When Captain Cook died on Hawaii on 1779, Britain was already at war with France and Spain, who had allied themselves with her rebellion American subjects. The new United Stated secured their independence in 1783 and, as peace resumed, all three rival European powers turned again to considering the opportunities revealed by Cook's work in the Pacific. Further expeditions were soon dispatched: some were successful, some disastrous, and the achievements of some are still too little known.
This book looks at six of Cook's successors and their Pacific voyages: at Arthur Phillip, founder of the first British colony in Australia; the Comte de Laperouse, whose French scientific expedition vanished without a trace; William Bligh, first in the ill-fated 'Bounty' but then successfully in the 'Providence' and in his final role as Governor of New South Wales; Alejandra Malaspina, whose Spanish expedition was forgotten in the oblivion of his later political disgrace; George Vancouver's controversial voyage to north-west American; and Matthew Flinders' charting of Australia and long imprisonment by the French on Mauritius.
Contents:
1. In the Wake of Cook
2. 'Gentlemen, Scholar and Seaman': Arthur Phillip and Australia
3. 'The Spirit of Discovery': The Tragic Voyage of Laperouse
4. The Trials of Captain Bligh
5. The Lost Voyage of Alejandra Malaspina
6. 'Acquiring a More Complete Knowledge;" George Vancouver in the North Pacific
7. 'An Herculean Labour': Matthew Flinders' Circumnavigation of Australia
Timeline
Sources and Further Reading
Index
