The purpose of the expedition

Make the first round-the-world voyage in the history of the Russian fleet. Deliver and pick up goods from Russian America. Establish diplomatic contacts with Japan. Show the profitability of direct trade in furs from Russian America to China. To prove the benefits of the sea route from Russian America to St. Petersburg in comparison with the land route. Conduct various geographic observations and Scientific research along the route of the expedition.

Expedition composition

Ships:

The three-masted sloop "Nadezhda", with a displacement of 450 tons, 35 meters long. Purchased in England especially for the expedition. The ship was not new, but it endured all the difficulties of sailing around the world.

Three-masted sloop "Neva", displacement 370 tons. Bought there especially for the expedition. Endured all the difficulties of sailing around the world, after which he was the first Russian ship to visit Australia in 1807.

Emperor Alexander I personally examined both sloops and allowed them to fly the military flags of the Russian Empire. The Emperor took the maintenance of one of the ships at his own expense, and the cost of operating the other was covered by the Russian-American company and one of the main inspirers of the expedition, Count N.P. Rumyantsev. Which ship who took - is not specified.

Personnel

Head of the expedition Kruzenshtern Ivan Fedorovich.

Age at the time of the start - 32 years.

He is also the captain of the expedition flagship of the sloop "Nadezhda".

On board the "Nadezhda" were:

warrant officers Thaddeus Bellingshausen and Otto Kotzebue, who later glorified the Russian fleet with their expeditions

Ambassador Rezanov Nikolay Petrovich (to establish diplomatic relations with Japan) and his retinue

scientists Horner, Tilesius and Langsdorf, artist Kurlyantsev

mysteriously, the famous brawler and duelist Count Fyodor Tolstoy, who went down in history as the American Tolstoy, also got into the expedition

The sailors were all Russian to one - that was the condition of Kruzenshtern.

The total number of the team is 65 people.

Sloop "Neva":

Commander - Yuri Fedorovich Lisyansky.

Age at the time of the start - 30 years.

The total number of the ship's crew is 54 people.

The holds of both ships contained iron products, alcohol, weapons, gunpowder, and many other things for delivery to Russian America and Kamchatka.

Start of the first Russian round-the-world expedition

The expedition left Kronstadt on July 26 (August 7), 1803. On the way, we went to Copenhagen, then to the small English port of Falmouth, where the ships were once again dug.

Canary Islands

The expedition approached the archipelago on October 19, 1803. They stayed in the harbor of Santa Cruz for a week and headed south on October 26.

Equator

On November 26, 1803, the ships flying the Russian flag "Nadezhda" and "Neva" crossed the equator for the first time and entered the Southern Hemisphere. According to the maritime tradition, the festival of Neptune was arranged.

South America

The shores of Brazil appeared on December 18, 1803. We stopped in the harbor of the city of Destero, where they stood for a month and a half to repair the Neva's mainmast. Only on February 4, 1804, both ships moved further south along the South American coast.

Cape Horn

Before going around Cape Horn, Kruzenshtern and Lisyansky agreed on a meeting place, since both understood that in this place the ships were easily swept away by bad weather. The first option for the meeting was Easter Island, the alternate one was Nukagiva Island. "Nadezhda" safely rounded Cape Horn and on 3 March 1804 sailed into the Pacific Ocean.

Nukagiva

Easter Island slipped through in strong winds, so Kruzenshtern went straight to the alternate meeting point, Nukagiva Island, where he arrived on May 7, 1804. On the way, the islands of Fetuga and Ouaguga from the Marquesas group were mapped. On May 10, the Neva approached Nukagiva. A week later, both ships set sail in the direction of the Hawaiian Islands.

Equator

Hawaiian Islands

The ships approached them on June 7, 1804. Here they were to part. "Neva" with a cargo of goods for the Russian-American company went in the direction of Alaska, to the Kodiak Island. "Nadezhda" headed for Kamchatka, from where it was necessary to go with the embassy to Japan and explore the island of Sakhalin. The meeting of both ships was now expected only in Macau in September 1805, where the "Nadezhda" will approach upon completion of the diplomatic mission, and the "Neva" - with a cargo of furs from Russian America.

Journey of "Nadezhda"

Kamchatka

The "Nadezhda" entered Avacha Bay on July 14, 1804. The population of Petropavlovsk was then about 200 people. Governor General Koshelev arrived here from Nizhnekamchatsk (the then capital of the peninsula), who in every possible way contributed to the repair of the ship and preparation for the visit to Japan. The expedition was left by a doctor and an artist, and the brawler Tolstoy was forcibly "written off to the shore". On August 30, 1804, the Nadezhda headed for Japan.

Japan

It is known from the history of Japan that any foreign ships were prohibited from entering Japanese ports. And the inhabitants of the Isles of the Rising Sun were strictly prohibited from contacting foreigners. This forced self-isolation saved Japan from possible colonization and trade expansion by Europeans, and also helped to preserve its identity. Only the merchants of the Dutch East India Company were allowed to trade in the port of Nagasaki, the southernmost point of the country. The Dutch had a monopoly on trade with Japan and did not let competitors into their possessions, hid nautical maps with coordinates, etc. Therefore, Kruzenshtern had to lead the "Nadezhda" to Nagasaki almost at random, simultaneously surveying the Japanese shores.

In Nagasaki

Kruzenshtern's ship with Ambassador Rezanov entered the harbor of Nagasaki on October 8, 1804. On board the Russians had several Japanese, who had once fallen to the Russians as a result of a crash, and whom the expedition carried with them as translators.

A Japanese representative entered the ship, asked hu-is-hu, they say, where and why did they come from. Then the Japanese pilot helped the "Nadezhda" enter the harbor, where they dropped anchor. Only Japanese, Chinese and Dutch ships were stationed in the harbor.

Negotiations with the Japanese

This topic deserves a separate story and a separate article. Let's just say that the Japanese "pushed" the Russian "diplomatic mission" in the port of Nagasaki until April 18, 1805 - five and a half months! And Kruzenshtern with Rezanov had to go home incessantly.

The Japanese emperor "paused" for a long time, then answered through his officials that there would be no agreements with the Russians, and he could not accept the gifts of the Russian emperor - several huge mirrors in expensive frames -. Say, Japan is not in a position to equally thank the emperor of the Russians because of its poverty. Laughter, and more! Either the Dutch did a good job here, or the Japanese themselves did not want any contacts with Russia.

True, the Japanese administration supplied it with food all the time the ship was in port. And loaded the road with food, water and large quantity salt is completely free. At the same time, Kruzenstern was categorically forbidden to return along the western coast of Japan.

Return of "Nadezhda" to Kamchatka

Coming out of the Japanese "captivity", Kruzenshtern decided not to give a damn about the Japanese ban and went exactly along the western coast, putting it on the map. At sea he was his own master and was not afraid of anyone - past combat experience gave him every reason for this. He molested the shore several times and got to know this mysterious country as closely as he could. They managed to establish contacts with the Ainu - the inhabitants of the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido.

Sakhalin

The Nadezhda entered the Aniva Bay in the south of Sakhalin on May 14, 1805. The Ainu also lived here and the Japanese administration commanded. Kruzenshtern was determined to investigate Sakhalin in more detail, but Rezanov insisted on an early return to Kamchatka in order to report to St. Petersburg on the results of his "embassy".

Kamchatka

On June 5, the "Nadezhda" returned to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Rezanov went ashore, sent a report to the capital, and himself on a merchant ship departed for Russian America to Alaska. On July 5, 1805, Nadezhda again set out to sea and headed for Sakhalin. But Kruzenshtern was unable to go around Sakhalin and determine whether it was an island or a peninsula. On August 30, the "Nadezhda" team entered the Avacha Bay of Petropavlovsk for the third time. Kruzenshtern began to prepare for a campaign in Macau.

Macau

This is the name of the portuguese colony-fortress-port on the Chinese coast. Leaving Petropavlovsk on October 9, 1805, "Nadezhda" was in Macau on November 20. The Neva was nowhere to be seen.

Travels of the "Neva"

Russian travelers and pioneers

Again travelers of the era of great geographical discoveries

Despite the fact that Siberia had been part of Russia for about a century and a half, very little was known about it. There was data from the pioneers, but they, going further to the east, described only the main geographic objects- rivers, mountains, lakes, and nature, with rare exceptions, remained aloof from observation. Vegetation, animal world, geology, history - all this was practically unknown. That is why, following the decree on the organization of the Great Northern Expedition (April 17, 1732), a new decree followed (June 19, 1732) - on the participation of the Academy of Sciences in it, which was to send one professor and two with him to the expedition " from Russian students who could observe the longitude by the Jupiter satellites in different places and then, as if in practice, become professors themselves. " The professor and the students were entrusted with "the same geographical decent description and examination or a note about the fruits of the earth and minerals and metals and botanical, if there are any, to make." The Academy of Sciences considered it necessary to send two professors; one had to make "observations, or observations astronomical, physical, anatomical and what belongs to natural history, or natural history," and letters ". To choose two best students 12 students were requested from the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy.

Expedition description

This expedition was the first of the academic expeditions to explore Russia.

Travel 1733-1736

By the summer of 1733, the composition of the detachment was determined. It was headed by the professor of astronomy L. Delisle de la Croer and the professor of history G. F. Miller. By a decree on June 11, 1733, Professor I.G. Gmelin was added to them, who had been planned earlier as part of the expedition, but was replaced by Miller due to illness. They included artists Berkhan (Johann Christian Berckhan) and Lursenius (Johann Wilhelm Lürsenius), as well as, instead of two, five 5 students: Stepan Krasheninnikov, Fedor Popov, Luka Ivanov, Vasily Tretyakov, Alexei Gorlanov and the academic instrumental student Gavril Kobylin.

In early August 1733, the detachment began its journey; On October 18, he arrived in Kazan, where a meteorological service was organized (Vasily Grigoriev, then - Semyon Kunitsyn). In December, meteorological observations were organized in Yekaterinburg (A. Tatishchev, surveyor N. Karkadinov, teacher of arithmetic F. Sannikov), in January 1734 - in Tobolsk, where the academic detachment caught up with Bering.

In May, as soon as the rivers opened up, the detachments set out on their way. Delacroyer, along with students Popov and Ivanov, went with Chirikov's wagon train to Yeniseisk, and Miller and Gmelin, freed by Bering from submission to him, went south, up the Irtysh. Having made short stops in Tara, Omsk and Yamyshevskaya fortress, on July 26 the academic detachment arrived in Semipalatinsk, and further along the border road through the Ust-Kamenogorsk fortress reached the recently opened Kolyvan copper factories. On the way, the travelers studied the flora and fauna, collected collections of rare plants, conducted geological research; Miller, in addition to archival work, was engaged in archaeological excavations, Gmelin - in the organization of meteorological observations.

In Yakutsk, disagreements began between the professors and Bering. The difficulty of the route and the difficulties of supply in Kamchatka also played a role. The atmosphere in the team was heated, denunciations were written (one of the main informers was Pisarev), according to which many were repressed, sent under escort to Irkutsk. News came from Petersburg that they were dissatisfied with Bering and Spanberg for their slowness. In one of his letters to St. Petersburg, Miller asked to "completely release" all scientists from Bering's leadership.

In St. Petersburg, a council of the Senate and the Admiralty Board was assembled to decide on the continuation of the expedition, which required large funds and yielded negligible results. The Senate was against such spending of funds (up to 300 thousand rubles a year), but the Admiralty showed persistence and permission was obtained. Pisarev was transferred from the Bering headquarters to Spanberg's detachment; Bering was reprimanded for slowness with a warning that if he did not hurry, then how Muravyov and Pavlov would be demoted to sailors, and deprived of an additional salary.

In such an atmosphere, Miller and Gmelin refused to go to Kamchatka and went to Lena, and sent Krasheninnikov in their place. To travel to Kamchatka, they demanded for themselves a "particularly spacious" vessel, to oversee the construction of which, as well as to prepare the premises, Krasheninnikov was sent. In the end, by order of Bering, it was decided not to take anyone from the academic detachment to Kamchatka. On top of that, in Yakutsk, during a fire, Gmelin's house burned down along with all the books, instruments, records and collected collections. It was required, as far as possible, to restore what was lost. To do this, they had to travel the same route in 1737. Time was lost: Bering, in the absence of academicians, left Yakutsk.

Krasheninnikov set off from Yakutsk to Okhotsk, from where he was supposed to sail for Kamchatka, on July 5, 1737. There he met with Chirikov and Shpanberg, Bering's assistants, and later with Bering himself, who rendered him every assistance in equipping Kamchatka. Until his departure to Kamchatka on October 4, 1737, Krasheninnikov continued to scientific work: made meteorological observations, conducted observations of the ebb and flow of the sea, made a description of the flora and fauna. On October 4, 1737, he sailed from Okhotsk on the ship "Fortuna", starting a four-year voyage, during which he crossed the peninsula eight times.

Academicians in Siberia: 1737-1743

Miller and Gmelin reached Kirensk, but Miller, who had fallen ill, had to return to Irkutsk, where he spent the whole winter. In the spring Gmelin joined him. Considering that they could not move further east, they could not return without an order - the same, Gmelin and Miller submitted a letter of resignation, but received no answer. Thus, without receiving any other assignments and not being able to continue their originally planned route, they did not know what to do next. In addition, there were problems with salary payments.

At this time, the deadlines allocated for the expedition of Chelyuskin and Dmitry Laptev ended. Their commanders, not finding Bering in Yakutsk, turn to Miller for recommendations on further actions, who recommended that they stop researching. But in Petersburg they did not agree with him; the fact that they don't listen to him depress Miller even more.

Despite all this, Miller still remained the leader and member of the research team. In 1740, he sent Fischer and Lindenau to Okhotsk, where they examined the archive (on the way back in 1742, Fischer was arrested on false charges, soon released, but some lived in Tomsk; he was allowed to return to Petersburg only in 1746). Lindenau on the way back made a trip along the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and along the Siberian rivers. Krasheninnikov, having reached Kamchatka, organized a meteorological station there and traveled across the north of the peninsula (1738-1740).

Almost the only scientist who went on a voyage with Bering was Georg Steller, who shared all the hardships of wintering with Bering's detachment, but did not endure arrest on a denunciation of one of the participants in that voyage, and died in Siberia in 1746.

Delacroyer went to Berezov in 1740, where he built an observatory for observing Mercury, but the sky for all 6 weeks that he spent in Berezovo was covered with clouds. After that, without waiting for Gmelin and Miller, he went along the Ob and Irtysh to Tobolsk. In the absence of wind, the barge had to be dragged by the Cossacks all the time, or, if it was possible, went on oars. The journey took a whole month, during which astronomical research was carried out. In Tobolsk, Delacroyer engaged in geographical research, looking for maps in the archives and studying them, making lists of them and making copies. At the end of the work, he went to Solikamsk, from there - to Novousolye on the Kama, owned by the Stroganovs. Delisle spent a month visiting them, during which he was engaged in astronomical observations, after which he sailed on a barge along the Kama and Volga. On August 30, 1740, he arrived in Kazan, where he again looked for various maps. On December 29 he returned to Petersburg.

Miller, along with Gmelin, continued to travel through Siberia until they were allowed to return in 1743. After their return, they did not live long in Petersburg, preferring to return to their homeland.

Expedition results

Maps of inner Siberia were compiled, the routes, rivers, lakes and other objects available there were described, and sketches of some wonderful places were obtained, various previously unknown Siberian antiquities were discovered and investigated, archives of Siberian cities, absolutely unknown in the capital, were examined, delivered to St. Petersburg great amount extracts from them, as well as ore samples and their drawings where it was impossible to reach them, as well as plant samples, drawings of fish, birds and animals, a lot of studies on the ethnography of Siberian peoples, astronomical and other studies have been carried out.

Notes (edit)

James Cook's discoveries

James Cook (born October 27 (November 7) 1728 - died February 14, 1779) was an English sailor, explorer traveler, cartographer and discoverer, member of the Royal Society and captain of the Royal Navy. He headed three expeditions around the world to explore the World Ocean.

The main events of the biography. Expeditions

1759 - 1760 - Explored and mapped the banks of the Canadian St. Lawrence River.

1763 - 1766 - Mapped the shores of Newfoundland.

1768 - 1771 - First Pacific Expedition: Explored Tahiti and the Community Islands. Mapped the shores of New Zealand and eastern Australia.

1772 - 1775 - Second trip around the world: explored Tahiti and New Zealand, visited the Marquesas Islands, New Caledonia, New Hebrides and other islands of Polynesia and Macranesia. For the first time in history, crossed the Antarctic Circle. Explored South Georgia and South Sandwich.

1776 - 1780 - Third voyage around the world: search for the Northwest Passage from the west coast of the N American continent. Return to New Zealand and Tahiti. Visited Hawaii.

Explored the west coast of America from Oregon to Point Barrow, Alaska.

1779 - In 1779 he was killed in a skirmish with the Hawaiians.

Whatever the opinion of the public about my voyage, I must, with a sense of true satisfaction, demanding no other reward other than recognition that I have fulfilled my duty, finish ... the report as follows: facts confirm that we have proved the possibility of maintaining the health of a large crew in a long voyage, in different climatic conditions, with tireless labors.

James Cook. "Journey to the South Pole and Around the World"

One of the most prominent figures in the history of discovery. A man of the Age of Enlightenment, James Cook was not only the discoverer and conqueror of new lands, who gained fame and wealth or opened up new avenues of trade. Thanks to his voyages, he became authoritative in solving scientific issues.

Walter Kremer. "300 travelers"

James Cook is one of the most prominent English sailors. He was the leader of three expeditions around the world. Discovered many islands in Pacific, Great Barrier Reef and the east coast of Australia, found out the island location of New Zealand. He made attempts to find the southern continent - Antarctica. His name is given to a bay near the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska, a group of islands in Polynesia, a strait between both islands of New Zealand, etc.

Childhood

1728, October 27 - The ninth child was born to a poor family of a Yorkshire farm laborer in the village of Marton, who later gained fame as a national hero of England and strengthened her influence in the Pacific region.

His life was not easy, full of tireless work and perseverance in achieving the goal. Already at the age of seven, the boy began to work on the Airy Holm farm, which belonged to the landowner Thomas Scottow. It was he who helped a capable child to receive primary education by assigning James to school at his own expense.

A few years later, Cook in the seaside village of Stey joined the grocery and haberdashery merchant William Sanders, who later argued that even in his youth, the future traveler was distinguished by maturity of judgment and delicate calculation. Perhaps it was here, having seen the sea for the first time, that Cook felt his true vocation, since a year and a half later, much earlier than the expiration of the 4-year contract, he signed up as an apprentice on the sailing ship "Free Love", which transported coal. Cook retained his love for coal miners until the end of his life. He considered these vessels to be the most suitable for many years of sailing in uncharted waters.

First successes

1752 - the intelligent and domineering Cook became the captain's mate on the ship "Friendship". It was in this position that he began Seven Years War when his ship was at the port of London. After some hesitation, the young man volunteered for the British navy, wishing, as he himself said, "to try his luck along the way." And it did not disappoint him. Already 3 years later, in 1759, Cook received the first officer's rank and sailed to Canada on the ship "Mercury", sent to conduct hostilities on the river. St. Lawrence. There he was able to distinguish himself by taking measurements at the risk of his life in the channel of the river and drawing up an accurate map.

After the war ended, Cook focused on improving his education. Stubbornly, without someone's help, he mastered geometry and astronomy, so much so that the depth of knowledge amazed colleagues who studied in expensive special schools... He himself evaluated his "learning" more modestly.

The further career of James Cook, thanks to his unparalleled hard work, intelligence and insight, went up continuously. 1762, September - participating in hostilities against the French in Newfoundland, he made a detailed inventory of Placentia Bay and a topographic survey of its shores, examined the navigation conditions between Newfoundland Island and the Labrador Peninsula. The result of his labors was eight accurate maps of these places.

Pacific expedition

1768 - A Pacific expedition was organized by the British Admiralty to observe the planet Venus passing through the solar disk in Tahiti. In addition to the official one, other goals were pursued: to prevent the seizure of new lands by other powers, to resume the creation of strong points and bases in the region to establish British control here. Great importance was attached to the discovery of new rich lands, the development of trade in "colonial goods", including slaves. The most suitable candidate for the head of the expedition turned out to be not yet widely known, but well-proven in professional circles, James Cook.

The lieutenant personally chose a barque on the Thames (the three-masted ship "Endeavor" - "Attempt"), which on June 30, 1768 left the Thames estuary, with a team of 84 people, and in January 1769, passing Madeira, Canary Islands, in Cape Verde, has already rounded Cape Horn and entered the Pacific Ocean. Thus began the Pacific epic of James Cook, immortalizing his name and turning him into a man of legend.

On April 13, the expedition reached Tahiti, where on June 3, under excellent weather conditions, astronomical observations of Venus were made. From here Cook turned west and rediscovered the Society Islands, named after the London Science Society; then he circled New Zealand, finding out that this is a double island, which refuted the opinion of Tasman, who considered it part of the legendary southern continent.

The next discoveries were the discovery of the previously unknown east coast of Australia, the Great Barrier Reef, and the rediscovery of the Torres Strait. In the end, Cook's ships rounded the Cape of Good Hope and returned to England in 1771, completing a voyage that lasted 2 years and 9.5 months. Accurate maps of all surveyed areas were compiled. Tahiti and the surrounding islands were declared possessions of the English crown.

Second round the world trip

The second round the world trip, which lasted from 1772 to 1775, had an even greater resonance. Cook began to be spoken of as the new Columbus, Vasco da Gama, Magellan.

The mission of the expedition was associated with the search for the southern continent, which for several centuries had been unsuccessfully sought by sailors. different countries... The Admiralty, deeply impressed by Cook's successes, assigned two ships to solve this difficult task.

For almost three years, the Resolution and Adventure, the new ships of James Cook, have been sailing. Departing on June 13, 1772 from Plymouth, he was the first traveler around the world to survey the entire previously unknown part of the Pacific Ocean between 60 ° and 70 ° S. sh., while crossing the Antarctic Circle twice and reached 70 ° 10? Yu. sh. After discovering huge icebergs and ice fields, Cook became convinced that "the risk associated with sailing in these unexplored and ice-covered seas is so great that ... no man will ever dare to penetrate further south than I was able to" and that lands that "may be in the South will never be explored."

Cook was wrong, and his mistake - to such an extent the authority of the captain was great - slowed down the search for Antarctica for several decades. On the second voyage, Cook discovered South Island George, South Sandwich Islands, New Caledonia, New Hebrides, about. Norfolk; he also continued research and measurement work.

Third round the world trip

Reconstruction of "Endeavor"

Cook rested for a year, having received a long vacation, and on July 12, 1776, he went on his third and final journey. In the ships Resolution and Discovery, he sailed, now in the rank of captain, in search of a trade route from the Pacific to the Atlantic around North America - the long-sought Northwest Passage.

In this expedition, a group of Hawaiian Islands, named after the then head of the Admiralty Sandwich, was rediscovered, the still completely unknown northwest coast of America, right up to Alaska, was put on the map, and the location of Asia and America relative to each other was found. In search of the northwest passage, the travelers reached 70 ° 41? With. sh. at the Ledyaniy cape, where the ships were blocked by pack ice. The expedition turned south, and in November 1778 the crew again landed in Hawaii.

Death of James Cook

This is where the world-famous tragedy took place. The Hawaiians had an ancient legend about the god O-Rono, who was to return to Hawaii on a floating island. The priest O-Rono declared Cook to be a god. The honors given by the islanders were unpleasant to the navigator. However, believing that this would make the team's stay in Hawaii more secure, he did not dissuade the natives.

And in their midst began a complex struggle between the interests of the priests and warriors. The divine origin of the captain was questioned. There was a desire to check it. Theft at the expedition camp led to skirmishes with the natives. The situation escalated, and in one of the clashes, on February 14, 1779, James Cook was killed with a spear blow to the back of the head. The Hawaiians took the corpse with them, and the next day the priests - friends of the captain - with a cry brought back the pieces of the body that they got during the division. Yielding to the demands of the sailors, Captain Clerk, who replaced Cook, allowed the Hawaiians to be dealt with. The sailors mercilessly killed everyone in their way, burned villages. The natives asked for peace and returned the body parts, which the team gave with great honors to the sea.

Contribution made to the history of geographical discoveries

Cook's activity was regarded ambiguously by contemporaries and researchers of a later time. Like any talented and bright personality, he had his fans and enemies. Father and son, Johann and Georg Forster, took part in the second voyage as natural scientists. The convictions of the eldest of them, who was under strong influence Rousseau's ideas about the "natural" person made him a serious opponent of Cook in assessing many travel situations, especially those related to the relationship between Europeans and natives. Forster was mercilessly critical of Cook's actions and often idealized the islanders.

Serious disagreements between the scientist and the captain arose immediately after returning from the voyage. Both Forsters flatly refused to stick to the semi-official plan of the voyage notes outlined by the Admiralty. Finally, Johann had to make a commitment not to publish his own description of the trip. But he gave his notes to Georg, who processed them and nevertheless published them three months earlier than the publication of Cook's notes. And in 1778 Forster Sr. published his "Observations made during a trip around the world."

Both books by the Forsters became an interesting commentary on the notes of their former boss and made contemporaries look somewhat differently at the "valiant" and "merciful" behavior of the British during the expedition. At the same time, painting idyllic pictures of paradise prosperity on the islands of the southern seas, both naturalists sinned against the truth. Therefore, in everything that concerns the life, religion and culture of the natives, Cook's notes, a man of a clear and cold mind, are more accurate, although the works of the Forsters for a long time served as a kind of encyclopedia of the countries of the southern seas and were immensely popular.

The dispute between the captain and the scientists has not been resolved to this day. And now no serious publication about James Cook is complete without quotes or references to the Forsters. Nevertheless, Cook was and remains the brightest star in the constellation of the discoverers of the Earth; he delivered to his contemporaries many accurate objective observations for nature, customs and mores of the inhabitants of the territories that he visited.

It is not difficult to make sure of this: all three books by J. Cook have been published in Russian: “The first voyage around the world of Captain James Cook. Sailing on the Endeavor in 1768-1771 " (M., 1960), “The second voyage around the world by James Cook. Voyage to the South Pole and around the world in 1772–1775 ”, (M., 1964),“ The third voyage of Captain James Cook. Swimming in the Pacific Ocean in 1776-1780. " (M., 1971). Despite the remoteness of what has been written from our time, the books are read with keen interest and carry a lot of information, including about the personalities of the captain himself and the people who surrounded him.