James Cook's Voyage to Australia and The Subsequent British Colonization - Research Paper Example

? James cook voyage to Australia Introduction: James Cook has been an inspirational personality over the years and his greatness has been acclaimed around the world. His discoveries have been still studied in the modern times and have proved to be priceless over centuries. The paper discusses one of the voyages undertaken by him. James Cook’s voyage to Australia has been an important event in the history because of numerous reasons. The after effect of the voyage to Australia led to another historic event - colonization of Australia by the British. The paper emphasizes on the colonization which took place in the Botany Bay with a motive of settling the convicts of Britain. The hazards and the difficulties in the colonization process and the way the British settlers handled the issue under the guidance of their leader have been discussed. In studying the difficulties of the colonization, the interaction of the British with the native Aborigines of Australia has also been portrayed. Overall, the paper illustrates a detailed knowledge of the events occurred during the voyage of the James Cook and the subsequent incidents leading to the colonization of the British in the region of Australia. James Cook and his voyages: James Cook, an inhabitant of England, was born in the year 1728. He was one of the most popular explorers of the 17th century. He also made a mark in the history of the world for his navigation and cartographic skills. Cook was promoted as a captain in the Royal Navy. Cook navigated to different parts of the world and was popular for his three distinct voyages in the Pacific Ocean. He was also the first to observe a European connection with Australia along the eastern coastline. He also gained distinction in becoming the first person to circumnavigate the coast of New Zealand. The legacy of knowledge which James Cook had was very influential among his successors. His role in the political history of the world is also a matter of huge importance as he took a major role in opening up areas along the Pacific which led to the colonization. In the three voyages undertaken by James Cook he travelled thousands of miles and helped in the mapping of various lands starting from New Zealand and continuing till Hawaii. In his expeditions he was reputed for surveying and naming certain features which was not done before. He was instrumental in marking islands in the maps of Europe which was one of his significant contributions. James Cook’s talent in surveying came into the forefront when he successfully mapped the coast of Newfoundland in 1760. 1 He was the one who produced the large scale accurate maps of the island. His success in the very first voyage promoted him to the rank of a commander and was given the charge of identifying Terra Australis which was believed to exist in a place further from Australia. He was persuaded by Alexander Dalrymple who was a dignitary person belonging to the Royal society. During his second voyage he navigated along very high latitudes in the southern part and became the first person to cross the Antarctic Circle. In his expedition he took the possession over South Georgia and also surveyed and mapped the area. In his second voyage, Cook was also successful in the employment of the chronometer which helped him to study the accurate longitudinal positions. The chart of the Southern Pacific Ocean was made by the help of the chronometer and it gained so much accuracy level that those charts are still being used in the 21st century. He returned from the second voyage as a captain of the Royal Navy and he was felicitated with many awards and recognition programs. He was also declared to be the first navigator belonging from Europe in the House of Lords. Captain James Cook volunteered the third voyage in finding out the Northwest Passage. He set on for the voyage in the year 1776. During his last voyage James Cook became the first among the Europeans to visit the Hawaiian Islands. He also explored the western coast of the Northern part of America and he covered the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Vancouver Islands. After his stay near the Nootka Island, Cook continued with his exploration and mapped all the way till the Bering Strait. His final voyage was significant as in a single voyage he was successful in charting the North West coastline of the North America on the maps of the world. He also determined the extensive range of Alaska and confirmed on the northern extension of the Pacific. However towards the end of his third voyage he faced massive difficulties in sailing past the Bering Strait which caused him frustrations. He ended his voyage in the Hawaiian Island in the year 1779. James Cook’s contribution helped the new generation in the further exploration which occurred in the later years. His extensive skill of cartography helped to fill many portions in the maps of the world. 2 James Cook’s voyage to Australia: Captain James Cook’s voyage to Australia was not meant primarily for locating the country or finding out its exact position in the map of the world. He however reached Australia in his first voyage across the Pacific Ocean. The actual motive of the first voyage undertaken by Cook was to observe the planet Venus and record its journey around the sun. Cook was appointed by the Royal Society in England to undertake the voyage.3 The expedition started in the year 1768 from the coast of England. Cook carried out his voyage to Australia in the HMB Endeavour and he captained the 94 men in the ship. The observations regarding the planet Venus was made in Tahiti in the year 1769 after the ship crossed Cape Horn and travelled towards west to reach the destination. After the preliminary observations were made regarding the project of Venus, Captain James Cook was assigned the task of continuing his voyage by the Admiralty and was instructed to reach the southern continent and navigate and search the rich islands of the terra Australis. According to Captain James Cook, he reached the Poverty Bay on 7th of October and from there he continued the process of circumnavigating the whole of the New Zealand. Cook continued with his expedition and covered the coastline of New Zealand and successfully placed it in the map. After his travel of New Zealand was over he continued sailing towards west and finally reached Australia by hitting on the south eastern coast of the country4. On the 20th of April, 1770 James Cook had the first sight of Australia and he named the place as Point Hicks. The journey continued along the northern coast of Australia and the ship Endeavour reached an island and it lead to the discovery of the Botany Bay in the 29th of April.5 At the same day the ship was anchored at the Botany Bay and Captain James Cook landed in Australia. His arrival in Australia thus happened after a series of events and tasks performed by James Cook. After his landing in Australia, the botanist, Joseph Banks collected some of the unique samples from the region which also became popular in the field of Botany. His intention of arriving at the continent initiated much later in the voyage after studying the movement of Venus and successfully mapping down Australia. Thus his arrival in Australia followed a series of events and made his voyage a remarkable event in the history of the world. After reaching Australia he claimed the eastern coast of the country for the British Crown and also named it as New South Wales. The voyage undertaken by Captain Cook covered more than 8000 kilometers along the coast line of Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific. Though some of the regions traversed by James Cook were already known to the Europeans but the expedition conducted by him added to the accuracy in the maps which were used during that era. The voyage to Australia also involved some of the civilians along with the general crew members. It comprised of Joseph Banks, the naturalist and also consisted of various scientists who were involved in the study of botany and zoology in the various lands they reached in the voyage. The scientists travelling in the Endeavour also studied the nature and the culture of the people they met during their voyage. Cook’s voyage did not stop after reaching Australia. He continued with his journey and reached Torres Strait as he intended to solve the dispute whether there is a presence of any connection between the New Holland and New Guinea. During the voyage, Endeavour passed its hardest times when it escaped the dangers near the Great Barrier Reef. 6 After the escape the voyage continued till the northern coast of the Australia till a place known as Cape York. Overall, the voyage was a huge success as it covered a large part of New Zealand, Australia and Torres Strait. The mists of uncertainty which was there associated with the countries along the Pacific Ocean were resolved as a result of this expedition undertaken by Captain James Cook. The voyage of Australia and the exploration was complete and James Cook was back on his journey to England via Indonesia, Cape of Good Hope and Jakarta. However during the return many of his crew members collapsed due to various diseases. After his return James Cook was declared as a hero in the community of England and many of his journals published the story of his voyage. Cook’s landing in the Botany Bay also gained importance in the history as it was here where he first met the Aboriginal tribe who had black colors of skin and later it led to the colonization in the area. Other than the success of charting out New Zealand and Australia, the expedition also gained success in matters relating to the study of Venus and the identification of the secret land Terra Australis along with some high quality sample for the study of Botany. Colonization of Australia by British Empire: Motives for colonization: Captain James Cook’s voyage to Australia opened up a new era in the colonization of the British Empire. After the revolutionary war in America which resulted in the loss of American colonies, Britain needed a new place for setting up their colonies. The voyage of Captain James Cook thus found a solution to the problem which the British government faced in the later years post the American war. James Cook claimed the east coast of the possessed island and renamed eastern Australia as New South Wales. James Cook was ordered by the King George III of England to undertake such steps. The prime reason for the British undertaking of Australia can also be traced down to the fact that the prisons were getting overcrowded over the gradual passage of time and they needed space to accommodate them. There was a constant pressure for the humanitarians and the reformers regarding the deteriorating conditions of the prisoners all over Britain. 7 However this was not the sole reason for setting colonies in another part of the world. The real motive for the vast colonization of Australia was the expansion of the British power, trade speculations and to identify the mines which were present in the region. The recommendation of setting up a British colony in Australia was however carried out by Joseph Banks, the scientist who was a member of the voyage which James Cook had undertaken. Joseph Banks was also assisted by an American loyalist in his plans for the expansion of the British colonies in Australia. They framed the reason for the setting up of the colonies and provided a guideline for the colonization to take place. The American loyalist, Matra believed that the climatic condition in the region was suitable for the growth of various plantations like sugar, cotton and tobacco and also recommended that the quality of timber available in New Zealand would provide much value in trading.8 The area also could develop to be a base of trade in the Pacific region which would help England in the long run. The decision of colonization was also influenced by the outbreak of the Civil War in Netherlands which created the possibility of an attack over Britain by the strong naval power of Holland, France and Spain. The setting up of a colony in the areas around New South Wales appeared beneficial in this context as it would create the opportunity of the British to carry on their attacks against the Spanish present in the areas of South America and Philippines. All these reasons were cumulating and the British found that the setting up of the colony in Australia will provide benefit to them in every respect. They appointed General Arthur as the commander in Chief for the colonization process to start in Australia. Setting up of colonies: The British colonies set up in Australia comprised of the whole part of the eastern Australia and included the islands over the Pacific Ocean. Overall it included a vast portion of the country. The colony also covered a vast portion of the present Islands in New Zealand. The setting up of colony in the Australia however did not receive any opposition from the other countries. The colonization process eventually started in the year 1788. Britain had exhibited various forms of slavery in different parts of the world to set up their colonies and it became a trend with the British empires over the years. However in Australia the British Empire exhibited different policies. Resorting to the popular practice of slavery, the British used the help of convict labor for setting up the infrastructure in the newly conquered colonies. A large number of convicts had their skills as traders and farmers and they served their punishment in setting up the infrastructure in the colonies. The convicts were released on the completion of their punishment and were provided with lands so that they had the opportunity of farming to carry on with their livelihood. In 1788 the first colony was set up in the New South Wales under the guidance of Commander Arthur Philip. The ships were first harbored in the Botany Bay but due to difficulties in matter of settlement they landed in the Sydney Cove which was towards the north of the Botany Bay. For the colonization in Australia, a fleet of total 11 ships reached the Botany Bay carrying more than 750 convicts who were to be settled in the region along with civil servants and clergy men9. The colonization process received no obstruction also from the local people though initially they armed themselves to prevent them. But the local inhabitants finding no threats from the British people gave up their arms and greeted them to their land. This provided a positive beginning to the colonization process in Australia. However the bay was not suitable for any kind of settlement as it provided no amount of shelter against the easterly winds. Another disadvantage of the bay which was noted included the shallowness which would have caused difficulties in anchoring the ships in the bay. Overall the Botany Bay proved unsatisfactory for the large settlement as planned by the British. However a much suitable location was identified by Philip near the Jackson Port and a cove which offered the best quality of water and was chosen for anchoring the large vessels containing loads of equipment. In the initial days of the colonization the British realized that the natives of the region were simple down to earth persons and they can be influenced easily without causing any insult or injury to them.10 The formal proclamation of the colony eventually happened under the governor, Philip at Sydney in 1788. The second fleet arrived in the year 1790 and they ran short for the supplies of the food. The second fleet also witnessed the death of nearly 278 convicts and the rest who landed were not in a position to help the colonization. Several other difficulties also existed in the colonization process as the number of women was lesser in the colonies in comparison to the men which caused significant problems in the settlement of the organization in the latter years. The colonization of Western Australia began much later in the year 1791. Setting up of further colonies: After the setting up of the colonies in New South Wales, the division of Australia took place into the eastern half comprising of New South Wales and the western half of New Holland. The division meant no future litigation between the Dutch and the Britain. A colony of New South Wales was also aimed at settling in the fertile lands of the Norflox Island. The intention of setting up a colony over there was to open up an industry and carry out trading activities of the popular flax; however such plans were cancelled owing to the absence of any safe harbor in the area. The settlers were finally taken to Tasmania where the settlement eventually happened in the year 1803. The British settlement continued throughout Australia and within 1802 the circumnavigation of Australia was completed by the settlers. Though efforts were made at settling all around Australia but some of them proved to be unsuccessful. In the year 1829 the capital of the Swan river colony was declared to be Perth along the west coast of the Pacific and it was controlled under the guidance of the King George Sound. Though Western Australia was initially a free colony but in the later years, the British convicts started coming in and they were permitted to settle in the area because of tremendous shortage of labor. In the period of 1826, the British claimed the whole continent of Australia when a settlement took place between King George Sound and the Major Edmund Lockyer but the border in the eastern side of Western Australia remained unchanged. However the penal colony was established in the year 1829 near the bank of the river in Brisbane which became the base for the later colony to be established in Queensland. The colonization process faced difficulties in some part whereas it occurred smoothly in other regions. Within 1850 the colonization process was almost completed in Australia and the settlement of the British took place allover Australia. Trade activities started within a short period of time and the convicts also started flowing in large numbers from Britain. The convicts were also present in large number in various parts of New South Wales, Western Australia and Van Diemens Land11. Penal colony of Botany Bay: One of the prime motives regarding the colonization of the British colonies in Australia as discussed before was to find a place for the convicts which was rising in number. As a result the British chose the area of the Botany Bay to establish a penal colony. The convicts were brought to the area by the ships. The first batch of convicts belonged to the prisons of Hulks, and some of them were transmitted from London and Middlesex. Other than the establishment of the penal colony in Botany Bay, areas like Norkfolk Island and Sydney Cove was also chosen for the purpose. The convicts who settled in the Botany Bay either worked together in gangs for the public sector or worked without any remuneration for the other civilian settlers. Most of the convicts served their imprisonment of seven years while convicts with life imprisonment were also present in the penal colony. Some of the convicts who exhibited proper behaviors in the penal colony were granted freedom and they were provided with the option of either staying in the colonies or move back to England. Majority of the convicts stayed back in the penal colonies as they could not afford the money to return back to England. The freed convicts staying back in the colonies were provided the opportunity of farming in the colonies. On the contrary the convicts who misbehaved were provided with further harsh punishments like solitary confinement. The male convicts were deployed in the construction work of the colonies and helped in building houses and roads whereas women were used for the domestic services. However due to the lack of proper facilities in the region the penal colony in the Botany Bay was removed to other location. The transmission of convicts from Britain continued for many years and it was abolished in the later years of 186812. The penal colonies proved effective for the British in finding a place for the convicts and utilizing them in the proper fashion for the development of the colonies. 13 Interaction of the British and the Native Aborigines: When James Cook landed in Australia, he first came in to the contact of the Aborigines. Cook interpreted them to be noble and courageous persons. The Aborigines were the indigenous people belonging to the mainland of Australia and were present in large numbers along the islands of Tasmania. During the initial period of colonization they did not provided much threat to the British and also cooperated in their functioning. When the first ship landed in Australia for the onset of colonization, the-commander in chief, Arthur noticed them covering the shore with arms in their hand. However receiving no opposition from the British they decided to put down their arms and greet the visitors. This made General Arthur feel that they can be persuaded easily without applying any force or punishment. However the change of relationship occurred between the two sides as the colonization process started spreading in a rapid manner. In order to keep them silent and make them feel happy about the colonization process, Arthur decided to include them in the British colony and tried to absorb them to the culture of their own. The Aborigines also worked with the British in setting up the colony. The participation was avoided by some of the native Aborigines and they tried to avoid the British, but with the rise in number of colonies and the increase in the number of settlers the contact started becoming unavoidable. 14General Arthur also initially had no intention of moving into a conflict with them and he treated them in a kind manner and also ordered the soldiers not to act in a ruthless manner with the Aborigines and restricted the shooting and killing of the native people. The difference in view also prevailed among the settlers regarding the Australian Aborigines. The settlers who were educated believed them to be friendly in nature and declared them as noble savages. They were of the view that as this community of people does not have any urban surrounding and live within the nature they posse’s healthy mind and body and lived in harmony among themselves. They were held as angels by them. Whereas the uneducated settlers were contrary to their views and thought them to be violent and untrustworthy and believed that were the right people to be exploited. However the difference in view did no good for the overall development of the Aborigines as no human relations developed between the settlers and the indigenous natives of the Australia. However General Arthur tried to imbibe the British culture among the Aborigines and he even captured some of the Aborigines people with an aim to teach those English so that can be the translator between the British and the Aborigines. However the plan of civilization of the Aborigines did not gained a success and the viewpoint of Arthur changed significantly. He started preventing the access of the natives by fencing their part of land and deploying various animals to restrict their access. However the relation between the Aborigines and the settlers worsened when the other inhabitants of the land were paid compensation for the colonization as a part of the European act leaving out only the Aborigines. The reason for leaving out the Aborigines were justified as it was mentioned in the European laws that countries seeking colonization in other parts needs to provide compensation and seek permission of the natives who used the lad and carry out trade and agriculture, However the aborigines were never witnessed to trade or farm the land and thus the question of compensating them never did arise. As a result of these steps incorporated by the British, it caused the Aborigines to retaliate against the settlers. A massive conflict was witnessed in the Sydney harbor as the settlers started moving into the different parts of the Hawkesburry valley.15 The conflict spread into different parts of Australia simultaneously. As a result of the rise in conflict, the attitudes of the British changed drastically. The British started formulating strategies in keeping them out of their colonies .The hatred grew and mass killing between the two sides were observed. In view of the mass killings between the two sides, The Aborigines claimed that the settlers blocked their access to the rivers by their firms and their attempt to cross the farms initiated the firings between the two sides. The settlers on the other hand charged the allegation against the Aborigines that they attempted to destroy their farms by burning their crops. The British government proactively made arrangements for protecting the settlers and the crops. The soldiers were assigned the responsibilities of searching the Aborigines and shoot them who tried to harass the settlers or tried to steal the foods. Orders were also passed to drive away the Aborigines who provided resistance in leaving the land occupied by the British settlers. Such orders rapidly spread in various parts of the Australia including Tasmania and Western Australia. Such atrocities by the British worsened the condition of the Aborigines as they had the limited capability of putting of a strong resistance against them. With the growth of the British colonies the Aborigines started losing more portions of their lands. They were pushed back by the British to live in the outskirts of villages and even some of them had to work as servants in the British settlements. Their traditional lifestyle eroded drastically. They become more dependent on British settlers in matters of their food and shelters. Their survival condition also came into question over the period of time. However the hostilities between the settlers and the Aborigines did not existed across all levels. Instances of peace and harmony also existed between them. Some of them also acquired the culture of the British and helped in the settlement of the British in Australia16. Conclusion: The study of the James Cook voyage to Australia and the subsequent colonization of the British highlighted various factors. The study reveals the greatness of Captain James Cook as a navigator who had the outstanding achievement of exploring various parts of the world and mapping them to perfection. The three voyages undertaken by him are of great significance to the modern world. The paper studies in detail regarding his voyage to Australia, a land which was unknown before the first voyage undertaken by him. However the voyage benefitted the society and the British Empire in particular considering its brilliant results. James cook voyage to Australia opened up a new venture for the British Empire to exploit. The British government identified that colonization in Australia will reap them various advantages and they started on a new journey towards Australia. One of the major motives of the colonization as identified in the paper was the settlement of the British convicts in the colonies of Australia. The paper analyzes the process of colonization undertaken by the British Empire and their strategies. It studies in detail about the penal colony in Botany Bay and the colonization which took over there. The Government skillfully deployed the convicts and utilized them for the sole purpose of the development of the colonies. The paper also studies the encounter of the British settlers with the local Aborigines and takes a deep insight into the reason for such conflicts. The passion of the British government and their desire for power can also realized considering the time they spent over such colonization process to be effective. They did not succumb to any sort of pressure whether large or small and kept following their ultimate aim of setting the colonies to gain political and economic advantage over the other nation and be one of the supreme powers of the world. Overall the paper underlined the greatness of Captain James Cook and also brought into view regarding the politics of British Empire in matters of the colonization of Australia. The power and the dominance which the British Empire had during the era can be judged from the study. References “Botany Bay as a Penal colony”, Australian history research info, accessed on December 1, 2011: http://www.australianhistoryresearch.info/botany-bay-as-a-penal-colony/ “British-Aboriginal relation, 1788-1820”. Skwirk. Accessed December1, 2011. http://www.skwirk.com.au/p-c_s-56_u-415_t-1040_c-4006/british-aboriginal-relations-1788-1820/qld/sose-history/first-australians-and-the-european-arrivals/settlement-1788-1850 Bohls, Elizabeth A, and Ian Duncan. Travel writing, 1700-1830: an anthology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005. Broome, Richard. Aboriginal Australians: black responses to white dominance, 1788-2001.New South Wales: Allen & Unwin, 2002. “British Motives for Australia's Settlement”.postcolonialweb. accessed on Dec, 1, 2011. http://www.postcolonialweb.org/australia/austcolon1.html “Captain James Cook”. about. accessed on December 1, 2011. http://geography.about.com/cs/captaincook/a/jamescook.htm Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics. Official year book of the Commonwealth ofAustralia. Canberra: Aust. Bureau of Statistics, 1947. Cook, James. First Voyage Around the World: Captain Cook's Journal During His First Voyage. Lima: BoD – Books on Demand, 2009. “European Settlement”. Janescoceania. accessed on Dec,1, 2011. http://www.janesoceania.com/australia_europeans/index.htm “European discovery and the colonisation of Australia”. australia.gov. accessed on Dec, 1, 2011. http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/european-discovery-and-colonisation Page, Melvin E. Colonialism: an international social, cultural, and political encyclopedia. California: ABC-CLIO, 2002. The man who mapped the Pacific”. navis.gr. accessed on Dec1, 2011. http://www.navis.gr/men/j_cook.htm Williams, Glyn.” Captain Cook: Explorer, Navigator and Pioneer”. bbc. accessed on Dec1, 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/captaincook_01.shtml Read More