Voyages

There are many good reasons to visit The British Library (next door to St. Pancras Station) but the current Exhibition is an extra bonus. James Cook The Voyages is on until 28th August and if you are at all interested in possibly our most famous, and controversial, explorer and the beginnings of Empire, then do go. I certainly learnt a lot!

August 2018 marks 250 years since James Cook first sailed from Plymouth, following instructions from the Admiralty and the Royal Society to observe the Transit of Venus across the face of the sun at Tahiti. In 1768 the coasts and islands of the Pacific, although inhabited for thousands of years, were largely unknown to Europeans. Cook made three voyages and when the third returned to Britain in 1780 most of the blank spaces on European maps had been filled in. Cook's voyages have been celebrated, but also sometimes condemned, ever since. (Exhibition Guide British Library April 2018).

The second half of the 18th century was the crest of the Englightenment and yet slavery underpinned British trade in the Atlantic.

On his first Voyage in The Endeavour (1768-71) Cook spent three months in Tahiti and did indeed observe the Transit of Venus. However, he also had secret Admiralty orders to search for land in the south Pacific and 'take possession of Convenient Situations in the Country in the name of the King of Great Britain'. How this was done was open to question! Cook established peaceful relations but sadly by the late 19th century the population had decreased dramatically due to confict and imported disease.

By 1770, Cook was following in the steps of Dutch navigators. It was Abel Tasman who, in 1642, had begun to chart the Australian coastline and first visited New Zealand. Cook also visited New Zealand and, on his way home, charted the east coast of Australia and claimed it for Great Britain. Within 18 years the land had been colonised and used as a penal settlement (the site of present day Sydney). Australia Day celebrates the arrival of the first Fleet of British ships but nowadays prompts protests over the treatment of the aboriginal people under colonial rule. Statues of James Cook have been defaced in recent years.

The second Voyage was sent to find 'the Great Southern Continent' but the existence of this was disproved. However, in doing so, Cook led the first expedition to cross the Antarctic Circle. Paintings of Cook's ship among the ice are beautifully drawn and extremely dramatic.

The third Voyage was sent to search for a sea passage from the north Pacific to the Atlantic (the North West Passage) but, once again, this was hidden from the public. This had been a dream of British strategists since the 16th century. It would shorten the trade route to the Pacific and provide a means of avoiding seas under the control of other European powers. These were the first European ships to call at the Hawai'ian islands and prompted a huge amount of interest. Unfortunately, it also prompted a large increase in expeditions in search of profits from whaling and the fur trade, to the great detriment of the indigenous peoples.

This last voyage prompted Adam Smith to write his The Wealth of Nations in

which he argues that free trade rather than territorial expansion is a better way to progress. This has been the foundation text for globalisation.

The Exhibition is set out in three Voyages and contains original maps, ship's logs, artefacts and beautiful drawings and paintings by the artists and botanists who sailed with Cook.

On my voyage home, I walked through the beautiful hall of St. Pancras station where I was delighted to chance upon two pianists. In case you haven't heard about them, the pianos were donated to St. Pancras after being sited around London during the Olympics 2012. They are looked after and regularly tuned and anyone can stop and play them - the atmosphere is wonderful - you can listen to some of them at http://streetpianos.com/london2012/pianos/st-pancras-station/.

Also on display is Tracey Emin's love letter to Europe (she is a Remainer!) - a huge fluorescent pink line of writing under the clock "I want my time with you" .

And if you want another excuse to visit St. Pancras, the Champagne Bar on the Eurostar platform is the longest in Europe!