Formac Publishing, Halifax, 2010
198 pp., illus., $29.95 hardcover
The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Captain James Cook is adventures in exotic, far-flung corners of the world. Cook, after all, put vast areas of the Pacific on the map, discovered and charted several Pacific Islands, and died tragically in an altercation in Hawaii. So it was a surprise to learn that the great explorer spent nine years in Atlantic Canada.
There have, of course, been many books written on Captain James Cook over the years. Most, however, tend to focus on his Pacific voyages and merely gloss over his years in Atlantic Canada. Granted, his time on the East Coast wasn’t quite as dramatic as his Pacific adventures. But, as Jerry Lockett observes in his award-winning book Captain James Cook in Atlantic Canada, it was there that the young British Navy warrant officer met influential men who would become his mentors, learned the art of surveying, and developed his navigational skills.
In this engaging portrait of the explorer as a young man, Lockett focuses on Cook’s formative years in Eastern Canada, describing in vivid detail his role in both the Louisbourg and Quebec campaigns, as well as his survey of Newfoundland.
James Cook arrived in Nova Scotia in 1758 aboard the Pembroke, one of the vessels in the English fleet that was transporting troops and arms for the assault on Louisbourg. At the time, he was a diligent but undistinguished thirty-year-old ship’s master.
Born the son of a day labourer, Cook had little formal education but was intensely curious and had a prodigious thirst for knowledge. After the fall of Louisbourg, he happened to meet the military engineer Samuel Holland, who was surveying the newly acquired British territory. Cook was intrigued by the scientific methods employed by Holland, who agreed to tutor him in the use of the plane table. Before long, Cook had mastered the art and was making his own charts, which, by all accounts, were exceptionally accurate and caught the attention of the Admiralty.
Lockett, who lives in Halifax, travelled to London while researching this book. Among Cook’s papers in the British Library at St. Pancras, he discovered one of Cook’s earliest charts: an unpublished plan of the Halifax Navy Yard, which was under construction at the time. The plan, Lockett states, has been overlooked by Cook’s biographers and raises intriguing questions about his involvement in the creation of the Navy Yard.
In addition to being an outstanding hydrographer and navigator, Cook excelled at maintaining the health of his men. For centuries, scurvy had ravaged crews on long sea voyages, and Cook was particularly interested in finding a preventative treatment for this pestilence. Lockett devotes a whole chapter to this disease and its influence on maritime history.
James Cook was a product of his time, and no account of his life would be complete without at least touching on the Enlightenment. This era of exploration and expansion was also a period of great scientific advancement. Along with scientific progress came new developments in navigational tools and techniques, of which Cook took full advantage. Lockett, a seasoned sailor and navigator, is at his finest when discussing these early navigational instruments and practices.
The author’s intimate knowledge of the history of the region, as well as his meticulous research and accessible style, make this book a compelling read.
— Joyce Glasner (Read bio)
Joyce Glasner is a Halifax-based freelance writer and author.