Endeavour 250: natural history through colonial encounter

The two artists appointed by Banks were Scottish landscape artist Alexander Buchan and Scottish naturalist artist Sydney Parkinson. Banks's secretary Herman Sporing was also an accomplished artist. To assist with collecting and identifying species Banks brought his good friend, the Swedish botanist Daniel Solander.

The success and scale of discovery recorded by Banks's group set a precedent for including artists on future voyages.

Instructions from the Admiralty read:

'You are [...] to observe the Genius, Temper, Disposition and Number of the Natives, if there be any and endeavour by all proper means to cultivate a Friendship and Alliance with them, making them presents of such Trifles as they may Value inviting them to Traffick, and Shewing them every kind of Civility and Regard; taking Care however not to suffer yourself to be surprised by them, but to be always upon your guard against any Accidents.

'You are also with the Consent of the Natives to take Possession of Convenient Situations in the Country in the Name of the King of Great Britain: Or: if you find the Country uninhabited take Possession for his Majesty by setting up Proper Marks and Inscriptions, as first discoverers and possessors.

'You are also to carefully to observe the Nature of the Soil, and the Products thereof; the Beasts and Fowls that inhabit or frequent it, the Fishes that are to be found in the Rivers or upon the Coast and in what Plenty and in Case you find any Mines, Minerals, or valuable Stones you are to bring home Specimens of each, as also such Specimens of the Seeds of the Trees, Fruits and Grains as you may be able to collect, and Transmit them to our Secretary that We may cause proper Examination and Experiments to be made of them.'

Cook's interpretation of these instructions continues to be a subject of important historical and political debate.

Who discovered Australia

Australia has been continuously inhabited by Aboriginal people for 30,000-70,000 years.

European sailors first entered Australian waters in the early 1600s - they were the ones who called the unknown land mass Terra Australis Incognita. Between 1606 and 1770 more than 50 European ships had made landfall in Australia.

In 1642, Dutchman Abel Tasman mapped Van Dieman's Land, now Tasmania. On a second voyage in 1644 he encountered and charted much of the western and southern coast of present-day Australia, naming it Nova Hollandia (New Holland).

Well over a century later, on 29 April 1770, James Cook and the crew of HM Bark Endeavour landed in Botany Bay, home of the Eora people. Despite this area being populated, Cook declared the east coast of Australia Terra Nullius - 'nobody's land' - and claimed it for Great Britain.

The voyage of the Endeavour

The first stop on the way to Tahiti was Funchal in Madeira Island (off the west coast of Morocco). HMS Endeavour arrived there on 12 September 1768 and paused to take on fresh supplies before crossing the Atlantic.

During this time, Banks and Solander listed 230 plant species, 25 of which were new to Western science. 

On 13 November they arrived at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where Cook received an icy reception from the Portuguese viceroy, who refused to allow the Endeavour to anchor in the harbour. Portugal and Great Britain were competing European naval and colonial powers.

Tahiti, April-July 1769

The Endeavour entered the Pacific in late January 1769 and arrived on 13 April at Matavai Bay, Tahiti, seven weeks before the transit of Venus was due to occur. Tahiti had only been plotted on Western maps the year before.

The crew erected fortifications and forged relationships with the inhabitants for the supply of food and local knowledge of the region.

One of the most important relationships was with Tupaia, a Polynesian navigator and Arioi (a Māori spiritual figure), who voluntarily joined the Endeavour voyage in Tahiti.

Cook, Banks and his retinue drew heavily on Tupaia's skills as a navigator, translator and local guide to map the region and identify new species and potentially useful resources.

Cook and his crew met few Aboriginal people on Australia's eastern shoreline, but were fully aware of their presence when they claimed the eastern coast for Britain.

Journals entries from those on board the Endeavour mention Aboriginal people lighting warning fires along the coast to alert other communities of the approaching danger.

Loss and legacy

HMS Endeavour arrived at the English port of Dover on 12 July 1771. The crew had been sworn to secrecy about all they had seen.

On the last leg home, from Batavia (now Jakarta, Indonesia), thirty crew members including Sydney Parkinson and Charles Green died of ship-borne illnesses including fever, dysentery and malaria. 

Cook received high praise from the Admiralty for the many achievements of the voyage and was promoted to the position of commander.

The resulting natural history collection included more than 1,000 species of plant previously unknown in Europe. Banks, Solander and their colleagues became the toast of the London scientific community.

Joseph Banks became one of the most influential scientists of his day, and was appointed as King George III's advisor for the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, sending botanists around the world to collect plants on his behalf.

Banks was also highly influential in the decision to establish a British penal colony at Botany Bay in New South Wales. He was made a baronet in 1781 and a Knight Commander of Bath in 1795 for his patronage of natural science.

After his death in 1820, the priceless collection of illustrations and specimens from the Endeavour voyage were left to the Natural History Museum - then the British Museum (Natural History) - where they continue to be cared for today.