sides to explore the Tahitian culture and social system.    Cook viewed Mai favorably but at times frowned upon his obsessions flaunting the wealth he acquired in London, and his decision making.  When the Admiralty decided Mai must return home Cook was given the charge to transport him and leave him in Tahiti during his voyage.  The Cook-Mai connection provides insights into the behavior of indigenous people and what motivated them.   Sides employs Mai as a beacon to describe the first two years of the voyage.  His language skills, planting, hunting talents, navigation mastery contribute to Cook’s early success and knowledge of native culture.  Once Mai left the expedition he would not live long, dying at age twenty-seven, and in the end was known as “the gentle savage.”

(Steel engraving death of Captain James Cook on 14 February 1779 on Hawaii)

Other characters are dealt with in depth including William Bligh, who Cook respected throughout the voyage.  Bligh would gain greater notoriety as the Captain of the HMS Bounty, which suffered a mutiny which became the subject of a fascinating novel written in 1932 by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall. Another important character was William Anderson, a surgeon whose curiosity would benefit mankind.  Captain Charles Clerke, Cook’s friend who led the HMS Resolution as part of the expedition.   John Ledyard, a Connecticut American who attended Dartmouth and had previously sailed to Gibraltar and the Barbary coast before being impressed into the British navy.  His written descriptions appear throughout the book and are a treasure to read as were the perceptive writings of Lieutenant John King, who would become Cook’s right hand man as they reached Hawaii after traveling down from the Arctic Circle.  King’s relationship with Cook was important as he became his sounding board as he was well read and a natural diplomat.

A key theme Sides develops centers around Cook’s instructions from the Admiralty which stressed the goal of locating the Northwest Passage across the top of North America.  Repeatedly Cook’s decisions were loyal to the Admiralty, though he did veer away from the overall plan periodically. A major example is his exploration of the Alaskan coast, the Bering Sea as he made his way to the Arctic.  Once there he realized that the ice was so extensive  at that time of year that it could not be penetrated.  He decided to sail south and return during a warmer season lengthening time frame. But as he made decisions, his instructions were his foremost concern.   The key to the expedition was to expand European power and would assist in laying the basis of later colonization even if that were not Cook’s personal goal.  Cook was an explorer-scientist, not an imperialist.

As the monograph evolves, Sides pays particular attention to explorers who came before Cook.  Credit is given to Spanish explorers and their findings, as is the work of George Vancouver who was part of Cook’s crew, who fourteen years later discovered the city and islands that bear his name, but as far as the Russians were concerned their expeditions produced inaccurate maps that Cook had to correct as he transversed the coastline of Alaska.   Sides also stressed the role of the American revolution which was occurring simultaneously and its impact on Cook’s expedition.                         

(James Cook’s three Pacific voyages).

Cook’s personal decline leading to moral collapse by the third year of the voyage is a matter of debate among historians.  But one can never discount his journals and ship logs, which dedicate hundreds of thousands of words to oceanic data as Cook was a “navigational machine.”  Cook’s death is shrouded in violence as he revisited Hawaii on his return voyage.   As Doug Bock Clark points out in his New York Times review entitled “Capt. Cook’s final voyage to the Pacific islands gets a close examination,” June 9, 2024, p. 22 ;  “ In the end, Mai got his guns home and shot his enemies, and the Hawaiians eventually realized that Cook was not a god. After straining their resources to outfit his ships, Cook tried to kidnap the king of Hawaii to force the return of a stolen boat. A confrontation ensued and the explorer was clubbed and stabbed to death, perhaps with a dagger made of a swordfish bill.

The British massacred many Hawaiians with firearms, put heads on poles and burned homes. Once accounts of these exploits reached England, they were multiplied by printing presses and spread across their world-spanning empire. The Hawaiians committed their losses to memory. And though the newest version of Cook’s story includes theirs, it’s still Cook’s story that we are retelling with each new age.”

(Captain James Cook)